What The Heck is a Sonnet

Recently as we’ve been reading and analyzing sonnets, I’ve begun to realize how complicated they are to write and the amount of thought it would take to even think of something so sophisticated and calculated. When I write, I basically just vomit my thoughts onto a page in hopes that it will make coherent sentences and convey my emotions somewhat intelligently. It’s excruciating for me to think about having to organize those thoughts by syllables or number of words, much less combine that into something that sounds intelligent and not like a 9 year old with dyslexia. As you’re reading a sonnet, you’re just like “oh cool this is a neat little poem”, but it’s more like a work of art. If I tried to write anything with that amount of precision, I’d probably end up crying from frustration and violently writing something way off topic because the idea of trying to organize my thoughts in anyway is enough to almost bring me to tears. I can only imagine how Shakespeare and the authors of other sonnets dealt with the stress of counting syllables and words and calculating how to make that all work with what they were trying to say, or if it just came easy to them because they were literary geniuses. Either way, it worked out well for them, or at least the authors I’ve read. While understanding sonnets will become easier as I progress through the school year, I still will never fully comprehend how such beautiful words and such sophisticated structure can go hand in hand, especially because it is beyond my own abilities.