Literary Analysis: WHEN YOU FACE THE STORM

ABELLANOSA, LAPERA, WAGAS

“Storms gather when you don’t say what you feel” aforementioned in the last line of the sonnet ``When You Face the Storm written by a Filipino author, Jeanille B. Cogtas on the 4th of December 2017. The poet uses her words to empower the readers in the midst of a flog. The sonnet attempts to uncloak one’s inner potential. What should you do even in the midst of a storm?

The Shakespearean sonnet, When You Face the Storm, by Jeanille B. Cogtas is galvanizing. It seems like the poet is facing problems of her own and she is taking it out in a way of influencing others. It is about problems that come with life and standing still no matter how tough it gets.

Each one of us is given a chance to figure out how they are going to react to circumstances that life gives us. It all relies on how and if we are going to do it. Prove it to yourself that you are brave and this is your way of showing it. There are a lot of ways, choose one and live by it. This is what the poet was trying to do. To encourage us and to empower us many.

This sonnet is simply about the title itself. It’s about facing storms and how you respond to the perils. How to be strong in the midst of struggles and hardships. How life is worthy of every breath we take in and every sweat we drip. There are ups and don’t let the down take you in the deepest part of minds.

The rhyme scheme of the poem is the same with every Shakespearean sonnet which is an ‘ABAB- CDCD- EFEF-GG’ scheme. The sonnet also has an Iambic Pentameter which is a line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.

The speaker is a courageous person and with her extent, she tries to bestow this to others by lifting them up. Life is a tough journey through an unknown realm. We have sunny and delightful days but always count the storms and blizzards which try to push one down. After those storms, the sky and the sun will right back up and you should be there to see it, to stand tall after facing such peril. This is exactly what the speaker was trying to share upon us. For the tone of the poem, it mostly talks about staying positive in the midst of circumstances. The tone could be a little blue but in the end, it mostly talked about standing still when facing the storms.

It started out talking about the hardships and the problems the speaker was facing. When things weren’t the same anymore. Things were changing from the ways it was. It started out with the muse craving for the things to go back to the way it was. Followed by the metaphor which started out with using the placid skies to represent the speaker and the storm clouds as the problem that strangles us but other than that, it assures us with the blossoms sprouting at the end of the day. The symbolism there represents the entire sonnet. It talks about its plot. From a down start to an up ending. At the exposition, it started out with talking about the storms we are facing and the challenges of our lives. How these things shouldn’t break you or make you hate the world as it is for the things that come with it. It has a major twist in fate where it comes from a blue start to a bit bright ending. Ensuring the readers that everything will be alright as long as you hold and stand still. And lastly, the sonnet ends with a couplet telling us what to do. Giving you a message that should make you remember and mark your hearts and mind. Helping you with the storms you are facing and making you appreciate them no matter what a tough ride you’ve been on. Lessen the pain with your knowledge when it comes to facing storms.

The poet is trying to say here that life will get tougher and tougher and as it does, we also need to toughen up. If it gets difficult and harder, be stronger. Defy the odds because you are

stronger than you think you are. No matter how blurry the road is, there will always be a destination to be in. That is what the poet is trying to argue in the entire poem.

All in all, the poem ends and concludes on quite a high note. The poet aims to empower and influence her readers. That’s life. We can’t do much but if we keep going then we should get there. Hold still, we can get there.

The sonnet is appropriate for any type of audience. We face storms of our own, making the sonnet quite appealing to all which is one of the things that I like about this sonnet. The poem might not be the easiest thing to understand but when it's near to the end, the fog clears up a bit.

If I must say, it can be pretty persuasive in a way that is more befitting for you. It’s well written and thought was really put into it.

The poem applies to one of the literary analyses quite dearly and that would be quite a psychoanalytical type of expressing literature. A psychoanalytical work reveals insights about the way the human mind works. This poem is influential in a way that it’s trying to help you react to the problems coming to our life, because it will keep going and the only thing that will change is the way you react to them. Life is a circle. Problems will go on a cycle. It’s a motivating poem. This poem also applies with formalism and structuralism and this analysis also applies with Reader- Response and with Biographical Criticism as well in literary analysis’.

We will be analyzing each of the lines. Simplifying, explaining and severing the poem line by line or word by word even.

Line 1 and 2, are introducing the circumstances in life. The hurdles of every love journey you run through. When things aren’t the way they are and especially when they aren’t as great as before. The speaker is saying that when love isn’t as strong and pure as before, unexpectedly reaching to the boundaries of the arena. Things you never thought of would happen, when in

such deep passion. One’s scope is very wide and for some reason, the storm was able to cover it all up. Unknown things will happen when you’re in deep. The exposition talked about life itself.

Line 3, used a figure of speech to compare one’s anger to a fiend which is a metaphor. A fiend is an evil spirit or demon. When we are angry, we do things we don’t even know we can but in this line, the speaker assured the world or whoever she is referring to that they didn’t trigger any anger from her that would destroy herself or anything to destroy you. We face bumps in road and all we have to do is keep going. We go through them because it’s the only way for them to go away. The speaker said it to the world, and might even be herself as well that she will go through this and be calm about everything. It can be shaky sometimes but sit still until it will be alright. It was followed by Line 4 which is kind of connected to the third line. It means here that the speaker has to intention to do anything to worsen the situation. May it hurt you or rather break you. When facing a storm, you will respond to it and not make another one.

Personally, Line 5 and 6 are my favorite lines. Problems come and that happens to everyone. Line 5 is using metaphors and two images. The skies represent our lives and the storm clouds represent our problems. The weary blossoms from Line 6 also represent our learnings once we get past our problems. Both lines are connected. It also used personification when the lines ended and started with the storm clouds strangling us with our problems in life. As I said above, all of those indirect comparisons to our lives gave us two lines of all metaphors. As these problems come and go, some may suffocate us but we will get an outcome from it. An outcome better than ever thought of as a learning experience. The weary blossoms that are sprouting are the knowledge from every step of it.

Line 7 and 8 are very inspirational. Keeping ourselves together or everything together may get tough but these problems will keep going. Line 7 used imagery for the petals and the stems. The stem is us and the petals are our limbs. As time passes by, we get more tired and

become weaker but we are strong than we think we are. Every tremble when the thunder shouts are our obstacles. We shouldn’t back down from those. As it gets tough, we should get tougher.

Line 8 used personification with the thunder shouting and if you look at the two lines, they are complete metaphors. Comparing our lives to plants and the thunder.

Line 9 is the breaking point. This is the part where the sun shines. The part where everyone is trying to make everything back again. When everything will be back together again, be there to witness it all. See the trophy of your success. You deserve it. This line also used personification in the line ‘the sky smiles again’ being used to describe the world when it goes back up. Followed by a little life tip from Line 10. Shed a tear, drip a sweat but make sure to learn from every drop. Don’t regret any of the things you did. It was a learning experience.

More life lessons come with Line 11 and 12. Line 11 uses personification when it indicates that love can break any walls and a hyperbole as well. I don’t mean to pop your bubble but the line seems exaggerated. Love doesn’t really break walls does it? Because maybe getting married and getting a house will curse it. But what the actual line meant is that, love is powerful.

It is the closest thing we have to magic and probably why people want it so much. Make it your weapon. It’ll get rusty but with proper nurturing, it will be as shiny as a diamond, just how love works. Line 12 is another tip from the speaker. Pride usually stands in the way of something. The line said that if you lessen your pride, your anger lessens. You learn to forgive when your pride is not standing in the way.

And last but not the least, the couplet. The couplet always has the biggest impression in the entire poem and this one really did. Feelings are strong. When bottled up, tendencies of it blowing up are extremely high. Line 13 stated that you shouldn’t hide from any of your problems. Either face or leave. Don’t be afraid if you can justify yourself. Do it for you. The last line of the poem started with an imagery. The storms being the steam, anger and dismay and it's

followed by a personification ‘storms gather when…”. When you bottle your feelings, your anger and dismay will gather and together it will ruin you. Don’t let any of it ruin you.

The poet influenced people to react a certain way in the storms that come together with the life we were given. This sonnet reveals the capabilities and our learning from the perils we face. The poem is influential, empowering and insightful for many. I would recommend this to many for all of us who are facing our own blizzards and storms. To those who are on the edge to break,

make

this

an

instrument

to

hold

you

tight.

This poem is recommended to people who are facing the hardest and toughest parts of their life right now. May this poem be your guide in your long way ahead. Always make sure to keep going, no matter how hard it is nor how strong the blizzard is. To the people who are on the edge of giving up, may this poem hold you still and guide you to a better path. To the people who are trying to find their ways and are in the midst of giving up, don’t, Keep going straight.

Don’t let what’s behind you hunt you down and eat you alive.

This sonnet is a brilliant work or a visionary and it deserves much more credit that it gets.

The best part of this poem is that it's suitable for everyone. We go through hurdles of our own.

Trip or successfully jump, you’ll get there anyways. Find the deeper meaning of the poem before it’s too late for it to help you and guide you. Allow it and it will.

Remember each of the lessons that the poem taught you. It’ll guide you through life.

When you face the storms, stand still. It may not be very tall but you're standing and that counts.

Love and you’ll feel ecstasy. It may expire for a bit because of the delays and hardships but face it side by side. Say it. Tone down the pride. Don’t be afraid to tremble and you will be able to break any wall. Let the poem in and it’ll do the rest.

References: ● Jcogtas 2017, Components of A Sonnet Available from: < https://jeanillec.blogspot.com/2017/11/components-of-sonnet.html>

● Jcogtas 2017, How to Write a Critical Analysis of a Sonnet Available from: < https://jeanillec.blogspot.com/2017/12/how-to-write-critical-analysis-of-sonnet.html> ● Jcogtas 2019, Theories of Literary Analysis Available from: < https://jeanillec.blogspot.com/2019/12/theories-of-literary-analysis.html> ● YourDictionary 2015, Figures of Speech Examples Available from: < https://examples.yourdictionary.com/figure-of-speech-examples.html>