* "In the analysis of poetry, the Formalist focus was on the qualities of poetic language that distinguish it from ordinary practical language, the distinction between the literary and non-literary being more pronounced in this genre."
- Ryan and Rivkin, "Formalisms"
The poem "Nuns Fret Not at Their Convent's Narrow Room" proves the above statement to be true. A line in the poem reads, "In sundry moods, 'twas pastime to be bound within the Sonnet's scanty plot of ground" -- which literally means that when the speaker of this poem is in a bad mood, writing Sonnets cheers him up. Because it is written poetically, instead of practically, it contains rhyme as well as a "rougher" way of saying something simply. The difference between poetic language and ordinary practical language is apparent here -- poetic language utilizes devices such as rhythm, rhyme, repetition, and alliteration to say things in a more elegant way.
- Rachel Mann
