B‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‍efore you write, consider … First, determine where the volta occurs. At what point does the sonnet turn back on itself? For most sonnets, this will be around line 9. Second, identify the conjunction at the volta. What relationship does this conjunction seem to suggest between the octave and the sestet? Now that you have identified the turning point of the sonnet, look back at the octave. What problem, complaint, or circumstance does the octave discuss? Now look below at the sestet. How does the sestet respond, overturn, reverse, add, or intensify the octave? What is the nature of the “turn” from the octave to the sestet? Now look more closely at the octave and sestet. Carefully scrutinize them for … any pattern of word choice. Does the poem repeat a word or make a play on words? Does the pun create a pun? How does this pattern of word choice emphasize either the meaning of the octave or the response of the sestet? … any pattern of imagery. What do you see, smell, feel, taste, or hear in‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‍ the sonnet? How do these images work together? What meaning in the octave or sestet do these images add? … any metaphor, simile, or comparison in general. How do these comparisons cooperate with the overall meaning of the octave or sestet, or the poem as a whole? Now that you have considered the poem carefully, write up your observations. What message does the poem communicate? This is your thesis. State this at the beginning of your post. How does the octave initially broach this message? Describe this in the first half of your post. Discuss any salient image, wordplay, or comparison that appears in the octave. How does the sestet revise, overturn, or intensify the octave? Describe this in the second half of your post. Again, discuss any salient image, wordplay, or comparison that appears in the sestet, particularly if these elements flow from the octave into the sestet. Requirements: Thesis (beginning of post) Specific support (DISCUSS at least 4 short quotations from the text) Required ‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‍resource: OED