SOAPSTone Sample

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SOAPSTone Sample

• On His Being Arrived to the Age of Twenty Three
• (by John Milton)

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Sample Poem On His Being Arrived at the Age of
23

• HOW soon hath time, the subtle thief of
  youth,    Stolen on his wing my three and
  twentieth year!    My hasting days fly on with
  full career,    But my late spring no bud or
  blossom sheweth.
• Perhaps my semblance might deceive the
  truth,    That I to manhood am arrived so
  near,    And inward ripeness doth much less
  appear    That some more timely happy spirits
  indueth.
• Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,    It
  shall be still in strictest measure even    To
  that same lot however mean or high,
• Toward which time leads me and the will of
  Heaven.    All is, if I have grace to use it
  so,    As ever in my great Taskmaster's eye.

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First, read the poem and define any unfamiliar
words.

• Hath- has
• Subtle- not obvious
• Hasting- quick
• Sheweth- shows
• Semblance- resemble
• Doth- does
• Indueth- endure, survive

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Now consider the SOAPSTone

• S is for Speaker
• O is for Occasion
• A is for Audience
• P is for Purpose
• S is for Subject
• Tone is the mood of the poem

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S

• Speaker Is someone identified as the speaker?
  What assumptions can you make about the speaker?
  (e.g., age, gender, class, emotional state, etc.)

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S(Speaker)

• The speaker of the poem is a young man on his
  birthday (line 3 my).
• The speaker does consider himself to be old
  looking (line 6 so near), but he thinks the
  inside doesnt match the outside.
• The speaker is religious (L 14 great
  Task-master).

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O

• Occasion What is the rhetorical occasion of the
  poem? Is it a memory, adescription, an
  observation, a valedictory, an argument, a
  diatribe, an elegy, a declaration, a critique,
  etc.?

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O(Occasion)

• The occasion is the 23rd birthday or close to it.
  He might be thinking about it approaching.
• John Milton wrote a long time ago (he died in
  1674). What was the life expectancy? What was the
  age of 23 equal to? (life expectancy was 35)
• The occasion of his birthday is causing the
  speaker to think about his life (perhaps,
  yet)

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A

• Audience Does the speaker identify an audience?
  What assumptions can youmake about the intended
  audience? Is the speaker clearly addressing one
  person or the world?

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A(Audience)

• I think the speaker is talking or thinking to
  himself. If he is taking stock of his life he
  might be thinking about what he has or hasnt
  done.
• God might be part of the audience (last line), so
  maybe he is praying. He sure wants God to know he
  has been considered.

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P

• Purpose What is the speaker's purpose? In what
  ways does the poet convey this message? What is
  the message? How does the speaker try to spark a
  reaction in the audience? How is the poem
  supposed to make the audiencefeel? What is its
  intended effect?

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P(Purpose)

• If the man is taking stock of his life at this
  turning point, he might be thinking about what he
  has left to do.
• I think that in line 4 he might be thinking about
  the children (no bud or blossom shewth) he
  doesnt have. This might be akin to a 55 year old
  man today looking back on his life.

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S

• Subject What is the subject of the piece? How
  do you know this? How does the poet present
  his/her subject? Does (s)he present it
  immediately or does (s)he delay its revelation?

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SSubject

• Growing old, looking back, having regret, but
  having hope.
• I think he is frightened of the years flying by
  (line 3 my hasting days fly on).
• He feels that he may look like a man on the
  outside (L 5 my semblance might deceive the
  truth, but he still feels like a kid inside
  inward ripeness doth much less appear).

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Tone

• Tone What is the author's attitude toward the
  subject? What emotional sensedo you take from
  the piece? How does the diction point to tone?

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Tone

• In the first 8 lines the speaker seems a little
  sad about growing old because he never had kids
  and regrets it. He seems sad that his days are
  flying by, and lonely.
• But the tone of the second six lines show that he
  realizes that there isnt much he can do about
  his situation. By the end of the poem he accepts
  the amount of time he has left ( L 9 be it less
  or more, or soon or slow). His resignation is
  made easier knowing that his God is watching and
  judging him (last line eye).

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Other Things to Consider

• Stylistic and Linguistic Elements syntax,
  language, literary devices,imagery, diction,
  detail. Use of accented language, metaphors,
  similes, alliteration, capitalization within the
  lines, repetition, etc.

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Also Consider

• Narrative Style How does the poet tell the
  "story" of the poem? What doesthe poet reveal?
  What does he/she conceal? What does (s)he
  invert/subvert?Is the poem "dramatic," almost
  play-like in its use of dialogue or theatrical
  conventions like the soliloquy? How does the poet
  treat time?

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Think About

• Evidence What kind of diction dominates the
  poem? What is the source of theimages (for
  example nature, weapons, law, science, theology,
  love, architecture,etc.). What do sound devices
  contribute to the poem? What was going on
  politically when the poem was written? (You will
  have to research the poems publishing date)

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Consider This Too

• Written language, especially poetry, is
  inherently a flawed translation of lived life.
• -Mark Yakich

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By using the SOAPSTone process you should get
more depth of understanding.

• Your next step in the research paper is to find
  reliable, credible research that agrees with your
  SOAPSTone findings, as well as biographical and
  historical information on the author and time
  period