~ The Poet's Place Cafe~

Having become a fan of the English sonnet over the past few years, it seems appropriate to dub it "The Public Speaker's Sonnet" because every time I write one, I feel like I'm writing out 3 X 5 cards in preparation for a speech. In this concept the title would be the premise of the speech. The three quatrains are the three supporting points, and the couplet would be the take-away zinger at the end. The zinger is the retelling of the premise in an unforgettable tagline.

As a minister's son, I have a great deal of experience with this format. As a teenager, I often fell asleep on the third row back, right side, center aisle. This behavior was not acceptable. Ergo, dad urged me to take notes of what he was saying. Taking notes, I didn't fall asleep anymore. Amazing! How many times did I hear some version of "It's three points, and poem, Son."

The format applies to speaking and the writing of essays of every stripe: teachers, politicians, leaders of community organizations, and speakers for any large group of people needing information. Three points and a wrap-up (take-away thought) is pretty consistent for speakers and essayists. 7-10 points and you lose their interest and attentiveness, but with fewer than three you haven't made your point.

Modify that for speakers, and you have "Three points, and zinger!"
Modify it for poets, who love to write sonnets, and it becomes, "Three quatrains, and a couplet."

1. State premise. (Title)
2. Build Evidence for the Premise. (Three Quatrains)
3. Restate the premise in a creative way. (Couplet)

The English, also called Shakespearean, Sonnet is only one of many variations. This particular form is organized in three quatrains followed by a couplet, written in iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef gg, as described and demonstrated in the following links:

https://www.poetrymagnumopus.com/topic/1046-shakespearean-sonnet-english-sonnet-...

According to Tinker on the website, Poetry Magnum Opus, this sonnet form has "become the 2nd dominant sonnet form along side the Petrarchan or Italian Sonnet."

https://www.shakespeare-online.com/sonnets/

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