Compare and Contrast
Compare and Contrast
[A checklist comparing "thee" to "a summer's day" for a number of properties, displayed as separate rows in a table with 3 columns. The properties are shown in the first column with no header label, and the second and third columns have a header label of "Thee" and "A Summer's Day" with a checkmark in one or both columns for each row.]
[Row 1] Property: Fair, Temperate Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 2] Property: Hot, Sticky Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 3] Property: Short Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Not Checked
[Row 4] Property: Harbinger of Hurricane Season Thee: Not Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 5] Property: Required for a Good Beach Party Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 6] Property: Major Cause of Heat Stroke in the Elderly Thee: Not Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 7] Property: Linked to Higher Rates of Juvenile Delinquency Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 8] Property: Sometimes Too Stifling Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 9] Property: Arrested for Releasing Snakes in Library Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Not Checked
[Row 10] Property: Difficult to Focus on Work While I'm In Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked

A reference to the most well-known sonnet in the English-speaking world: William Shakespeare's " Sonnet 18 ", the first line of which is: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?". In this comic Randall sets about this in a typically goal-oriented chart, as opposed to the rather more romantic poetry of the Bard.
"Thee" is a form of the archaic second-person singular pronoun "thou". In Shakespeare's day, English had more second-person pronouns in common use, thou/thee (informal/singular), and you (formal/plural). This is similar to second-person pronouns in many modern European languages, such as French. Wikipedia has a nice chart for all of English's personal pronouns, current and archaic.
For both the chart and the original sonnet, whether or not the work is autobiographical is unknown.  Also unknown is the identity of the person whom each work refers to.  It is believed that Sonnet 18 is addressed to a young man .
The lines are:
The title text is a reference to Ron Paul , a 2012 Republican candidate for President who was on top in the Republican Primary against a few other challengers for the nomination. Ron Paul was frequently represented on the internet using similar language to the title text (with Paul offering an alternative to typical Republican and Democratic candidates). Paul was seen by many as an alternative because of his Libertarian views.
[A checklist comparing "thee" to "a summer's day" for a number of properties, displayed as separate rows in a table with 3 columns. The properties are shown in the first column with no header label, and the second and third columns have a header label of "Thee" and "A Summer's Day" with a checkmark in one or both columns for each row.]
[Row 1] Property: Fair, Temperate Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 2] Property: Hot, Sticky Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 3] Property: Short Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Not Checked
[Row 4] Property: Harbinger of Hurricane Season Thee: Not Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 5] Property: Required for a Good Beach Party Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 6] Property: Major Cause of Heat Stroke in the Elderly Thee: Not Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 7] Property: Linked to Higher Rates of Juvenile Delinquency Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 8] Property: Sometimes Too Stifling Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
[Row 9] Property: Arrested for Releasing Snakes in Library Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Not Checked
[Row 10] Property: Difficult to Focus on Work While I'm In Thee: Checked A Summer's Day: Checked
