Sonnets

I thought both assigned sonnet readings were interesting. They both had a distinct form to how it was written. I noticed that the sonnets by Ted Berrigan were less conventional. In many of his sonnets, the same lines were repeated only to differ in location. Unlike Shakespeare’s sonnets, Berrigan’s sonnets did not have a rhyme scheme. His sonnets were as the Introduction of the The Sonnets explains, presented simultaneously whereas Shakespeare’s were chronologically. The Introduction also mentions that the sonnets are told in a time sequence unfolding the past, present, and future. However, I was not able to get that from Berrigan’s sonnets. A question that I had after reading the sonnets was why did he choose to write it the way he did? What is the message or meaning behind the repeated verses and rearrangement of lines?
Shakespeare’s sonnets however, were deep in thought but I found it hard to fully comprehend what he was saying maybe because we don’t speak like that anymore. Similarly, both writers spoke of life and love. These are themes in which I believe all writers write about because it evokes emotions and appeals to readers.