Wit and Donne: The Idea of Human Truth
“I have cancer. Insidious cancer, with pernicious side effects…[And] it appears to be a matter, as the saying goes…of life and death” (00:05:45-00:06:17). This was said by Dr. Vivian Bearing, the main character of Wit, a 2001 movie directed by Mike Nichols. In this movie, Vivian is a professor in seventeenth century poetry, specializing in the Holy Sonnets of John Donne and is slowly dying of advanced ovarian cancer. The film itself serves as an epic, in which the director uses the poetry of John Donne to elucidate the meaning behind her irrevocably inevitable death. Within the movie, Vivian recites several of Donne’s poems, which further lends explanation behind the occurrences within the film.
…show more content…
That thou remember them, some claim as debt;
I think it mercy, if thou wilt forget. (lines 9-14) This is part of the sestet from Donne’s poem, “If poisonous minerals,” in which he writes about his sins and his need for God’s mercy. The speaker basically says “Who am I to question you, God? And, from the blood of Jesus and my tears, make a pool, so my sins will drown and be forgiven. Some people may say that it is in debt to you, that you will remember these sins. But, I believe that true mercy is if you will forget.” This concept, of apprehension behind the speaker’s sins and the desperate need for God’s mercy, is further solidified in the film. For, Vivian looks back on her past and reexamines how she denied one of her student’s an act of human kindness. In her memory, one of her students stayed after class and asked for an extension on his paper. The student explained that his grandmother had recently died, and he needed to go home to his family. However, she bluntly responded, “Do what you will, but the paper is due when it is due.” As a result of guilt for her actions, Vivian cannot bring herself to fully accept her regret and begins to feel extremely apprehensive: “I 'm scared. I want... I want to... No! I want to hide. I just want to curl up in a little ball” (01:11:01-01:01:11:09). This displays to the viewer her need for
The book, Nothing But The Truth by AVI is filled with irony and morals. The theme of the story is Actions have Consequences. The main character, Philip and other characters learn that throughout the story.
One’s identity may be questioned when suffering; ultimately suffering is what creates one’s sense of self or what destroys it. The poetry of John Donne and the play W;t, 1993, by Margaret Edson, both illustrate and explore a sense of suffering and identity. In John Donne’s poetry, suffering, both emotionally and physically allows the speaker to understand their identity in more depth, in comparison to Margaret Edson’s play, W;t, Vivian’s suffering leads her identity to be stripped away. In Donne’s sonnet, ‘If poysonous mineralls’ we are shown suffering religiously and emotionally, through one’s sin’s, questioning god’s justice, which leads to a realisation of one’s identity. In Margaret Edson’s play, W;t, Vivian’s emotional suffering
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
Robert Frost and William Shakespeare have been celebrated by many people because of their ability to express themselves through the written word. Here we are years after their deaths analyzing these fascinating poems about life and death. It’s clear they had similar thoughts about this subject at the time of these writings, even though their characters could not have been more opposite. For both poets, life is too
There are good examples of verbal and situational irony in Elsie Wiesel's memoir Night. Verbal irony occurs when words are used to suggest the opposite of what is meant. It is grimly ironic when, after the Jews are ordered to wear yellow stars, Elise’s father says, "The yellow star? Oh well, what of it? You don't die of it..." The statement is ironic because that is precisely how Elise’s father died. The wearing of the yellow star was one step on the path to the concentration camps and almost certain death. After almost a year in the camps, Elise’s father dies from dysentery at Buchenwald.
"Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men. Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly." These dream quotes came from the one and only "Their eyes were watching God," book by Zora Neale Hurston. Mrs. Zora Neale Hurston was an expert in writing in dialect. This unique literary form creates differences between other novels or storybooks. In this book, various events (to be specific, a death) seem to illuminate the meaning of life as a whole.
A text is essentially a product of its context, as its prevailing values are inherently derived by the author from society. However, the emergence of post-modern theories allows for audience interpretation, thus it must be recognised that meaning in texts can be shaped and reshaped. Significantly, this may occur as connections between texts are explored. These notions are reflected in the compostion of Edson’s W;t and Donne’s poetry as their relationship is established through intertextual references, corresponding values and ideas and the use of language features. Edson particularly portrays key values surrounding the notions of the importance of loved based relationships, and death and resurrection: central themes of Donne’s Holy Sonnets
Vivian Bearing is the main character within the play Wit by Margaret Edson. Wit centers on Vivian’s journey after learning she has ovarian cancer. As the story progresses, Vivian’s characters grows and changes with each passing moment. Edson does a magnificent job of displaying this character development through Vivian’s actions and dialogue.
This is portrayed in the scene in which Vivian goes back to her old college Professor, E.M. Ashford. Vivian’s fear is shown through the use of ellipsis’ as Vivian feels uncomfortable due to the fact that she can no longer hide behind words. Furthermore Vivian’s view on death is also conveyed in this scene as Vivian believes there is far more separating life and death than that of a comma, a breath, as said by E.M Ashford. Death, towards the end of the play, becomes an acceptance for Vivian as she finally embraces the true faith in which Donne had towards an afterlife and overcomes her salvation anxiety. Vivian begins to crave kindness and comfort when she never has before, this conveys Vivian’s change of heart. Through the quote ““It”: such a small word. In this case I think “it” signifies being alive” one can see that Vivian no longer feels the pull towards life as she did in the beginning of the play. The audience knows when Vivian is truly ready to die upon Vivian’s stage direction as she “attempts a grand summation” as if trying to conjure up her own ending. She then recites her original interpretation of John Donne’s “Death Be Not Proud” where only a breath separates life from death. Thus one can observe that through contextual connections that a greater understanding can be obtained in relation to the play Wit by Margaret Edson and the theme of death. Furthermore it is through these
In the movie Wit, English literary scholar Vivian Bearing has spent years translating and interpreting the poetry of John Donne. Unfortunately, she is a person who has cultivated her intellect at the expense of her heart. Both colleagues and students view Bearing as a chilly and unfriendly person lost in her private world of words and mysterious thoughts.
In the play “Wit,” by Margaret Edson, the reader is challenged with the complex ideas of character development following the imminent shadow of death. Edson focuses this concept amongst the character Vivian bearing; the disciplined, witty, and quite frankly cold hearted protagonist. The play starts with us seeing Vivian receiving her diagnosis; stage IV ovarian cancer, with her being in the final stage. The persistent and impending idea of death encourages Vivian to reconsider what is truly critical in obtaining happiness, while influencing her to reconsider her past unfavorable actions. As human beings we are attuned to resolve conflicts, so when an inevitable circumstances arise an individual will often consider their past actions and attempt to find what is of true importance in the quest to find happiness in their present life, allowing them to be content.
Over the course of the play, Vivian reflects on her life through the intricacies of the English language, especially the use of wit in the metaphysical poetry of John Donne. Throughout the play, she recites Donne's Holy Sonnet X, "Death Be Not Proud," while reflecting upon her condition. As a professor, she has a reputation for rigorous teaching methods. She has lived her life alone, is unmarried and without children, her parents are deceased, and she has no emergency contact.
In the first stanza it is the semantic field of water: ‘waters’ (twice), ‘sea’, ‘drowning’ and ‘being drawn’. As I mentioned earlier, water is often the symbol of life but it also evokes tears, sadness and despair.
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.
“So, officer please, that’s the man who’s destroyed my existence. Yeah, he begged and he screamed just like I did. And, for this, I was willing to die. It was all I could do to survive.” These words are from the song “Tess-timony” by Ice Nine Kills. The song is based on the book Tess of the D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. It tells the story of Tess Durbeyfield’s survival after being raped by her wealthy, newly-found cousin, Alec D’urberville. The story ends in the inevitable murder of Alec by Tess and her execution. This book has brought me much comfort during the nights when I find it hard to breathe out of the pain of the memory of my own tragedy. It helps me survive. It helps me suppress all of that agony. Sometimes, you just have to learn to bury things to the point of never resurfacing.