18 pages • 36-minute read
My Love Sent Me a List
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Literary Devices
Form
“My Love Sent Me a List” is a sonnet; however, Davis does not follow the traditional rules of a sonnet. She manipulates the syllable count, the meter, and the rhyme scheme for her own purposes. Ultimately, even though the poem has 14 lines and does have some lines in iambic pentameter, it feels more like free verse than formal poetry. Some of the rhymes utilize internal assonance (“And left, none-the-less” [Line 14]), and many utilize repeated consonance, such as in this section:
Lingual ………………………………...
More: physical, artistic, musical,
Politic(al) academic (I dare say!) social
(In many ways!) and (ditto!) sexual! (Lines 9-12)
In addition to the repeating “l” and “c” sounds in those lines, there is even more internal assonance with the repetition of “i” and “o” sounds.
Alliteration also pops up in other lines, such as Line 1 (“O my Love sent me a lusty list”) and Lines 5-6 (“...way the way(s) / In which he was…”).
The use of alliteration, repetition, and internal rhyme add to the poetic, melodic feel of the poem, yet Davis does not constrain herself entirely in form. The result is a poem that utilizes the best of both free verse and formal poetry.
Double Meanings and Wordplay
Words in this poem carry a lot of weight. Many of them mean multiple things at the same time. Davis accomplishes this through her word choice, through her form and thematic concerns, and through the way she utilizes the two speakers in the poem.
While there are many examples of this, Lines 11-12 describe the “Love” as more “social / (In many ways!) and (ditto!) sexual!”. Davis utilizes the parenthetical comments to deliver sarcastic blows. She conveys her tone with exclamation points, innuendo, and through the double meanings of the words social and sexual in the context of the letter. The “Love” is using “social” to describe himself as better with people. The speaker, using parentheticals, flips the meaning on its head to imply the “Love” was unfaithful. He was too social with other people. The full meaning of this comes through when she says “ditto!” before the word “sexual.” The “Love” fancies himself more romantic and sensual, but Davis flips that into an insult, suggesting he is promiscuous and unfaithful.
Another example of double meanings and wordplay comes with the word “plea” in Line 13 (refer to the Language entry under Symbols & Motifs).
Allusion
Allusions to Othello and “Sonnet 18” are both present. The allusions function as devices to frame the theme of the poem. The first allusion, to “Sonnet 18,” is done to suggest that this is a poem in the same spirit as a Shakespearean sonnet. As the poem continues, though, the allusion is ironic because the poem is an anti-love sonnet.
The allusion to Othello helps drive home one of the themes of the poem. The speaker uses the “Love’s” insulting list to better understand herself and to better understand who the jealous one in the relationship really is. By alluding to the play with the words “Greater Moor” (Line 14), the speaker suggests the theme instead of explicitly stating it. This is a powerful tool in poetry because it puts the burden of interpretation on the reader and turns the poem into a bit of a puzzle. This adds intrigue and complexity to the text.
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