Sonnet Reflection #12

Within this sonnet is mostly a reference to time. The first line of the sonnet mentions a ticking clock which branches into an even deeper meaning of the concept of time. Shakespeare shows his clever word play using the symbols of day and night. Day represents the positives, like life while night represents the negatives, like dealth. These concepts are used to sort of frighten the young boy into having children because this sonnet mentions the "lofty trees I see barren of leaves," (line 5) which could mean the leaves will soon be not full, or not fertile. This relates to the fact that these sonnets are being used to convince the young boy to have children because his beauty could be passed on and that's what his parents want him to do. The speaker also uses the word "bier" which means a wheelbarrow, or a corpse. Shakespeare uses this word to show the young boy the outcomes of wasting his beauty.