Lyrics and Poem Project Example

Elizabeth Barret Browning’s “Sonnet 43” and Michael Buble’s “Home”

Sarah Acker English 8

Ms. Acker October 18, 2006

“Sonnet 43”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday’s

Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints – I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, or all my life! – and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a famous English poet. She was born in 1806, and received

an extensive education; a rare thing for a woman in her day. She published her first volume of

poetry when she was just thirteen. She did not have a pleasant childhood or early adulthood. She

was plagued by illness, and forbidden to marry by her father. Barrett Browning lived with her

parents, and wrote poetry until she was 39. At that time, Robert Browning began writing to her, and

they had an extensive courtship through letter writing. In 1846 she eloped with Robert to Italy,

for which her father never forgave her. There, she became healthy, had a son, and continued to

write poetry. Although she is most famous for her collection “Sonnets from the Portuguese”, she

also wrote many other pieces. Elizabeth Barrett Browning died in 1861 at her home in Florence.

“Sonnet 43” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is from her collection “Sonnets from the

Portuguese”, a sequence of forty-four sonnets in which she wrote to her husband, Robert Browning,

while they were courting. “Sonnet 43” is near the end of her sequence. This sonnet explains the

depth of her love for Robert by saying in many different ways that she loves him with all her heart

and soul and mind. The sonnet ends with Barrett Browning saying that she will love him even after

death.

The most notable poetic device used by Barrett Browning in this poem is rhyme. She chose a

sonnet because this type of poem is usually associated with love poems. The rhyme scheme (ABBA

ABBA CDECDE) is the traditional rhyme scheme for an Italian sonnet – the love sonnet. This poem

also includes many instances of imagery. The line “I love thee freely, as men strive for Right”

creates the image of men fighting passionately as they fight for what they believe is right. This is

Barrett Browning describing that she loves Robert freely, and will do whatever she need to do to be

with him. There are several other examples of imagery in which Barrett Browning explains the

depth of her love for Robert.

I chose this poem because it is a very famous love poem, but most people only know the first

line. “Sonnet 43” makes me think of true romantic love, and reminds me of how I feel when

reflecting on my feelings of love for another person. How Barrett Browning explains how she feels

about Robert is extremely powerful, and she seems very genuine in her explanation.

"Home" Michael Buble

Another summer day

Has come and gone away In Paris and Rome

But I wanna go home Mmmmmmmm

Maybe surrounded by

A million people I Still feel all alone

I just wanna go home Babe I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I

wrote to you Each one a line or two

“I’m fine baby, how are you?” Well I would send them but I know that it’s just

not enough My words were cold and flat

And you deserve more than that

Another aeroplane Another sunny place

I’m lucky I know But I wanna go home

Mmmm, I’ve got to go home

Let me go home 'Cause I’m just too far from where you are

I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life It’s like I just stepped outside

When everything was going right And I know just why you could not

Come along with me That this is not your dream

But you always believed in me

Another winter day has come And gone away

In even Paris and Rome And I wanna go home

Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by A million people I Still feel all alone

Oh, let me go home Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home I’ve had my run Baby, I’m done

I gotta go home Let me go home

It will all be all right I’ll be home tonight

I’m coming back home

Michael Buble is a Canadian music artist. He was born in Burnaby, Ontario on September 9th,

1975. Although he pursued a music career through the 1990s, his breakthrough came when he sang

at Brian Mulrouny’s daughter’s wedding in 2000. He released his self-titled album Michael Buble in

2003 and became a household name. He won the 2004 Juno for “Best New Talent”. He continues to

record music, and appear in films.

Michael Buble’s song “Home” is his most successful single to date. In it he is in Europe, and

speaking to a loved one at home through the seasons that he is gone, telling her that he is homesick.

He has written letters to her, but never sent them. It was his dream to go to Europe, not her

dream, and he recognizes this and appreciates that she allows him to follow his dreams. His

loneliness is evident in the song, but it ends on a happy note, because he tells his loved one that he

is on his way home.

The most significant poetic device used in this song is repetition. Michael Buble repeats the

phrase “go home” eleven times through the song to emphasize his feelings of missing his loved one

and of loneliness. Another poetic device, which emphasizes the same emotions, is alliteration. The

phrase “got to go home” is an example of alliteration. It creates a memorable and powerful phrase

for the listener.

I chose this song because I too have felt very lonely and homesick, even though I was off

trying to achieve my dreams. I felt very alone at university at times, even though I was surrounded

my thousands of people, including many friends. The end of the song reminds me of that wonderful

feeling of coming home after being away. Truly, there is no better feeling.

References

Abrams, M. H. et al. (1996). The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors

(6th edition). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Michael Buble Lyrics – Home. <http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaelbuble/home.html>

(October 18, 2006).

Michael Buble – Wikipedia. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bubl%C3%A9> (October

18, 2006).