I was interested by how each of the sonnets seemed to have a its own individual theme, a specific point of attack to convince the reader to reproduce (although in the cases of sonnets 5 & 6, 9 & 10, there were some prolonged attacks over the course of two poems). At first reading, I was particularly struck by words that I usually would not associate with a love poem — such as how in Sonnet 4, all of Shakespeare’s reproductive imagery is measured in monetary terms, or in Sonnet 1, where he uses strong metaphors about (lack of) food/eating — but he still masterfully constructed these “odder” words to suit his message. It was helpful to read Vendler’s article afterwards about how there is something “cryptographic” about a Shakespearean sonnet, particularly how there is “an oddness that catches the eye and begs explanation” (40). Vendler also talked a lot about structure’s importance within the sonnet; I began to wonder if there was any significance about the sonnets’ arrangement as a whole, although Vendler mentioned that the sonnets were probably ordered ad libitum so perhaps this is a stretch. Yet clearly, these sonnets are a set with an overarching purpose; there seems to be a sort of inwards to outwards progression throughout the ten, starting from basic human needs (like food in Sonnet 1, your own image in 2, mother in 3, money in 4) to natural joys (flowers/summer in 5 & 6, the sun in 7, music in 8) then finally ending with family and society in Sonnets 9 & 10. Perhaps Shakespeare did not intend for this arrangement to be this meaningful, but I find these sonnets all the more persuasive because of the way his argument unfolds within the set, slowly drawing in the reader and amplifying the argument; at first, it seems to be about just making sure your own beauty is preserved for yourself, but then, at the end, your choice to reproduce will affect the whole world.