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3. END-STOPPED LINE Half of this sonnet's 14 lines are end-stopped. In combination with the many caesuras, this gives the poem a halting rhythm. The end-stopped lines that also contain a caesura have an especially fragmented rhythm, as is the case in line 6. The caesura that follows "Of inward happiness" draws attention to the words that follow—namely, "We are selfish men." The fact that this phrase is end-stopped with a semi-colon allows it to sit as its own thought within the poem, a complete sentiment. Overall, this slows readers down as they try to read through the line and connect it to the next line. Indeed, the phrase, "We are selfish men" exists in and of itself in a way that disrupts the general rhythmic flow. In keeping with this, the next line doesn't continue to build upon the ways in which the people of England are "selfish," instead calling out to Milton to help fix this problem Although the majority of the end-stopped lines chop up the poem's rhythm (which is the case for lines 1, 6, 7, 9, and 10), one of the most significant instances of this poetic device is used in an entirely different way. Indeed, the full stop that comes at the end of line 8 doesn't disrupt the poem's rhythm but rather helps establish the poem's form. This is because it marks the end of the sonnet's octave and ultimately signals the upcoming sestet. Consequently, the period that comes after the word "power" is formally important, enabling the speaker to shift focus. To that end, the speaker uses the octave to outline all of the problems with 19th-century England and then uses the sestet to concentrate on Milton's admirable qualities. Because "London, 1802" is a Petrarchan sonnet, readers might expect a turn (or "volta") to appear in the first line of the sestet, but the main change between the octave and the sestet in this poem is simply that the speaker shifts gears slightly to concentrate more intensely on Milton. As a result, the fact that the last line of the octave is end-stopped is especially significant, since it helps separate the two sections. Where End-Stopped Line appears in the poem: • Line 1: “:” • Line 3: “,” • Line 4: “,” • Line 6: “;” • Line 7: “;” • Line 8: “.” • Line 9: “:” • Line 10: “:” • Line 11: “,” • Line 12: “,” • Line 14: “.”