I Find no Peace

In order to approach the new criticism in the poem "I find no Peace," By Sir Thomas Wyatt. The first
thing when it comes to new criticism is to neglect the author’s part. Anything related to the author should
be considered an extra source. After that, as new critics, we should consider the form of the poem, which is
important and should help us interpret the poem. So, this poem is written as a Petrarchan sonnet. It is written
in 14 lines as a single stanza. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABBA ABBA CDE CDE. The meter of
each line in the sonnet is iambic pentameter. Which contains a stressed-unstressed syllable. The theme of
the Petrarchan sonnet is mainly talking about inaccessible love. So from this idea, the theme of this poem
should be related to love. After that, new criticism is concerned with the content, interpreting the poem line
by line. In the title, it is like the first line from the poem. By using the close reading method, it is noticed
that the writer uses the pronoun "I," which indicates that this is a personal poem. This poem is full of
paradoxes. Paradox is a literary device that shows that the statement has contradictory meaning. In each
line, it is noticed that the words are contradictory, and there is a series of paradoxes. Also, there are some
words like "death," "fear,", "hope,", "sorrow,", "burn,", and "no peace" that indicate the tone of the poem,
which is the pain of the speaker and his hope. Also, it seems that he is talking about his inner feelings and
the conflict that is happening inside of him.
In the first line, the speaker says that he finds no peace and that all of his war is done. This shows some
contrast in feelings, because when any war is over, it should create some peaceful feelings. This indicates
that the speaker has some struggles in his life. The next three lines have a list of paradoxes. The speaker
feels fear and hope, burns and freezes, and flies but cannot arise. All of these contradictory words show that
the speaker has an internal conflict. Then he continues by saying that he has nothing but wants everything.
If any opportunity comes to him, he will seize it. This shows that he is ambitious, and if there are any
opportunities, he will take advantage of them. The next line shows that the speaker was in prison, but we
cannot be sure if it is a real prison or one in his mind. This creates a sense of ambiguity. The next line shows
that he can escape. He is free to leave, but at the same time, it is not wise to leave. So he is talking about
prison in his mind, and this is what causes the contradictory use of the odd words. Then he realizes that
these feelings cannot let him live his life or let him commit suicide. In line 8, which is the end of the octave,
the speaker says that despite the death itself, it can give him a chance to stop this conflict. This can be ironic
because he can be free but the one that give him the freedom is death.
In the sestet, which is the last six lines, the speaker uses two senses: sight and taste. The speaker uses
hyperbole to express that he can see without his eyes and speak without his tongue. Then he wants to die,
but at the same time he wants to live longer. After that, the idea that makes sense of the poem is that he
says, I love another. So the theme is definitely about love. Then he says, "And thus, I hate myself," which
means that there are some obstacles in this relationship that make him feel this way. The phrase "I feed me
in sorrow and laugh in all my pain" emphasizes the speaker's paradoxical nature, as they are able to find
both pleasure and pain in their suffering. "Likewise displeaseth me both life and death, / and my delight is
causer of this strife." The speaker's desire for everything and their inability to find peace or satisfaction
create a sense of conflict and dissatisfaction. Overall, this close reading of "I Find No Peace" using the
principles of New Criticism reveals a poem full of paradox and internal conflict. The use of repetition and
paradox creates a sense of complexity and depth, and the poem's ambiguous ending leaves the reader with
a sense of uncertainty and discomfort.