Teaching Through Comparison and Critique

In my essay, I argued that Sonnet 130 can largely be seen as a rejection of Sonnet 18. I think this kind of argument could help function as a starting point for discussion, which students can either accept or reject to varying degrees. Do you agree that Sonnet 130 is a criticism of works like Sonnet 18? If so, do you agree or disagree with this criticism? These kind of questions can help start discussions. Without this, I think students might have troubling knowing where to start. For instance, if My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like The Sun is a satire, then who or what is it satirizing? Why should they care? If its just some other poet of the time, they will likely not care. But by showing how Sonnet 130 is also a criticism of Shakespeare's earlier work, we make things more relatable. This isn't just some unknown character that Shakespeare's attacking, it's Shakespeare!

I also think this comparative structure can help provide a better understanding of Shakespeare's earlier work like Sonnet 18. The reason for this is that it can function as a springboard in which as a teacher you can go into further detail about how Shakespeare himself followed various poetic conventions. In this particular case, by showing how Sonnet 18 involves a good deal of meaningless flowery language and humble bragging.

It also helps establish that even great writers like Shakespeare often had earlier writing that was problematic – either because it's messy or fairly unoriginal, both of which can be said for Sonnet 18. Furthermore that this is something that they often realized, and used to create more memorable and interesting poetry. Thus this helps encourage students, who might view their own writing as lacking in someway, by showing how even the best writers improved over time.