Summary
Summary Grade 12 poems
- Course
- English Home Language
- Institution
- 12th Grade
Summary of 118 pages for the course English Home Language at 12th Grade
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Grade 11 and 12 IEB Poetry Pack1. To me, fair friend, you never can be old Shakespeare p2
2. The Sun Rising Donne p7
3. The Discardment Paton p13
4. Namaqualand after Rain Plomer p21
5. Touch Lewin p29
6. For Oom Piet Dowling p36
7. The Tenant Ngulube p44
8. Cockroaches Yambo p51
9. Strangers forever Kassam p59
10. Ozymandias of Egypt Shelley p65
11. Moving through the silent crowd Spender p72
12. Mirror Plath p81
13. Go, lovely Rose Waller p91
14. Will it be so again? Lewis p98
15. Remember Rossetti 106
16. nobody loses all the time Cummings p112
1
,Sonnet 104
To me, fair friend, you can never be old - Shakespeare
To me, fair friend, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I eyed,
Such seems your beauty still. Three winters cold
Have from the forests shook three summers’ pride,
Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turned
In process of the seasons have I seen,
Three April perfumes in three hot Junes burned,
Since first I saw you fresh, which yet are green.
Ah, yet doth beauty, like a dial-hand,
Steal from his figure, and no pace perceived;
So your sweet hue, which methinks still doth stand,
Hath motion, and mine eye may be deceived:
For fear of which, hear this, thou age unbred, -
Ere you were born was beauty’s summer dead.
2
, Analysis
The speaker asserts that their 'fair' friend, the subject of the sonnet, has managed to
preserve their beauty. Despite the passage of three years and the natural cycles of
life and death represented by the changing seasons, the subject of the poem remains
perpetually 'youthful' and 'vibrant'.
"Sonnet 104" belongs to the Elizabethan sonnet tradition, characterized by its division
into three quatrains followed by a rhyming couplet. This structure is indicative of the
Shakespearean or English sonnet form. In contrast to the Petrarchan or Italian form,
which typically introduces and complicates a theme in the octave before resolving it in
the sestet, a Shakespearean sonnet employs its three quatrains to develop a theme
progressively, with the final two lines offering a novel perspective on the subject.
This poem consistently adheres to a rhyme scheme represented as ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
and maintains a rhythmic pattern of iambic pentameter.
Shakespeare The notion of the speaker's friend defying the
1. To me, fair friend, you never can be effects of time and maintaining their beauty is
elaborated in the first and second quatrains of
old, the poem.
2. For as you were when first your The speaker conveys that despite the passage of
three years, their friend's beauty has endured, as
eye I eyed, evident in the line, "as you were when first your
eye I eyed." This line does suggest a heightened
assonance: repetition of vowels close level of intimacy, affection, or attraction. It
together implies a deep and lasting appreciation for the
friend's beauty, as if the memory of that initial
encounter remains vivid and captivating. The use
of "your eye I eyed" suggests a personal
connection and an intimate gaze, hinting at a
strong bond or affection between the speaker
and the friend.
In the first two quatrains, the poem employs the
metaphor of the changing seasons to symbolize
his fair friend is still as beautiful as when they
the inexorable passage of time, demonstrating
first met
the cyclical nature of life. It illustrates how life
3. Such seems your beauty still. Three follows a pattern of birth, growth, decline, and
eventual renewal, mirroring the natural cycles
winters cold found in nature itself. Life leads to death, and
from that death, new life emerges. However, in
stark contrast to this natural order, the subject
of the poem is depicted as immune to the typical
effects of time and aging, as indicated by their
resistance to turning 'yellow in autumn' and
enduring through 'three hot Junes.'
Indeed, the theme presented in the first quatrain
very blustery conditions with heavy emphasizes the enduring beauty of the speaker's
winds 'fair friend.' If we interpret the 'fair friend' as a
person, it suggests that this individual will never
3
,4. Have from the forests shook three succumb to the effects of old age. Their beauty
will remain undiminished and timeless.
summers’ pride,
Three springs have passed, and during this time,
wonderful the speaker and their friend have experienced
5. Three beauteous springs to yellow three Aprils filled with the fragrance of
blossoming flowers, as well as "three hot Junes"
autumn turned marked by the scorching heat of summer. The
first time the speaker encountered this young
6. In process of the seasons have I man, he appeared to be in a state of youthful
freshness, and remarkably, he still retains that
seen, quality. The term "green" in this context
symbolizes youth, akin to a fruit that has not yet
fully ripened or matured. It conveys the idea that
the friend remains youthful and unspoiled by the
passage of time.
7. Three April perfumes in three hot In the context of the sonnet, the term "green"
carries the connotation of being new or fresh,
Junes burned, particularly in the context of the friendship. The
speaker has just recently met this "fair friend,"
and the freshness of this encounter and the
newness of the friendship are emphasized. While
"green" can indeed imply youth, it also suggests
the novelty and newness of the relationship,
making it fitting for a recently established
friendship.
The theme explored in the second quatrain involves
metaphor a comparison between the speaker's beloved and
8. Since first I saw you fresh, which the changing seasons. Despite the passage of
three years, each marked by the transitions of
yet are green. seasons, the speaker's "fair friend" remains as
vibrant and youthful as the day they first met.
In the third quatrain, the speaker starts to
move forwards simile question their own assumption that their friend is
9. Ah, yet doth beauty, like a dial-hand, unaffected by the passage of time. The speaker
begins to doubt their own perception, admitting
in this sonnet is a reference to the
that "mine eyes may be deceived" in believing that
passing of time and, with the their friend's youthful appearance and "sweet
passing of time, the passing too of
hue" remain unchanged. The speaker acknowledges
beauty as all things age
that, in reality, everything undergoes change as
time progresses, even though the power of love
and familiarity can sometimes obscure this
fundamental truth.
10. Steal from his figure, and no pace The word "steal" can indeed have multiple
meanings, and in the context provided, it is used
perceived; metaphorically. The dial-hand of the clock "steals"
around the face, meaning it moves very slowly,
marking the passage of time. On the other hand,
"beauty is stolen from a person" suggests that
someone's beauty gradually diminishes or is taken
away over time, alluding to the effects of aging.
4
,11. So your sweet hue, which methinks The speaker is aware that the young man's
beauty is also subject to change. Although the
still doth stand, young man's "sweet hue" seems to remain static,
it is actually in motion, evolving over time. The
seem unchanged
speaker acknowledges that this movement exists,
and their own perception is deceived or tricked by
the appearance of unchanging beauty.
12. Hath motion, and mine eye may be In the theme of the third quatrain, the poet
introduces an element of doubt. While they have
deceived: been asserting that their "fair friend" will remain
perpetually youthful, they now question the
feasibility of this claim. They ponder, "is that
possible?" The doubt arises from the undeniable
reality that time continues to progress, and with
the passage of time, the ravages of aging can
diminish and consume beauty.
13. For fear of which, hear this, thou The self-doubt expressed in the third quatrain
finds resolution in the final rhyming couplet. The
you
age unbred: speaker reaffirms the enduring beauty of their
friend while acknowledging the impossibility of any
human escaping the inevitability of time and death.
The speaker addresses both future generations
and the reader, who is as yet "unbred," and
emphasizes that if their fair friend does succumb
to the effects of time, then along with them, the
concept of "beauty's summer" will also perish.
The poet concludes the argument in the rhyming
before
couplet with a statement that could be seen as a
14. Ere you were born was beauty’s somewhat extravagant exaggeration. The poet
suggests that no beauty ever existed before the
summer dead. existence of their "fair friend," emphasizing the
unique and unparalleled beauty of their friend.
Additional analysis:
Overall Theme:
The central theme of Sonnet 104 is the relationship between beauty and time. The poet
expresses a profound admiration for the beauty of the fair friend, insisting that the
friend will never grow old in their eyes. However, as the poem unfolds, the speaker
begins to doubt this assertion, recognizing the inevitability of aging and the passage of
time.
Quatrain 1:
"To me, fair friend, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I eyed,
Such seems your beauty still. Three winters cold
Have from the forests shook three summers’ pride."
In the first quatrain, the speaker declares their belief that the fair friend will never
age. The speaker recalls the time when they first laid eyes on the friend, and their
beauty appeared to be as enchanting then as it does now. The changing of three
5
, winters into three summers signifies the passage of time. The beauty of the friend
remains unwavering, much like nature's seasons.
Quatrain 2:
"Three beauteous springs to yellow autumn turned
In process of the seasons have I seen,
Three April perfumes in three hot Junes burned,
Since first I saw you fresh, which yet are green."
In the second quatrain, the speaker reflects on how they have witnessed three
beautiful springs transition into yellowing autumns as time has passed. The comparison
of April perfumes to hot Junes implies the transformation from the freshness of
spring to the warmth of summer. Despite this passage of time, the friend's freshness
and beauty remain vivid and unaltered.
Quatrain 3:
"Ah, yet doth beauty, like a dial-hand,
Steal from his figure, and no pace perceived;
So your sweet hue, which methinks still doth stand,
Hath motion, and mine eye may be deceived:"
In the third quatrain, the speaker introduces doubt. The speaker acknowledges that, like
the slow movement of a dial-hand on a clock, beauty undergoes imperceptible change
over time. They admit that the friend's "sweet hue" might also be subject to this motion,
and their own perception could be deceiving them.
Rhyming Couplet:
"For fear of which, hear this, thou age unbred,
Ere you were born was beauty’s summer dead."
The rhyming couplet serves to resolve the argument presented in the quatrains. The
speaker, in addressing "thou age unbred," essentially speaks to future generations. The
speaker conveys that beauty's "summer" had already passed even before the birth of
these future generations, implying that the beauty of their fair friend is incomparable
and unparalleled.
Overall Analysis:
Sonnet 104 grapples with the idea of eternal beauty and the effects of time on it. The
speaker begins by celebrating the unchanging beauty of the fair friend but gradually
introduces doubt about the friend's immunity to aging. The poem ultimately conveys
the inevitability of time's passage and the changes it brings, while still emphasizing the
extraordinary and timeless nature of the friend's beauty. The final couplet, with its
reference to "beauty’s summer," underscores the unique and enduring quality of the
fair friend's beauty. The sonnet is a meditation on the relationship between beauty,
time, and perception, with a touch of irony in the speaker's doubt
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