I Will Put Chaos Into Fourteen Lines

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1949

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Form and Meter

Millay wrote “I will put Chaos into fourteen lines” as a sonnet, meaning it is a single-stanza work consisting of 14 lines. There are a number of traditional sonnet rhyme patterns, including the Spenserian, Shakespearean, and Petrarchan sonnets, among others. The rhyme scheme this particular Millay text follows is ABBAABBA for the initial octave (eight lines), and CDCDCD for the remaining sestet (six lines). This rhyme scheme classifies Millay’s text as a Petrarchan sonnet. The sonnet form was a poetic structure developed in Italy during the 13th century, and Petrarch wrote his sonnet sequence in Italy in the 14th century. More specifically, the rhyme in Millay’s sonnet is identifiable as masculine rhyme, defined as “a monosyllabic rhyme or a rhyme that occurs only in stressed final syllables” (“Masculine Rhyme.” Britannica, 2022). For example, the second and third lines of the sonnet rhyme “escape” (Line 2) with “ape” (Line 3). While “escape” (Line 2) consists of two syllables as opposed to the monosyllabic “ape” (Line 3), both words rhyme on the final (or only) stressed syllable/sound. In contrast, a rhyme classified as “feminine rhyme” features rhyming of multiple syllables.

Poets also traditionally composed sonnets using iambic pentameter. They have a structure that consists of iambs, or poetic feet/units containing both an unstressed and a stressed syllable (in that specific order). Each line contains five of these different units for a total of 10 syllables per line. Millay, in addition to staying true to a traditional rhyme scheme, also maintains this traditional metric pattern. Her lines maintain iambic pentameter throughout, as illustrated by the last two lines of the sonnet: “I shall not even force him to confess; / Or answer. I will only make him good” (Lines 13 - 14). The consistent meter helps readers maintain a uniform, memorable, and sing-song pace throughout the poem.

Personification

Personification occurs when an inanimate or inhuman object is given human-like qualities. This literary device is typically used to give animals human traits, such as saying, “My dog smiled at me.” In the case of Millay’s sonnet, the entity being personified is the abstract notion of Chaos. There are a variety of ways in which Millay achieves this personification. Firstly, she applies personal masculine pronouns to Chaos. Instead of referring to Chaos as “it,” she specifically refers to Chaos using “him” (Line 2), “he” (Line 3), and “his” (Line 4) throughout the work. These personal pronouns provide Chaos with a specific, individual identity rather than relegating it to abstract conceptualization. Millay likewise gives Chaos certain actions or qualities that would only typically be attributed to human characters. For example, the speaker refers to Chaos’s “adroit designs” (Line 4), giving this entity the ability to plan, reason, and manipulate. Also, the speaker gives Chaos emotions and traits such as “arrogance” (Line 10) and the ability to maintain power over others and keep them in “servitude” (Line 10). Personifying Chaos in this way enhances its villainization. The personification helps readers to comprehend this more abstract concept and assists in making the entity a little more tangible for them. By making Chaos more relatable and physical, readers can more easily comprehend the struggle and eventual confinement that ensues between the speaker and this destructive force.

End Stops/Enjambment

Full stops occur in poetry when a period is used to show the end of a complete thought. When full stops come at the end of a line of poetry, they are known as end stops. The only two lines in the poem where full stops come at a line’s end are in lines 8 and 14. There are also two instances, however, where a full stop occurs in the middle of a line. One full stop occurs in Line 11 where the speaker states, “I have him.” The second instance appears in the final line: “Or answer.” Full stops carry more weight and pause than other punctuation, such as commas and semicolons, thereby giving more emphasis and significance to the content that directly precedes it. When the speaker states, “I have him” (Line 11), their victory is solidified and their confidence in their success is made clearer thanks to the full stop. In the second instance, the full stop reinforces how much Chaos’s hold has diminished and the speaker’s power has grown. These full stops make readers stop, pause, take a breath, and more thoroughly consider the thoughts they have just consumed.

In contrast to end stops and full stops, enjambment occurs when a line of poetry does not end with any form of punctuation but rather carries over immediately into the following line. In Millay’s poem, enjambment typically occurs when the speaker mocks Chaos’s supposed power. For example, the second line ends with the speaker declaring that they will “let [Chaos] escape,” though immediately in the next line they qualify this by saying “If he be lucky” (Line 3). Chaos may escape, but only through luck and coincidence rather than through his own power. Another instance is when the speaker points out Chaos’s “adroit designs” (Line 4). While this may initially sound like a compliment, through enjambment the line immediately flows into declaring these plans “Will strain to nothing” (Line 5). The speaker nullifies Chaos’s influence. If full stops drive home the speaker’s points and make their declarations firmer, then enjambment brings out the speaker’s tone and their mockery of Chaos.