Analysis Of Meditation 17 By John Donne

Language is a remarkable thing. It can convey every thought, feeling, and emotion with perfect accuracy. Almost exclusively, language has taken awkward, unfit animals out of nature and made them rulers over the earth and many of its elements. When used well, it has the power to change an individual's view of the world, make someone believe they have seen something they have not, and even more astonishingly, look inside one's self and see what exists. If language is mixed with the tempo of music, something new arises; poetry is born. When words and ideas are set to a beat, they can far more subtly convey concepts that would otherwise need to be explicitly stated and the poem can be appreciated more as a whole,

When deconstructing the text ‘W;t’, by Margaret Edson, a comparative study of the poetry of John Donne is necessary for a better conceptual understanding of the values and ideas presented in Edson’s ‘W;t’. Through this comparative study, the audience is able to develop an extended understanding of the ideas surrounding death. This is achieved through the use of the semi-colon in the dramas title, ‘W;t’. Edson also uses juxtapositions and the literary device, wit, to shape and

Could a single death affect society? Should it interest the community or let it only pertain to those involved? In "Meditation 17" by John Donne, 'no man is an island' and we must treasure every life and mourn every death. However, are people really touched if a stranger or enemy dies? In addition, should civilization move on since one or two demises isn't an 'important failure' as described in W. H. Auden's "Musee de Beaux Arts"? Perhaps an isolated death isn't important seeing that mankind can still function without

Secondly, diction is a key aspect in this poem and is highly important due to its

Jack Whites, Carolina Drama, in short is about a mother, and her two sons, whom are living with the mother’s redneck and presumably violent boyfriend. While the first two verses can be considered the background, the third begins the story. Billy, who is one of the sons- the other remains nameless, wakes up one morning in the back of his truck. While looking through the window, he can see his mother’s boyfriend with his hands wrapped around a priest. He later realizes that the priest is in fact actually his father, and comes into the house, demanding an explanation.

The mood and tone of the poem is encouraging and persuasive, but the words he uses in the poem are not always encouraging and persuasive. He uses words like “grave”, “grieved”, and “dying” to compare to death, in which he is encouraging his father to fight.

The syntax has sentences with periods at the end, making the sentence emphasize the true message of the poem. The stanzas that have enjambment, “ The boy watched this, as now he sometimes drives The five miles out-of-way to see that house again.” gives off that an important idea for the next stanza. The vocabulary, “ He wheedled, and cajoled, begged and promised”, reflects on the adult on how meticulously he understands life and growing up. There is no rhyme due to the poem being free verse. The poem characterizes alliteration, “ While in the little deeps of darkened houses” , by emphasizing that the summer house is warm and cozy.

I believe the structure of this poem is very significant to the interpretation of the

Once the reader begins to really analyze the poem it is apparent that it was not written in a very complex or thought provoking manner. The poem itself is written with an ABAB rhyme scheme and without much

When traumatic tragedies occur frequently, the lack of empathy towards other is experienced since it becomes accustomed to. In Meditation 17, Donne relates the message of humanity’s lack of empathy in his writing as he states a bell that rings for a funeral. Donne being a sick man feels that the same bell would soon ring for him, in which he becomes aware of the fact that humanity is connected through death and suffering. Everything humans act upon is connected and impacts others in different ways. In today’s world, we relate to Donne’s ideas as we recognize our common humanity by empathizing and connecting with others.

Because the poem is long, it won’t be quoted extensively here, but it is attached at the end of the paper for ease of reference. Instead, the paper will analyze the poetic elements in the work, stanza by stanza. First, because the poem is being read on-line, it’s not possible to say for certain that each stanza is a particular number of lines long. Each of several versions looks different on the screen; that is, there is no pattern to the number of lines in each stanza. However, the stanzas are more like paragraphs in a letter than

By making many references to the Bible, John Donne's Holy Sonnets reveal his want to be accepted and forgiven by God. A fear of death without God's forgiveness of sins is conveyed in these sonnets. Donne expresses extreme anxiety and fright that Satan has taken over his soul and God won't forgive him for it or his sins. A central theme of healing and forgiveness imply that John Donne, however much he wrote about God and being holy, wasn't such a holy man all of the time and tried to make up for it in his writing.

“The relationship between the energies of the inquiring mind that an intelligent reader brings to the poem and the poem’s refusal to yield a single comprehensive interpretation enacts vividly the everlasting intercourse between the human mind, with its instinct to organise and harmonise, and the baffling powers of the universe about it.”

Here is the interpretation and analysis of the poem based on the sections that respect the grammar and meaning of its sentences:

The central theme, introduced quite early within the poem, is the helplessness of death. Throughout the poem the speaker belittles death and approaches it with such bravery and poise. Donne confronts death by saying it is not in any regard “mighty and dreadful” (2), but rather brings “much pleasure” (7). Death is personified in the poem, and in this regard, possess no greater power over man. The speaker of the poem is Donne himself. He uses his literary tools of rhetoric and poetic devices to belittle death. Throughout the poem, the speaker comes across as being slightly arrogant, but he refuses to show weakness. His arrogance shows that he is not afraid of death as he demands death not to be proud. Donne takes the association of death and sleep, and reinvents this comparison to a greater effect. He describes sleep as being “pictures” (5) of death and death is no more different or more frightening. He extends this metaphor throughout the poem. In the second last line of the poem he