Sherman Alexie’s Facebook sonnet illustrates the various ways in which the use of social media reduces face-to-face interaction and causes controversy. Although Alexie is a modern poet, and the poem is about a contemporary issue, he uses an old, rigid structure of Shakespearean sonnet because he wants to add fluidity to the poem. Supposing Sherman Alexie had written the poem in free verse, it would be a lack of flow, and its rhyme scheme would be disrupted, which would render it less fascinating to read. The old-fashioned form adds meaning to this poem in that it coerces the reader to read between the lines to find the meaning. Most fixed-form sonnets like this one put the most crucial line at the end of the poem. In this sonnet, the last line, “Here at the altar of loneliness” gives a summary of the poet’s attitude toward Facebook (Alexie, line 11). Thus, this old-fashioned style adds meaning to the poet’s antithesis message.
The poem’s outstanding imagery and metaphor is “the altar of loneliness” (Alexie, line11). In this line, from an outside viewpoint, Facebook users constantly log in and check daily trends and how their friends are faring. Indeed, social media use causes loneliness because it limits face-to-face interactions. Additionally, social media users compare themselves with others, which results in feelings of isolation and low self-esteem. Alexie is comparing Facebook to an altar of loneliness, where people enter and confess. The poet is emphasizing that humans are social animals, but the use of Facebook is solitary. Thus, those looking for a social connection there cannot find it but instead find loneliness. The only way to build a social relationship is not through Facebook, but actual physical interaction, which social media use hinders.
Work Cited
Alexie, Sherman. “Facebook Sonnet.” 2011.