Rhetorical analysis of “Sonnet XVII”An analysis of “Sonnet XVII” by Pablo Neruda, from the book 100 Love Sonnets: Cien sonetos de amor, reveals the emotions of experience of eternal, unconditional love. Neruda portrays this in his words by using images and metaphors to describe love in relation to beauty and darkness. The poem also describes the intimacy between two people. I believe the intent of the poem is to show that true love for another abolishes all logic, leaving the individual completely exposed, fascinated, and ultimately isolated. Neruda begins his sonnet in a very unusual way. He states in the first lines the ways in which he does not love his partner. He does not love her as if she were “the rose of salt, the topaz or the arrow of carnations”. These are all examples of beautiful things that are to be admired. Each is a bright and colorful breed of rose. The poem does not imply that this person is not attractive. Rather, he is simply stating the unimportance of his appearance in relation to his love for her. The beauty of her soul fascinates him. The narrator is completely fascinated by this person. Neruda uses emotions to represent love in his poetry. “Sonnet XVII” does not describe loving someone who has done kind things or someone who has been present emotionally, mentally, and physically for another. It describes a love illogically based only on intense affection. The second line of “Sonnet XVII” begins to elaborate on the ways in which he loves his significant other. The poem states that he loves as "dark things must be loved." HeFontenot 2 loves her secretly, “between the shadow and the soul”. The narrator does not love arrogantly or in vain. His love is precious and personal. Dark things are to be loved in the middle of paper... a thick fragrance that lives in its body. In “Sonnet XVII” the text begins by expressing the ways in which the narrator does not love, superficially. The narrator is fascinated by his object of affection and her inner beauty is of utmost importance. The poem shows the narrator's utter helplessness and vulnerability because it is characterized by raw emotions rather than logic. He then carves the image that the love created is so personal that the narrator is alone in its enchantment. Therefore, he is ultimately isolated because no one can understand the love he is encountering. The narrator reveals his private thoughts, leaving him exposed and susceptible to ridicule and speculation. However, as the sonnet progresses towards the end, it shows the true and sincere description of love and finally shows how two people come together as one in overwhelming intimacy..