John Donne 's Holy Sonnet 10

Death is a natural cause from the human condition. There are three poems that explore death. “Thanatopsis” by William C. Bryant, “Dust in the wind” by Kansas, and Don't fear the reaper.” by Blue Oyster Cult.

The one poem that really glorifies death is, “Don’t Fear the Reaper”. In the poem it states, “Romeo and Juliet

Most people in the world are afraid of death or do not like the topic of death at all. There were a lot of poems written about death. Some being scared of death and some accepting the fact of death. Well in the poems “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson and “Death be not proud” by John Donne these poets have a different outlook on death than most people. Dickinson and Donne think that death should not be feared. In both of the poems, death is personified as a person but the poets use different tones to make the poems have different meanings.

"Death, Be Not Proud" has an unusual theme compared to other poems about death. This poem talks about God rendering death's power useless. It speaks about death positively, instead of a gateway to Hell, it is instead a path to Heaven. At the beginning, it seems this poem is a letter taunting death, saying that one day, death will be no more. It compares death to sleep, saying that eventually, people will awaken for eternity. This poem has a great way of intertwining death and Christianity together in a motivational letter.

Death is a theme that is used all too often in literature. Usually when people encounter death, they come to expect certain feelings. Whether someone they know has passed away, or they are just reading a play in which someone dies; death is often associated with feelings of anger, depression, and denial. In a play titled Wit, Margaret Edson depicts stages of dying through a woman who is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In his holy sonnet “Death, Be Not Proud”, John Donne challenges death in a way that illustrates his belief that there is an afterlife.

Short Assignment 1 When looking at different editions of Sonnet 20, it is clear that differing annotations and edits are in fact distinct choices made by those who have undertaken the task of editing the works of Shakespeare. Because Shakespeare has become such an iconic brand of authorship over the years, many editors take it upon themselves to uncover the one true author and meaning behind the work. This unity is constantly craved when examining a text, and it throws our own ideas self-identity into question when a work or author is incomplete. When new information about Shakespeare’s work emerges, editors scramble to find the sole voice of a single individual in a sea of historical consciousness. The brand of the Bard has become even

In “Holy Sonnet 14”, John Donne talks to God because he feels that as long as he has free

Death is a resort, after you’re dead nothing can hurt you ever again. “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult, “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas, and also “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant. Each poem has different views on death, one glorifies life while the other one glorifies death. All three of the poems have one thing in common and that’s death.

John Donne’s diction, detail, point of view, metaphysical format, and tone used in “Holy Sonnet 10” convey both a feeling of cynical and domination, and also a sense of mockery of death. The effects on the reader include assurance and confidence in facing death.

The beauty of John Donne’s holy sonnet 14 is in its language. John Donne is an interesting character who uses metaphors anyhow he pleases and finds a way to make it work. The beginning of the poem depicts a man hopeless without God’s help, a man trying to change his ways but finds no success and asks God to change in a way I find quite terrifying. The use of violent and erotic language (i.e Batter, Force, Labor, Captive; and erotic words: i.e ravish, love, knot etc) set the tone of the sonnet, and it remains constant all through. Before diving into the content of the poem, we look at the form of the poem. This poem has a Petrarchan form, and an Elizabethan structure. I know this because it has 14 lines, the rhymes, and the ending couplet. The poem rhymes like: ABBAABBA – CDCDEE. Also we look at the iambic pentameter. The beginning of the poem looked like it would be in iambic pentameter: Batter my heart, We can see here the poem starts with “Batter” which has a stressed syllable, followed by “My” which is unstressed, and “Heart” which is stressed, but then, that’s followed by “three-personed God” which breaks the iambic pentameter. The same can be seen on Line two. I think the essence of starting a poem this way was to start with an aggressive tone in order to prepare the reader for the story ahead.

Everyone is mindful that death is inevitable, but the American Romantics express that reality with a more powerful voice. Also, the Romantics believe that death is an elegant occurrence. “A Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow displays the appreciation for death and advises people to disregard it. “Art is long, and Time is fleeting, / And our hearts, though stout and brave, / Still, like muffled drums, are beating / Funeral marches to the grave” (Longfellow “A Psalm Life” 13-16). In essence, this quote indicates that death is inevitable, something you cannot overcome. “Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant! / Let the dead Past bury its dead! / Act, - act in the living Present! / Heart within, and God o’erhead!” (Longfellow “A Psalm Life” 21-24).

In “Holy Sonnet 14” by John Donne, dramatizes the conflict between contradictions and a relationship with God.

Is death a slave to fate or is it a dreaded reality? People differ on the opinion of death, some people view death as a new beginning which should not be feared, while many people perceive death as an atrocious monster. Death be not proud, by John Donne is a poem that challenges death and the idea of its ferocity. Donne’s work is greatly influenced by the death of his countless family members, friends and spouse. Donne was not only a poet, but he was also a priest in the Church of England, so his interest in religion and his belief in eternal life after death, also contributed greatly to his work. The poem Death be not proud, is a metaphysical poem about death, in which John Donne undermines, ridicules, and determines the meaning of death, according to his perspective.

Donne even goes so far as to command God to destroy the person he has

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.