Short essay on a poem

Answer

Blank Sonnet by George Elliott Clarke

            Poetry is known for its tough rules and sonnets are no exception. Sonnets are typically made of fourteen 10-syllable lines each of which follows a particular rhythm (Cameron 9). In a perfect sonnet, the rhythm pattern is made up of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable and so on (Cameron 9). While these rhymes and rules are what help separate sonnets from other forms of poetry, they are limiting. In Blank Sonnet, George Elliot Clarke takes the persona of an amateur poet who is frustrated by the rules that he feels are a limiting factor to his poetic ability. George Elliott Clarke is a seasoned poet and it shows; he is just as creative as he is experienced. The meaning of this poem lies in a young black poet’s frustrations with poetry tradition which Clarke brings out using a number of poetic devices such as alliteration, imagery and sonnet. George Elliot Clarke’s “Blank Sonnet” uses the voice of a young black poet to communicate his frustrations with the traditional poetry and attempts to defy these norms which he feels are now outdated and unnecessary.

            The title Blank Sonnet implies that this poem is written in blank verse style which means that Clarke has chosen not to obey the rules of writing a sonnet, like the persona in the poem. Not that blank verse is a crime in poetry, but the sonnet ideally uses a 14-line style with a clear rhyme scheme. Blank Sonnet, on the other hand, has no rhyme scheme and is written in iambic pentameter. The use of rhyme scheme in a sonnet is crucial because it helps readers to identify a sonnet. George Elliott Clarke’s decision to use an iambic pentameter is intentional and is meant to point readers to the fact that the persona is a novice in poetry. George Elliott Clarke wants the reader to resonate with the amateur poet and to go through the poem with a level of understanding of the persona’s standpoint.

            The poem Blank Sonnet uses alliteration as a poetic device to mock the persona’s limited poetic knowledge. The 5^th line, “Watch white stars spin dizzy as drunks, and yearn” contains three alliterations: /w/, /s/, /d/. The alliteration of these three sounds is conspicuous and somewhat overwhelming (Clarke 5). This points the reader to the inner conflict that the persona is undergoing. The persona is, himself, overwhelmed by the expectations of poetry that he fears he cannot meet. Nonetheless he is eager to prove earn the title of a poet and prove the society wrong. His eagerness causes him to make a foolish mistake that a seasoned poet would not make.

            Another poetic device used by George Elliott Clarke in Blank Sonnet is imagery which he so expertly uses to engage the reader from the beginning of the poem. From the onset, the author creates an image of a new beginning using the elements of nature such as blossoming flowers and the smell of rhubarb. The first four lines of the poem read thus:
            “The air smells of rhubarb, occasional
             Roses, of first birth of blossoms, a fresh
             Undulant hurt, so body snaps and curls 
             like a flower. I step through snow as thin as script…”

The voice of the poet describes the air as fresh and goes further to compare its scent to that of roses, “the air smells of…occasional roses…” (Clarke 2). He then continues, “I step through the snow…” as if to imply that he is emerging from failure (Clarke 4). The imagery used by Clarke therefore gives the reader a vivid description of the persona’s impending development as a poet.

            Through the use of allusion in the tenth line, “...Icarus-like, I'll fall”, Clarke introduces the reader to the fact that the persona is frustrated because he is trying to thrive in an area (poetry) dominated by white men (Clarke 10).  “…Icarus-like, I'll fall

Against this page of snow, tumble blackly

Across vision to drown in the White Sea

That closes every poem -- the white reverse

That cancels the blackness of each image.”

The voice of the poet (from line ten to fourteen) complains that the poetry is traditionally dominated by the white people and that these white people have had so much influence on poetry that it is almost unique to them. He feels that traditional poetry has a white voice that “cancels the blackness” and stops it from growing. He notes that like Icarus, he will fall into the whiteness but will “tumble blackly” rather than drown. The speaker is telling the reader that he is confident in his abilities as a black poet despite the fact that poetry is predominantly white. He believes that even if he falls, his fall will result in a masterpiece. Line ten to fourteen show the reader that the voice of the poet is not interested in eliminating the white voice of poetry but rather hopes that his own black voice can be heard too.

            It is clear that the amateur poet’s feelings towards poetic tradition are somewhat conflicted as he harbors both admiration and disgust for it. The allusion to Icarus is used to bring out the circumstances of a young black poet who has managed to achieve literacy which his people have been denied for centuries. When the voice of the poet says he will fall like Icarus he is cautioning himself to remember that while he has achieved some degree of classical literacy, there are still limits to how creative he is allowed to be (Clarke 10). He therefore demonstrates some fear in his ambition to be unique in his poetic works. He realizes that the consequences of such a fete would be dire. Despite the young poet’s fears regarding his own ambitions, he feels strongly that he must do better than Shelley. He feels that poets like Shelley are contributing to his failure in poetry because they drown his own unique non-traditional voice.

            In conclusion, poetry allows its speakers to express themselves creatively in a way that they feel best in communicates their feelings, aspirations or desires. However, poetry was a privilege for the white and black people who could only dream of achieving the same classical literacy. For the few black people that did get the chance to achieve this literacy, their creativity was severely hindered by rules and the white voice that naturally loomed over poetry. Black poets obviously had different things to say from white poets but the rules controlled this and tied them down. George Elliot Clarke successfully communicates these frustrations in “Blank Sonnet” and demonstrates that poetry does not have to have a particular voice. This poem is a classic example of how amateur poets can dare to dream and create their own unique poetic voice.