Chapter 10 Tone #1

7.

The central theme of this poem is that his lover is as beautiful as any of those women who have been compared falsely. The first eight lines are a descriptions of appearance. The descriptions all are satirical. This is because the speaker is mocking all those who shower their love with these ridiculous comparasions. An example would be "If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun" (line 3). This comparison says that her skin is not white. He uses the word gray to describe her instead. I am sure she is not really that color, but he is not going to tell her she is snow white when it is not true. He is not being mean, just realistic. The entire point of this poem is to show how he loves her without using such false statements. He is being truthful and honest because he says he has "never saw a goddess go"(line 11). Furthermore, he says that she is not any less than the woman who hear that. Rather, the women who hear these false comparisons are being lied to. He is being honest with her. Although it may seem he is saying she is inadequate, the satirical false comparisons are used only to make fun of those other people. It is his way of saying how he is honest.