Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I have seen roses damasked, red and white,Īnd in some perfumes is there more delight If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun Ĭoral is far more red than her lips’ red Our culture is so saturated with his words that reading might feel like meeting an old friend. He also, so we’re led to believe, gets a lot of girls, girls who are older and prettier and maybe even more overtly sexy.Īs is the case of so much of Shakespeare’s work, Sonnet 130 will likely give you a thrill of recognition even if you’re sure you’ve never read the poem. Jordan’s realization is more moving because he doesn’t often connect to what he’s reading in English class and has trouble reading period. Angela is the girl next door, and guys like Brian, we’re told, would be lucky to get a girl like her Brian’s discussion of the poem is less moving because 1) he’s a know-it-all and 2) Angela is exactly his type, in that she’s gettable. He and Jordan both respond to the poem as a kind of representation of Angela, but for Brian this realization is easy.

Two students’ reactions are highlighted: Brian (Devon Gummersall) and Jordan.īrian is also totally in love with Angela. All of this gendered logic in terms of the sexual politics of adolescence is damaging and outdated, but the poem’s discussion of the role that “flaws” and uniqueness play in attraction is totally timeless.Īll this sets the stage for the English class in which the students encounter Sonnet 130, which considers the eyes of others-our expectations-and ultimately casts them aside. Angela settles into her role as a girl who’s bad at math, even though she’s smart, too: “You just let the boys shout out the answers,” she says. Elsewhere in the episode, Abyssinia pretends to get a bad grade on the math test in order to fit in, even though she earned a 98. He’s worried that she’s not the type of girl he should be seen with. She’s worried that Jordan is ashamed of her. Jordan asks Angela to keep their makeout sessions in the boiler room secret, and she starts to feel bad about herself. They’re learning societal expectations while also developing a desire to break them. Teenagers are still trying to nurture their self-esteem and often find themselves measuring their worth in the eyes of others. However, “Self-Esteem” has a lot to say about self-esteem.

I would have given anything to have the looks and poise of Claire Danes when I was her age.ĭanes more closely conforms to Western ideals of beauty than many of us do, so the implication that Jordan is tapping into Angela’s “flaws,” here, is a little eye-roll-inducing. While it’s not exactly fair to say that Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130 is “about” a “gross” woman, part of me rankles when it turns out to be this particular poem that makes Jordan realize he’s in love with Angela.

My so called life jordan catalano