Name: _______________________________
Mr. Reiff
TOTAL: ______/70
SONNET ELEGY OR SONNET EULOGY
(aka “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him,…” -- Hamlet or “Dude, I can’t believe you’re, like, dead.” -- one of your friends)
Yes, it is time to put all of those morbid thoughts to good use, children. As we all
know, an elegy is a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or
lament for the dead. A eulogy is a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or
something highly, typically someone who has just died. Recently, you have been thinking
about how you are going to die and what legacy you are going to leave behind.
No matter what the setting for your funeral (place of worship, mountaintop, or the
50-yard line at the HHS football field), someone is going to speak on your behalf. This
person should speak to the wonder that was your life and present this elegy or eulogy in the
form of a sonnet. This person is glad that he or she does not have to do this assignment.
1.
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3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
You must use iambic pentameter (five sets of iams, a pairing of two syllables, for a
total of 10 syllables per line). If you have more than two lines that are not in iambic
pentameter, you will earn no points for the project, and you will have to fix it.
 Some helpful tips: “Child” and “smile” have one syllable each. “Every” has three
syllables. “Ev’ry” has two. “Family” has three syllables. “Fam’ly” has two.
You MUST have a rhyme scheme throughout your sonnet, but you do NOT have to
have a Shakespearean sonnet. Every line must rhyme with at least one other line. Do
not rhyme a word with the same word or part of that word. For example, do not
rhyme “style” with “lifestyle.” Also, do not rhyme “life” with “strife.” If a
significant portion of your sonnet does not rhyme, you will earn no points for the
project, and you will have to fix it.
Literary devices (use your handout): the sonnet must contain two metaphors and
two examples of personification (no doubling up!). You may not use any of the
examples from the sonnets, Literary Devices lists, the song lyrics we discussed in
class, or any of the literary device work we have done so far. Each literary device
should be explained in a footnote. For the metaphors, you may not use “[name or
pronoun] was an angel or a saint” or anything similar to that. If you are using verbs
to create your personification, the verbs must be strong verbs. You may not use “the
wind whispered” (or any variation thereof) as an example of personification.
You must clearly describe your legacy (how you are to be remembered).
Your sonnet must be typed, but it does not have to be in MLA format.
Below the ending of your typed sonnet, type the theme (bumper-sticker length “big
picture” message) of the sonnet. You may not use any of the themes that we
discussed in class. Remember: your theme must be thought-provoking!!!
Refrain from using the word “now.”
Your sonnet must be school-appropriate, and it must be written in the third person!
Coherent, clear rhyme scheme
Iambic pentameter
Two metaphors (in bold letters & explained via footnote)
Two examples of personification (in bold letters & explained via footnote)
Clear description of what your legacy is
Theme of the sonnet
Spelling, grammar, and punctuation
______/5
______/5
______/10
______/10
______/10
______/20
______/10
This assignment is due at the beginning of class on Thursday, October 24th. If you are in school at any point on October 24th but
miss class, put your project in my mailbox. Otherwise, late points will be deducted. If your lateness or absence is unexcused, it will
be considered a cut, and you will earn zero points. To receive full credit for this assignment, this sheet must be stapled to the
front of your sonnet.