Sir John Suckling Essays (2101 words) - Aglaura, Sonnet 1

Sir John Suckling Sir John Suckling was an English, Cavalier poet who was born in Twickenham, Middlesex, on February 10, 1609. His mother died in 1613, when he was four years of age. His father, descendant of a prominent Norfolk family, was appointed Comptroller of James I's household in 1622. Suckling matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1623, but left without taking a degree in 1626. Suckling inherited extensive estates after his father's death in 1627. At the age of eighteen, he pursued a military and ambassadorial career in the Low Countries, and was knighted as a result in 1630. He returned to the English court in 1632 where through his wealth and charm he was known as an elegant and popular gallant and gamester, credited with having invented the game of cribbage. (MacLean 252) In 1637 Suckling wrote the prose work Account of Religion by Reason. His play, Aglaura, was published in 1638 and performed twice for Charles I. The play had two different endings, one tragic and one happy. Critics did not favor it, but it introduced some wonderful lyrics, such as Why so pale and wan, fond lover? (Crofts 51) That same year, Suckling's comedy The Goblins was published. It was much influenced by Shakespeare's The Tempest and it is generally thought to be Suckling's best. (Andromeda Interactive Ltd.) In 1639, Suckling recruited and equipped cavalry to help the King in Scotland. He was ridiculed by London wits for the troops' elaborate uniforms (scarlet coats and plumed hats) but was well-esteemed by the King. (Andromeda Interactive Ltd.) In 1640, Suckling sat in Parliament for Bramber and took part in an unsuccessful action against the Scots. Suckling was involved in a royalist plan in 1641 to make use of the army on behalf of Charles I. When Parliament ordered him to account for the movements he made, Suckling fled through Dieppe to Paris. A few months later, he is said to have committed suicide by taking poison. Most of Suckling's work first appeared in Fragmenta Aurea of 1646. As Thomas Crofts writes: Suckling's verse, of course, smacks of the court: it is witty, decorous, sometimes naughty; all requisites for the courtier poet. But these qualities alone would not have sufficed to perpetuate his memory. It should be remembered that the court swarmed with now-forgotten versifiers. Suckling has his own voice, a deft conversational ease mixed at times with a certain hauteur or swagger, which qualities were not incompatible with his high birth and military occupation?. Though his oeuvre is comparatively small, Suckling is an exemplary lyric poet, as well as one of the most vivid personalities of his age. (Crofts 51) As was mentioned in many of the biographies that were written about him, Suckling was an exemplary writer and poet. The two pieces of his work that I want to focus on in this paper are Sonnet I and Sonnet II. My purpose is to analyze the piece and explain how it relates to events in his life, or just how it relates to his personality and the type of person that he is. Sonnet I is a piece that focuses on Suckling himself, like most of his work does. It is about Suckling and the fact that he is no longer drawn to a certain woman the way he used to be drawn to her. There was a time, though, where he was infatuated with her. In this piece, he ponders the stages of life, mainly the sexual stages of human life. Sonnet I 1 Dost see how unregarded now 2 That piece of beauty passes? 3 There was a time when I did vow 4 To that alone; 5 But mark the fate of faces; 6 The red and white works now no more on me, 7 Than if it could not charm, or I not see. 8 And yet the face continues good, 9 And I still have desires, 10 Am still the selfsame flesh and blood, 11 As apt to melt, 12 And suffer from those fires; 13 Oh, some kind of power unriddle where it lies, 14 Whether my heart be faulty, or her eyes. 15 She every day her man does kill, 16 And I as often die; 17 Neither her power, then, nor my will 18 Can question'd be, 19 What is the mystery? 20 Sure

Supplementing Your Income with Writing

Supplementing Your Income with Writing So you’re a published author and you love it! But there’s too much time between contract and publication, advance (if you receive one), and royalties (if you even earn out that advance). How can you supplement your income? Maybe you’re not a freelance writer but would love to be one, or perhaps you’ve written for fun not realizing you could supplement your regular income Here are a few ideas. . . Take a freelance writing course. There are free, paid and college courses. Institute for Writers (formerly Longridge Writers Group) offers courses on writing for children and breaking into print. Sign up for newsletters and follow blogs that share information on writing gigs. FundsforWriters, Freedom with Writing, and Mallee Blue Media are great resources. Write short stories. Markets like Woman’s World Magazine pay top dollars for short romance and mysteries. They also pay for short true life pieces. True Story and True Confessions are other avenues to earn a few bucks. Write nonfiction. Chicken Soup for the Soul and other such publications are always looking for great nonfiction stories. The pay is decent, and there are many different topics to choose from. Watch for anthology call for submissions in genres like fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery. Write Your life. What do you do when you’re not writing? Are you a full-time wife and mother? Stay home dad? What is your â€Å"day† job? Are you qualified in fitness and nutrition, business and finance? Perhaps you make jewelry, or you’re an artist. Maybe you travel for business and/or pleasure. Are you an interior designer/decorator or Feng Shui expert? Write for magazines. There are magazines and blogs out there that pay for articles on any subject from Parenting to Finance Insurance to Stretching your Dollars. There are Fitness Magazines, RV / Travel Magazines and Blogs. About.com pays for articles/blog posts on any number of topics. Write an ebook. What is your passion, your expertise? Are you a Life Coach or Spiritual Mentor? People love self-help/success stories! Writing and publishing an ebook can add to your credentials and client base as well as supplement your income. Here’s an interesting article   Broaden your horizon with speaking engagements. Many authors, (especially nonfiction) can make a lot of cash speaking on their topic of expertise. Here’s a great article at Famous in Your Field on where to find opportunities to do so. Teach writing. Many local colleges/universities teach leisure learning courses. Pitch one and see what happens! Be a mentor or writing coach and work one-on-one with new/aspiring authors. Teach at libraries. Start your own writing service / publishing company. With the influx of self / co-publishing options, book promotion, book cover design, editing and formatting are in high demand. Use your knowledge and expertise in the industry and fill one or more of those needs. George Washington University offers a Master’s Degree in publishing  available both in person and online. Sell/resell your current backlog of articles. There are numerous sites that pay a nominal fee for previously published work. Some pay per view or per click. You’re not going to make a lot of money this way, but hey it all adds up. Check out The Penny Hoarder for lists of such sites. These are just a few ways you can supplement your income with writing. With a little research and creative imagination, I’ve no doubt you can come up with more.