Question 1: Read the following Shakespearean sonnet. My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.; I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress when she walks treads on the ground. And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare. The lines "I have seen roses damasked, red and white, / But no such roses see I in her cheeks; / And in some perfumes is there more delight / Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks" employ a humor device. Identify the device used and discuss its effect on the meaning and tone of the poem.
Question 2: A creative work is often influenced by its historical context. If a novel or poem that is influenced by its historical context were written at a different time, characters, settings, conflicts, and themes would likely change. Choose a novel or poem with which you are familiar and explain how the historical context shapes the work. Identify a new historical context for your chosen novel. Discuss three specific ways that the creative work would change if the historical context were altered. Your response should be fully developed in a minimum of two paragraphs.