18th Century British HistoryBy: Mikaela Davis

Timeline of Major Historic Events

Restoration

1701The War of Spanish Succession

1707 Treaty of Union

1746 Final Jacobite rising crushed at Battle of Culloden.

1756 Seven Years War Begins

1763 Britain is victorious in the Seven Years' War. The Treaty of Paris grants Britain vast new territories around the globe

1765 The Stamp Act passed by parliament of Great Britain

1775 Revolutionary War begins in the Thirteen Colonies

1783 British recognition of American independence as Treaty of Paris is signed by David Hartley representing George III.

Poem: “Sound and Sense”True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, As those

move easiest who have learned to dance. 'Tis not enough no harshness gives offense, The sound must seem an echo to the sense: Soft is the strain when Zephyr gently blows, And the smooth stream in smoother numbers flows; But when loud surges lash the sounding shore, The hoarse, rough verse should like the torrent roar; When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to throw, The line too labors, and the words move slow; Not so, when swift Camilla scours the plain, Flies o'er the unbending corn, and skims along the main. Hear how Timotheus' varied lays surprise, And bid alternate passions fall and rise! Alexander Pope

TPCASTT Title- I think that the title sound and sense means that the poem is going

to explain something that does not make sense.

 Paraphrase-It is easier to write using art, not chance,/It is easiest to move when you know how to dance./No harsh words will cause offense,/The sound of the poem must reflect the meaning./When Zephyr gently blows the words should be soft,/And a poem about a smooth stream should gently flow;/When waves are crashing against the shore,/The verse should be rough to echo the loud sound;/When Ajax is straining to throw a boulder,/The verse should be labored and slow;/But not when Camilla quickly goes through the field,/Flying over the corn and rivers./Look how Timotheus varies surprise/And his sound will go up and down.

Connotation- The diction in this poem is very formal and old-fashioned. It is obvious from the word choice that this is a pretty old poem, nothing contemporary. The language also contains a lot of allusions including Zephyr, Ajax, Camilla. The language of this poem also includes several images and metaphors.

TPCASTT (cont.) Attitude- The speaker’s attitude is calm and serene. The speaker

is describing how a poem should be written and how it should sound, so they are very peaceful while describing the ideal poem.

Shift-The first four lines are general statements from the speaker, but at line five, the speaker begins to give specific examples of sound and sense.

Title Revisited- the title “Sound and Sense” is referring to the way that a poem sounds and the meaning and theme of a poem. The author discusses how important these two components are in poetry.

Theme- the theme of “sound and sense” is that the way that a poem sounds must be used to contribute to the meaning of a poem. Basically, the way a poem sounds needs to mirror the message that the poem is sending.

Poem’s ConnectionOne of the major unifying principles of art and

literature in the 18th century was nature. This poem relies heavily on nature metaphors and imagery from nature.

Towards the end of the 18th century, poetry began to move away from the strict ideals and put a new emphasis on sentiment and the feelings of the poet. This is seen in “Sound and Sense” because the poet is not following any strict form or style, and is instead urging other poets to be free in their writing and write with emotion.