- September 20, 2012
- Posted by: essay
- Category: Free essays
The sonnet is mainly focused on the theme of labor. To put it more precisely, the author attempt to convey the pleasure the woman working gets from her labor. Therefore, the main idea of the sonnet is to convince the audience that people can enjoy their work. In fact, this idea can be traced practically from the beginning of the sonnet, when the poet describes the woman at work:
The woman singeth at her spinning-wheel
A pleasant chant, a ballade or barcarole
In such a way, her work is not a hard labor, but it is rather a sort of entertainment for this woman because she sings and think about her song but not her labor.
At the same time, the woman is apparently very skillful in her work because she works fast that means that she has been doing this work for a long period of time and she is not going to give up spinning and weaving.
In order to enhance a positive impression from the labor of the woman, the author uses positive epithets, such as “a perfect thread”. Moreover, the poet shows that the job is good because it is a virtuous deed. Being at work the narrator feels as if
”¦ we may do
Our Father’s business in these temples mirk
This is why the author does not associate the job with a hard work, since it is “apart from toil” and, eventually, the poet concludes that work leads to catharsis:
”¦ our souls pursue
Some high come spheric tune, and prove our work
The better for the sweetness of our song
Thus, the sonnet shows that work is good and people should enjoy their job because it is their destination and it is a virtuous act.