Ransom's Petrarchan Sonnet

This Petrarchan sonnet tells a story about an older man trying to win a younger woman's heart. The choice of writing a Petrarchan sonnet helps set the scene. Petrarchan sonnets typically include a love story or reference an unattainable woman, which both are shown in Piazza Piece. The love story in Piazza Piece has an underlying meaning. The use of the older man and the younger woman creates a divide in the sonnet. John Crowe Ransom uses these speakers to address what the old man and the young woman’s purpose really is.
Ransom emphasizes the age of the two speakers in the sonnet. The man is “a gentleman in a dustcoat trying”. A dust coat is a long, trench coat that is worn down and old. This coat, which symbolizes a grave, plays an important