Lab activity: Poststructuralism, Deconstruction Poems Blog 1
This blog task is given by Dilip Barad Sir, this is a part of Lab Activity, What is Deconstruction? Deconstruction, a literary theory developed by Jacques Derrida, teaches us to question the binary oppositions and hidden assumptions in a text. It doesn’t mean destroying meaning—it means digging deeper to see the instability within it. In this case, we deconstruct the sonnet to see how it both affirms and undermines its own romantic message. Poem 1: When we first read Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, it feels like a simple love poem. The speaker praises their beloved, famously asking: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? At first glance, this sounds romantic, even eternal. But after watching the video “How to Deconstruct a Text: Sonnet 18—Shall I Compare Thee”, I realized that there’s much more happening beneath the surface. The poem praises the beloved by comparing them favorably to summer. summer is too short, too hot and sometimes dimmed. The poem begins with nature but e...