Rojano, Christelle Joy S.

October 27, 2014

Literary Criticism | Prof. Maria Teresa Tinio

Final Paper

I found myself fascinated as I read in class two poems that Edna St. Vincent Millay made. Not in
a Silver Casket and Oh, Think Not I am Faithful to a Vow presented the poets prowess in writing by
making it evident that her poems personas could not be Edna herself. It is a display of her flair as she
wrote two equally brilliant poems which talk about relationships, each offering different aspects. The
former features an open and generous kind of affection, while the latter shows a guarded and selfish kind
of love.
It is noticeable that the persona on both poems never revealed its gender and recipients for both
are simply addressed as you. It is only in the second poem (Oh, Think Not) where a particular term is
used to hint at the gender of for whom the piece is for. The word wanton in the archaic context means a
sexually immodest or promiscuous woman, but it now holds a variety of other definitions like lively,
luxuriant, and promiscuous which can be applicable to both male and female subjects. Still, it is hard to
tell if that word is a defining point for anyones sexual category in the poem. Either way, the poems
themselves are structured as applicable to anyone, may it be a male or a female who is perceiving it.
Both poems have fourteen lines, each having ten syllables (with the exception of the fourth line of
Not in a Silver Casket which has eleven syllables on it). Both of them have the rhyming pattern of
ABABCDCDEFEFGG, too. These are clear samples of what others call a Shakespearean sonnet or
English sonnet. There are noticeable alliterations in a few lines on each poem (/c/, /r/, /n/, and /s/ on Not
in s, and /l/, /f/, /w/, /s/, and /ch/ on Oh, Think Not). Also, the first eight lines of both poems offer a
different focus in contrast to what their next six lines would discuss.

In Not in a Silver Casket, the first eight lines shares the personas description of how his love is
not. The poet used metaphors and descriptions of material things and possessions, like jewels and knots,
to paint how he would not offer his love to his dear. The fine sketch of only tangible riches even adds to
show how inauthentic these things or feelings are. The remaining lines offer a picture of how the
personas love is. Simile and imagery of the simple and innocent type of affection is prevalent on this
part, exuding a straightforward and non-extravagant kind of love. The couplet in the end offers a simple
conclusionan offering of a love that is just sweet and true.
In Oh, Think Not I am Faithful to a Vow, the first eight lines are used to build up the personas
lustful character. By giving metaphors of the biological needs of a man, like comparing his dear to food
and water for his personal thirst and hunger, we can see intense emotions being exhibited to portray ones
infuriation and selfishness. It is the imagery of the non-physical which makes this point more palpable.
To justify those strong sentiments, the succeeding lines describe how the personas lover isinconsistent
and unfaithfulby giving a metaphor about tides. The poem finishes with a smooth declaration of the
personas true feelings in the ending couplet.
Both poems are an expression of feelings about love and relationships, and yet we can never
declare which one reflects Millays outlook about these for they offer two dissimilar but interesting takes
on the subject.
WORD COUNT: 598

REFERENCE
wanton. 2014. In OxfordDictionaries.com.
Retrieved October 25, 2014, from
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/wanton