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Meditation 17 John Donne
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
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John Donne Research Paper
To this day John Donne is still considered to be one of the greatest love poets from England. He was born to a Elizabeth Heywood and John Donne,
some time between January 24th and June 19th in 1572. His mother Elizabeth Heywood was the youngest of her siblings and the grand–niece to the
Catholic Martyr Thomas More. His father John Donne was a prosperous London merchant, but his actual father died when Donne was only four and
was believed to be a descendant from an ancient family in Wales. The family was Roman Catholic and this was a very anti–catholic period in England
and this would greatly affect Donne in many ways throughout his life. When Donne was around 11 years old he attended Oxford University and later
on Cambridge. He was never...show more content...
During the 1590s he focused a lot of his time on books, traveling, and love interests. It is believed that this is around the time that he wrote most of
his famous love poems. During this time he travelled to Spain and Italy where he began to study law. He studied at Thavies Inn in 1592 and
Lincoln Inn from 1592 to 1594. Donne had a brother named Henry who was convicted of Catholic Sympathies in 1593 and died in prison. When
he was 25 he began to work as a secretary for Sir Thomas Egerton, who was the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England. He worked for Egerton
for several years and over time they became close friends. It was also around this time the Donne betrayed his Catholic religion and converted to
Anglicanism. In the December of 1601 he married Anne More, who was 16 years old at the time. Anne was the daughter of George More and the
niece of Sir Thomas Egerton. These two men supported their marriage greatly and went to extreme lengths
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John Donne Research Paper
Zander Kurowski
Rev. Morrow
Christian Origins Final Paper
6/1/16
John Donne:
John Donne, born in London, England January 2, 1572, lived a life that was heavily influenced by Christianity. As a child, he was raised in a
recusant roman catholic family, during a time where practicing Roman Catholicism was illegal. He was the third of six children and his parents were
John Donne and Elizabeth Heywood. His father died in 1576 when John was only four years old; however, he still had an impact on his upbringing.
His father was very well respected, which gave John the opportunity to have a more than adequate education growing up. He was privately schooled at
a young age, some say by the Jesuits, but nonetheless effectively. When John turned eleven...show more content...
Additionally, Donne wrote poems for his rich friends as a way to earn a living, because the only job he had was a role in parliament for the
constituency of Brackley. This was an unpaid position and further caused more financial difficulties, and resulted in him living in poverty. Some of his
famous work expressed anti–Catholic views which was admired by King James I, and ultimately led to his fame. Furthermore, King James urged
Donne to join the church, and in 1615 John Donne was ordained as an Anglican Priest. He then became famous for his spellbinding sermons, and was
a very successful. Furthermore, he continued his poetry as a way to reflect Christian values, as King James wanted. In 1621, he was appointed royal
chaplain, and then dean of St. Paul's cathedral, the pinnacle of his religious career. These were both well–paying potions, and countered Donne's
problem with bankruptcy. In remembrance of his great work, he was buried in the church, with a memoriam statue overhead. When the cathedral
burned down in 1666, this statue remarkable survived and is still on display today. On march 31, 1631, John Donne died at
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John Donne Meditation 17
John Donne's central theme for "Meditation 17" is that all Christians are United. Everyone is united and no one stands alone. John Donne is
adamant that no one should feel left out or be ostracized by anyone. He wants everyone to realize that no one is alone and we all share the same
experiences; he describes this idea as "no man is an island" (Donne 2). No man is left floating in the water, instead all men are linked as pieces of the
continents. Tenth Avenue North's central message is that an extreme amount of people live in isolation and they do not have to. No one is meant to do
life alone and they don't realize how genuine humans can be. Many people want to be alone, but they need to be shown how great community is. The
artists bring
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Essay on John Donne
John Donne
John Donne had a rich life full of travel, women and religion. Donne was born in 1572 on Bread Street in London. The family was Roman
Catholic which was dangerous during this time when Catholicism was being abolished and protestant was taking over. Donne's farther was an iron
monger who died in 1576. At 11 Donne and his younger brother went to university and studied there for three years then he went to
Cambridge for a further three years.
He left without any degrees because as a Catholic he could not swear the 'Oath of Supremacy', which made you swear an oath declaring Henry
VIII as head of the Church of England, Donne refused to swear this. In
1592 Donne joined a law practice and a legal career seemed ahead of...show more content...
When there marriage was discovered Donne was thrown into prison by Anne's father along with several other of Donne's friends who were involved.
John Donne lost his job and for the next few years struggled to provide for his family through his writing of poetry and practising some law and
'tutoring' rich women.
It was not until 1609 that Donne was reconciled with his farther–in–law who then provided John and Ann with a dowry. Later on his life Ann died in
labour of his thirteenth son. He then lived his life out as a protestant and part of the new Church of England.
I shall now talk about how religion relates to Donne's poetry. His life passed during a major change of religion in England the king wanted all
control of the church so he could divorce his wife, he declared himself head of the Church of England. My first poem that relates to religion is 'The
Flea' in this poem Donne is trying to convince a woman to sleep with him by using religion to sanctify him sleeping with her for example when he
says 'Where we almost, nay more, than married are...our marriage bed, and marriage temple is[2]', he makes the bed seem holy and that g–d wants
them to sleep together this may of reassured her as it connects g–d and the church together to make everything alright and holy . This poem proves that
Donne is a
very
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What Is John Donne Essay
John Donne (1573–1631) belongs to 17th century and Jacobean age. This was the age of reformation to restoration. It was an age rich in literary
production. John Donne belongs to Roman Catholic family. John Donne born in the age of social unrest. John Donne known as metaphysical poet
along with George Herbert, Rich Crashaw and Andrew Marvell. It was the age of political and social unrest. Johan Donne did not complete his
degrees in oxford and Cambridge for religious reasons. He studies law at Lincoln's inn.
Donne first set books named Satires, songs and sonnets in 1590 s. Donne married lady Eger ton's niece Ann More. Most of his successors called
Metaphysical poet by Samuel Johnson in 187. He is considered a master of conceits. Donne died in...show more content...
The tragedy is that we have adopted the bad rules and regulations. The youth of Pakistan just want to develop the sexual relation. They don't care
whether its write or wrong way that they chose. They just want to get rid of their responsibilities. They use the wrong way to satisfy their sexual
aptitude but the females want to all these things in the circle of marriage. The morality of our society is just like the western society. We may say that
these days the morality of western society is much more batter than our society. Our moral values are falling down day by day. The western people
are now very sincere in their interaction with their beloved. However the people of our society are fake they just want more affairs because they are
not sexually satisfied. John Donne poetry is exactly fit on our society. The young generation just wants to get all that they had not.
John Donne poetry is also used for buttering and flatter the ladies
"I wonder by my troth, what thou, and I did till we loved? Where we not wear's till then? But suck's on country pleasures childishly" (Reference: a
good morrow text book love and divine
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John Donne 's Poetry Of Poetry Essay
When John Donne's collection of poetry, Songs and Sonnets, was published in 1633 it was established as a piece of literature that would transcend the
ages, containing wit, experimentation and creativity. However, once the years furthered into the late nineteenth century and the audience of Donne's
work grew outside of the usual collective of male readers, a new perspective took shape. These ideas did not dismiss the change Donne's work brought
to his genre but rather questioned the attitude towards his genders counterpart within the poetry. A feministic approach emerged with the
acknowledgement that Donne's views revealed sexist when analyzed. Such concepts are discussed within George Parfitt's John Donne as the novel
considers Donne's opinions along with it's relation to his history. This wave of feministic criticism is exhibited when Parfitt examines the belief that
John's work narrows women into a set group and observes that "as a category women are objects of Donne's wit and of interest only in that respect."
(32). During the poet's life he became a part of the courts where Donne preached during his time as a priest in 1615 until his death. This setting allowed
for little connection with women outside his wife and other lower class women as it was an all male institution, thus his understanding of the female
mind exterior from these instances did not hold validity. Parfitt comments that "the excluded sex [was] both idealised and denigrated," (30) in said
environments.
It
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Metaphysical Conceit in the Poetry of John Donne
Many of John Donne's poems contain metaphysical conceits and intellectual reasoning to build a deeper understanding of the speaker's emotional state.
A metaphysical conceit can be defined as an extended, unconventional metaphor between objects that appear to be unrelated. Donne is exceptionally
good at creating unusual unions between different elements in order to illustrate his point and form a persuasive argument in his poems.
By using metaphysical conceits in "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," Donne attempts to convince his love (presumably his wife) that parting is a
positive experience which should not be looked upon with sadness. In the first stanza, Donne compares...show more content...
The speaker compares a frightful earthquake to the "trepidation of the spheres," which is more powerful than an earthquake, but less harmful. The
lovers' movement away from one another is like the motion of the spheres and therefore it should not be feared. Donne uses the astronomical term
"sublunary" to describe normal love and contrast this type of mundane love to their own. Theirs is a divine love which is elevated beyond simple
physical bonds. When they part, their souls remain as one without a "breach, but an expansion,/ Like gold to airy thinness beat" (lines 23–24). These
lines support the idea that their bond does not dissolve, but only changes form.
Near the end of the poem, Donne makes an unlikely comparison between the couple and a draftsman's compass. This is one of his most famous
metaphysical conceits because the two elements which are being compared appear completely different, and yet, amazingly, Donne is able to connect
them. He explains that his wife is his "fixed foot" that leans towards him as he roams and straightens again as he returns, but remains his center. Her
firmness is what makes his circle complete, "[a]nd makes [him] end where [he] begun"(line 36). The imagery of the circle and the spheres in this poem
solidify the eternity of their love and the knowledge that the speaker will always return to the place where he began. Donne's comparisons create an
image of celebration rather than mourning.
It appears
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Criticism Of John Donne
MLove's sweet nipples and voluptuous bust! Aphrodisia fruit to quell my lust! Had I the temerity and the conceit to compose a sonnet in the style of
John Donne –– using circles and spheres as tropes –– such are metaphors I might use to construct my "strong lines". And with Donne–like boldness I
might even entitle my work: "Areolas of Love". On the other hand, if I attempted the same task along Petrarchan lines, I'd meter out a couple of
stanzas dedicated to a radiant but distance Laura with sapphire eyes, a head of gold diaphanous hair, encircled by halos of blue butterflies and, for
good measure, I might throw in a merry–go–round of unicorns.
Such stereotypes are often found in discussions of the poetry of John Donne and his philosophy of sex and love especially when contrasted to
Petrarchan sonneteers. But, as with most stereotypes, the underlying assumptions may be too facile. In fundamental ways, John Donne can be seen not
as a rebuke of the Petrarchan tradition but rather as an extenuation of this form of literature when it took a literary turn "sharp north" and wound up in
the drawing rooms of England ("The Good Morrow", 20).
Indeed, even biographically, Donne and Petrarch had much in common. Both were well–educated, well–rounded and well–travelled – born to families
with aristocratic ties; each a "universal" man (uomo universale) baptized in the "universal" church. Additionally, both men read the law (i.e. learned to
argue at an early age); and both served in
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The Flea by John Donne Essay
The Flea by John Donne
In the poem "The Flea", by John Donne, the speaker uses a peculiar analogy in order to persuade his beloved to engage in premarital intercourse with
him. The poem is composed of three stanzas that tell a story in chronological order about a flea that has sucked the blood of the two subjects. It tells
the reader how the speaker attempts to persuade his beloved not to kill the flea because it is their marriage bed and then tells of how the woman still
kills the flea but how the speaker uses that to take his argument one step further and explain how since it is so easy and guilt–free to kill the flea, the
same could be said of her going to bed with the him.
The structure...show more content...
In the next phrase, "Me it sucked first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be; Thou know'st that this cannot be said A sin, or
shame, or loss of maidenhead"(3–6), we learn that the flea has bitten the two subjects and the author feels that through the flea, they have been joined
together and the author indicates that that is what his beloved is not giving him – herself. He also feels that this act of the flea having both of their
blood in its body is clearly not a sin or a big deal. He then goes on and says, "Yet this enjoys before it woo, And pampered swells with one blood made
of two, And this, alas, is more than we would do"(7–10). The author is saying while the flea has sucked their blood and it is mixed together in his
body and there is no shame in this, the speaker and his beloved still do not sleep together because she sees shame in that act. Here the flea is
pampered and full of what he wants, but Donne is not and he purports this as unfair.
The next stanza goes on to tell the reader how the woman is going to kill the flea and the speaker begs her not to do so. The author writes "Oh stay,
three lives in one flea spare, Where we almost, nay more than married are. This flea is you and I, and this Our marriage bed and marriage temple is;
Though parents grudge, and you, we are met,
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John Donne Death Be Not Proud Essay
In Death Be Not Proud, John donne describes his optimistic perspective on death. His first sentence is, "Death, be not proud, though some have called
thee mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so." Right off the bat he is showing his point that death has no reason to be feared like it is. He talks to death
as if it were a person saying, Death, you can't kill me. His ending is explaining, all it is, is that we simply are awake, sleep for a short amount of time,
and awake eternally, with everlasting life. his poem "Hymn to God, My God, In My Sickness", is also an uplifting view on death, and illness. In the first
stanza he symbolises his religious beliefs. He compares himself to music saying he is God's music, or that he is to be used for God.
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John Donne's Poetry
John Donne is in fact a pioneer in the poetic wit of love; he has paved the way for many metaphysical poets after him. His style of writing, although
immediately recognizable, formed to the events unfolding around him. His work covers his early years of sensuality, where he produced explicit sexual
poetry, along with his later years of religious study, where he wrote explicit religious poetry, a lot of which are hard to tell apart. Because none of
Donne's poetry was published while he was living, it is difficult for us to date it accurately, but we can assume that he wrote his more sensual poetry
before he went to work with the church. He changed the way most poets of the 16th and 17th centuries wrote and had a large impact on the poets to
follow after...show more content...
In "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,"
Donne compares two lovers to the points on a compass. This is surprising because Donne was not using the conventional Petrarchan conceit to make
comparisons like his colleagues. A metaphysical conceit requires a more introspective way of reasoning to understand the speaker's emotions. Many
were shocked over how Donne transformed the conceit, failing then to see that his use of the metaphysical conceit offered new insight into his poems
and lyrics.
Another way Donne differs from his fellow Renaissance poets is with the use of a present listener. Donne writes directly to whom the poem was
written for, while the other poets of his day; mostly write their poems without directing it towards a specific listener. His poems have very few large
descriptive passages like the one's used in the works of Edmund Spenser. Donne's poetry also doesn't have the smooth, poetic flow that the other
Renaissance poets had. Donne has done away with the poetic flow and instead opted to use a speaking voice, whose syntax can easily show the
intensity of Donne's
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John Donne : Metaphysical Poetry
Metaphysical poetry, a kind of poetry is often expressed by the freshness and energy of its narrative voices. These poems classified in this style have
common characteristics include high intellectualized, use rather strange imagery, use frequent paradox and contain extremely complicated thought.
When talking about metaphysical poetry, most people usually start with John Donne. John Donne is "one of England's greatest love poets, and one of
the greatest preachers of the 1600s" ("John Donne Poet of God's love"). He is known as the founder of metaphysical poetry and master of the
metaphysical conceit. According to Academy of American Poets depicts, "Donne reached beyond the rational and hierarchical structures of the
seventeenth century with his exacting and ingenious conceits, advancing the exploratory spirit of his time" ("John Donne"). Exploring the biography
of John Donne, we learn more fully about what he experienced and suffered in his life which surely affected the paradoxes in his poetry. During the
course of years in John Donne's life, he withstood "financial ruin, the destruction of his family, religious persecution, and other plagues" ("John Donne
Poet of God's love"). John Donne was born on the 22 January 1573 in an old Roman Catholic family in London, when anti– Catholic period was
develop high in England. His father, also named John, was "the chairman of the shop of London traders of hardware goods. His mother, Elizabeth
Heywood, originated from the Catholic
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John Donne's The Holy Sonnets Essay
John Donne's The Holy Sonnets
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 beingholy,
wasn't such a holy man all of the time and tried to make up for it in his writing.
In sonnet 1, the speaker is talking to God. He tells God that his death is near. He feels that with all of the sins he has committed he is leaning towards
hell instead of heaven. Satan...show more content...
He is made craftily and "of an angelike sprite;'; implying holiness. He then goes on to say that he has sinned and needs both parts of his world to be
cleansed and renewed. He asks God to give him more seas, a world's tears continuing the metaphor, to wash his sin away. Then the speaker makes a
Bible reference. He asks the Lord to burn him. It is said in the Bible that the end of the world will be caused by fire. This reference is saying that
the speaker wants God to destroy his world now so that he can start anew and forget about his sins in the past. Again we see the theme of sin and the
want to be healed and accepted. By using this metaphor in the sonnet, he gives himself a lot of credit. To say that he is a world which God must pay
so much attention to creates extreme self–significance. And to make the allusion that the actions of the Bible would be appropriate to be put to use on
such an unholy world seems a little absurd.
The end of the world is how sonnet 7 starts out. This is a reminder of the fire reference in sonnet 5, to which sonnet 7 has a strong connection. In
this sonnet, the speaker wants to repent so that he will not die like the other mortals who sin. "All whom the flood did, and fire shall, o'erthrow,'; is
an allusion to the Bible once again: the great flood, which Noah built his ark for, and the fire which is to cause the end of the world. And in the first
two lines, Donne makes a specific allusion to the book of
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John Donne
John Donne is the name in English Literature who gave new direction to the literary activities of his age. He is in a sense founded the metaphysical
lyric, which was practiced by scare of writers. As Dowden says, "We are told that in the decline of the greater poetry of the Elizabethan period, a
metaphysical school arose and that John Donne was the founder or the first eminent member of this school." John Donne set up a new tradition in
versification by and large Donne must be regarded as an original poet, "a poet who gave much more than what he borrowed from his age." The word
"metaphysical" has been defined by various writers differently. The learned critics feels that "metaphysical poetry" is inspired by a philosophy,...show
more content...
Then comes a conceit which also expresses the passion of the lovers:
SHE'S ALL STATES, AND ALL PRINCES I;
NOTHING ELSE IS. The most striking and famous one is the comparison of man who travels and his beloved who stays at home to a pair of
compasses in 'A Valediction Of Forbidding Mourning'. Here soul of the beloved is like the fixed foot of compasses as by her inborn nature she stays
at home whereas the soul of the lover is like the other foot of compasses which moves beyond the center to complete a circle of journey.
IF THEY BE TWO, THEY ARE TWO SO
AS STIFF TWIN COMPASSES ARE TWO,
THY SOUL THE FIX FOOT, MAKES NO SHOW
TO MOVE, BUT (DOTH) IF THE OTHER DOE.
In The Relique, John Donne imagines himself lying in a grave as a skeleton with the undeniable token of spiritual love in the sphere of his beloved's
bright lock of hair forming a bracelet about his wriste borne and because of their great love, he and his beloved will be honored like saints,
ALL WOMEN SHALL ADORE US, AND SOME MEN. Another feature is the use of colloquial speech which marks the metaphysical poetry. In John
Donne's poems, the vigor of colloquialism is especially apparent in the abrupt, conversational opening of many of his poems. He selected colloquial
diction which has vigor, freshness and originality. He discarded literary words and phrases which became rusty because of repetition. Another
characteristic of metaphysical poetry
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Essay On John Donne
John Donne was an English Poet, Priest and outsider. He was born into a devout catholic family in 1572 in London, however, he did not stay true to
his families Catholic beliefs. Donne grew up as a catholic in a rough period in England when the anti–Roman period was reaching new heights. This of
course caused problems for him until the 1590's when he returned to London from his studies abroad in Theological issues and converted to the
English church. During these early days of his life, Donne converted because his brother was imprisoned for being Catholic and later died in prison.
With Donne now in the English Church writing he soon became the secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, Lord Keeper of the great seal. While for many
this would prove to be the beginning of a great career, it would soon end. This was because he secretly married the teen niece of Egerton, Ann
More, in 1601. He was then forced to move away to the countryside living in a poverty stricken lifestyle. Although having twelve kids and living in
poverty seems horrible, Donne still thrived in his poetry. According to Wendy Smith, " Poetry written during those years limns an ecstatic physical
and emotional union with an intelligent, passionate companion. Perhaps this blissful society of two was the home Donne had been looking for" (7).
However, his wife died and his poetry took another unexpected turn, as it became more dark and not as full of love. As the years went on Donne
slowly began to get sick more
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John Donne Research Paper
John Donne is one of the most influential metaphysical poets of his time. Donne wrote a variety of poetry that includes, Satires, Songs and Sonnets,
and later his Holy Sonnets. The nature of Donne's poetry often stems from his Christian beliefs that directly show what he believes true in many
aspects of life. Donne's writings often encompass his religious and philosophical beliefs, which tie into, what he believes about love and death.
Donne's religious and philosophical beliefs as well as the circumstances, he was born into greatly influenced the content of his poetry. Donne grew up
in a Catholic family and had Jesuit relatives and teachers during a time when the Catholic's were being persecuted. Donne attended Oxford and
Cambridge University...show more content...
Donne grew up around death, such as the death of his younger brother who died of a fever in prison as well as the death of his wife who died
during childbirth, these circumstances as well as his Christian belief of eternal life are likely responsible for the way Donne views death For
instance, in his poem Death Be Not Proud, Donne personifies death and the speaker tells the reader to not be afraid of death because it ultimately
has no power and is comparable to the type of peace felt in rest or sleep and then goes on to explain that death is more like a sleep before going into
eternity. Donne writes, "One short sleep past, wee wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death thou shalt die" (Donne 13–14). Amy Cothran
compares this type of message to Paul in Bible, "Donne, echoing Paul's counsel to give us a true victory song that emboldens at the same time that it
comforts"(103–104). Although Donne believes one should not fear death, he does not deny that the death of someone can have a deep effect on a
person. For example, Donne's poem A Nocturnal Upon St. Lucy's Day in centered around how death can leave one feeling as if they are dead. he
writes, "For I am every dead thing" and " I, by Love's limbec, am the grave, Of all that's nothing" ( Donne, 12, 21–23). The lovers death affects the
speaker to the extent of him feeling as if " 'she is the light' and the 'body' upon whom he depended for both presence and illumination, her death has
left him not only physically but emotionally emptied' "(Hollingsworth 94). Another poem in which Donne explains how the death of another person
can deeply affect someone is in Mediation Seventeen. In this poem Donne opens talking about a funeral bell, which is a metaphor for death, he then
goes on to explain "the bell calls us all" and then asks, "But who can remove it from that bell, which is passing a piece of himself out of this world"
(Donne 1.12, 2.9).
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Death Is Inevitable By John Donne Essay
Death is inevitable. At times, death may see as the starting of a new chapter. An example of this is Meditations XVII by John Donne, the speaker
talks about how everyone has a path in life and God is the one that decides who dies and who doesn 't. By many, death is seen with fear, anger,
denial, and grieve. In the poem, I Felt a Funeral in My Brain by Emily Dickinson, the speaker appears to be losing her mind and uses funeral as a
metaphor; a representation of the speaker 's emotions dying. For me, death is a way for a person to start a new chapter. Perhaps even a better "life".
John Donne was an English poet; he was born in 1572 into a catholic family, which influenced his way of seeing death. In 1601 he got married to the
16 year old Anne More and in 1617 she passed away after giving birth to their 12th child. The death of his beloved impacted John Donne life
drastically and all the love poems where going to die just how his love did. As John health began to fail, he became obsessed with the concept of
death and he even wrote a pre funeral sermon which was charismatic and inventive. Losing someone you love forever is not easy, but at the end Donne
learned how to deal with his emotions by changing his point of view on things. Throughout meditations XVII you can easily point out that he is sad but
he never loses hope.
Emily Dickinson was born in 1830, she lived most of her life isolated from the world, the people that she had contact with really impacted her life. She
was
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John Donne: An Influential English Poet
John Donne, one of the greatest English poets and preachers of the 1600's, greatly impacted the writing field through his works. In the first half of
1572 (actual date is unknown) he was born in London to John Donne, a merchant, and Elizabeth Heywood Donne, the daughter of the poet and
playwright John Heywood. His father died when Donne was about four years old. His younger brother, Henry, also died inJohn Donne's early life. John
Donne was raised in a Catholic family. Both of his parents were devout Roman Catholics. During Donne's early adult life he converted to Anglicanism.
The education of John Donne is somewhat confusing because the records are incomplete. There is record of his attending Cambridge and Oxford, but
he never...show more content...
The few works which were published during his lifetime were only given to specific circles of people. His first published poem is Pseudo–Martyr
which was dedicated to King James. His most famous collection of love poems is the Anniversaries which are dedicated to his wife; the anniversary
is of her death. Songs and Sonnets, his best known set of poems; "The Canonization;" and "The Extasie" are other famous love poems of Donne. For
religious poetry, the series Holy Sonnets includes three of Donne's most famous poems including "Batter my heart, three person'd God," "Death be not
proud," and "Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward."
Poetry is not all that Donne wrote. He was also a preacher and a few of his sermons are added to his collection of prose which is mainly religiously
focused. Through his sermons and devotion books, his artistry of his poems shines through. His series of devotions two of which are Devotions and
Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions were written when he became deathly ill, but he did recover slowly. This near death experience made death
tangible in his mind and was a great source of inspiration for his writings. Edited by Logan Pearsall Smith, Donne's Sermons: Selected Passages
contains several of his sermons and was considered by Sir Arthur Quiller–Couch "'The most significant prose ever uttered from an English pulpit,
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Meditation 17 John Donne

  • 1. Meditation 17 John Donne 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 Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 2. John Donne Research Paper To this day John Donne is still considered to be one of the greatest love poets from England. He was born to a Elizabeth Heywood and John Donne, some time between January 24th and June 19th in 1572. His mother Elizabeth Heywood was the youngest of her siblings and the grand–niece to the Catholic Martyr Thomas More. His father John Donne was a prosperous London merchant, but his actual father died when Donne was only four and was believed to be a descendant from an ancient family in Wales. The family was Roman Catholic and this was a very anti–catholic period in England and this would greatly affect Donne in many ways throughout his life. When Donne was around 11 years old he attended Oxford University and later on Cambridge. He was never...show more content... During the 1590s he focused a lot of his time on books, traveling, and love interests. It is believed that this is around the time that he wrote most of his famous love poems. During this time he travelled to Spain and Italy where he began to study law. He studied at Thavies Inn in 1592 and Lincoln Inn from 1592 to 1594. Donne had a brother named Henry who was convicted of Catholic Sympathies in 1593 and died in prison. When he was 25 he began to work as a secretary for Sir Thomas Egerton, who was the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England. He worked for Egerton for several years and over time they became close friends. It was also around this time the Donne betrayed his Catholic religion and converted to Anglicanism. In the December of 1601 he married Anne More, who was 16 years old at the time. Anne was the daughter of George More and the niece of Sir Thomas Egerton. These two men supported their marriage greatly and went to extreme lengths Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 3. John Donne Research Paper Zander Kurowski Rev. Morrow Christian Origins Final Paper 6/1/16 John Donne: John Donne, born in London, England January 2, 1572, lived a life that was heavily influenced by Christianity. As a child, he was raised in a recusant roman catholic family, during a time where practicing Roman Catholicism was illegal. He was the third of six children and his parents were John Donne and Elizabeth Heywood. His father died in 1576 when John was only four years old; however, he still had an impact on his upbringing. His father was very well respected, which gave John the opportunity to have a more than adequate education growing up. He was privately schooled at a young age, some say by the Jesuits, but nonetheless effectively. When John turned eleven...show more content... Additionally, Donne wrote poems for his rich friends as a way to earn a living, because the only job he had was a role in parliament for the constituency of Brackley. This was an unpaid position and further caused more financial difficulties, and resulted in him living in poverty. Some of his famous work expressed anti–Catholic views which was admired by King James I, and ultimately led to his fame. Furthermore, King James urged Donne to join the church, and in 1615 John Donne was ordained as an Anglican Priest. He then became famous for his spellbinding sermons, and was a very successful. Furthermore, he continued his poetry as a way to reflect Christian values, as King James wanted. In 1621, he was appointed royal chaplain, and then dean of St. Paul's cathedral, the pinnacle of his religious career. These were both well–paying potions, and countered Donne's problem with bankruptcy. In remembrance of his great work, he was buried in the church, with a memoriam statue overhead. When the cathedral burned down in 1666, this statue remarkable survived and is still on display today. On march 31, 1631, John Donne died at Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 4. John Donne Meditation 17 John Donne's central theme for "Meditation 17" is that all Christians are United. Everyone is united and no one stands alone. John Donne is adamant that no one should feel left out or be ostracized by anyone. He wants everyone to realize that no one is alone and we all share the same experiences; he describes this idea as "no man is an island" (Donne 2). No man is left floating in the water, instead all men are linked as pieces of the continents. Tenth Avenue North's central message is that an extreme amount of people live in isolation and they do not have to. No one is meant to do life alone and they don't realize how genuine humans can be. Many people want to be alone, but they need to be shown how great community is. The artists bring Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 5. Essay on John Donne John Donne John Donne had a rich life full of travel, women and religion. Donne was born in 1572 on Bread Street in London. The family was Roman Catholic which was dangerous during this time when Catholicism was being abolished and protestant was taking over. Donne's farther was an iron monger who died in 1576. At 11 Donne and his younger brother went to university and studied there for three years then he went to Cambridge for a further three years. He left without any degrees because as a Catholic he could not swear the 'Oath of Supremacy', which made you swear an oath declaring Henry VIII as head of the Church of England, Donne refused to swear this. In 1592 Donne joined a law practice and a legal career seemed ahead of...show more content... When there marriage was discovered Donne was thrown into prison by Anne's father along with several other of Donne's friends who were involved. John Donne lost his job and for the next few years struggled to provide for his family through his writing of poetry and practising some law and 'tutoring' rich women. It was not until 1609 that Donne was reconciled with his farther–in–law who then provided John and Ann with a dowry. Later on his life Ann died in labour of his thirteenth son. He then lived his life out as a protestant and part of the new Church of England. I shall now talk about how religion relates to Donne's poetry. His life passed during a major change of religion in England the king wanted all control of the church so he could divorce his wife, he declared himself head of the Church of England. My first poem that relates to religion is 'The Flea' in this poem Donne is trying to convince a woman to sleep with him by using religion to sanctify him sleeping with her for example when he says 'Where we almost, nay more, than married are...our marriage bed, and marriage temple is[2]', he makes the bed seem holy and that g–d wants them to sleep together this may of reassured her as it connects g–d and the church together to make everything alright and holy . This poem proves that Donne is a very
  • 6. Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 7. What Is John Donne Essay John Donne (1573–1631) belongs to 17th century and Jacobean age. This was the age of reformation to restoration. It was an age rich in literary production. John Donne belongs to Roman Catholic family. John Donne born in the age of social unrest. John Donne known as metaphysical poet along with George Herbert, Rich Crashaw and Andrew Marvell. It was the age of political and social unrest. Johan Donne did not complete his degrees in oxford and Cambridge for religious reasons. He studies law at Lincoln's inn. Donne first set books named Satires, songs and sonnets in 1590 s. Donne married lady Eger ton's niece Ann More. Most of his successors called Metaphysical poet by Samuel Johnson in 187. He is considered a master of conceits. Donne died in...show more content... The tragedy is that we have adopted the bad rules and regulations. The youth of Pakistan just want to develop the sexual relation. They don't care whether its write or wrong way that they chose. They just want to get rid of their responsibilities. They use the wrong way to satisfy their sexual aptitude but the females want to all these things in the circle of marriage. The morality of our society is just like the western society. We may say that these days the morality of western society is much more batter than our society. Our moral values are falling down day by day. The western people are now very sincere in their interaction with their beloved. However the people of our society are fake they just want more affairs because they are not sexually satisfied. John Donne poetry is exactly fit on our society. The young generation just wants to get all that they had not. John Donne poetry is also used for buttering and flatter the ladies "I wonder by my troth, what thou, and I did till we loved? Where we not wear's till then? But suck's on country pleasures childishly" (Reference: a good morrow text book love and divine Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 8. John Donne 's Poetry Of Poetry Essay When John Donne's collection of poetry, Songs and Sonnets, was published in 1633 it was established as a piece of literature that would transcend the ages, containing wit, experimentation and creativity. However, once the years furthered into the late nineteenth century and the audience of Donne's work grew outside of the usual collective of male readers, a new perspective took shape. These ideas did not dismiss the change Donne's work brought to his genre but rather questioned the attitude towards his genders counterpart within the poetry. A feministic approach emerged with the acknowledgement that Donne's views revealed sexist when analyzed. Such concepts are discussed within George Parfitt's John Donne as the novel considers Donne's opinions along with it's relation to his history. This wave of feministic criticism is exhibited when Parfitt examines the belief that John's work narrows women into a set group and observes that "as a category women are objects of Donne's wit and of interest only in that respect." (32). During the poet's life he became a part of the courts where Donne preached during his time as a priest in 1615 until his death. This setting allowed for little connection with women outside his wife and other lower class women as it was an all male institution, thus his understanding of the female mind exterior from these instances did not hold validity. Parfitt comments that "the excluded sex [was] both idealised and denigrated," (30) in said environments. It Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 9. Metaphysical Conceit in the Poetry of John Donne Many of John Donne's poems contain metaphysical conceits and intellectual reasoning to build a deeper understanding of the speaker's emotional state. A metaphysical conceit can be defined as an extended, unconventional metaphor between objects that appear to be unrelated. Donne is exceptionally good at creating unusual unions between different elements in order to illustrate his point and form a persuasive argument in his poems. By using metaphysical conceits in "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," Donne attempts to convince his love (presumably his wife) that parting is a positive experience which should not be looked upon with sadness. In the first stanza, Donne compares...show more content... The speaker compares a frightful earthquake to the "trepidation of the spheres," which is more powerful than an earthquake, but less harmful. The lovers' movement away from one another is like the motion of the spheres and therefore it should not be feared. Donne uses the astronomical term "sublunary" to describe normal love and contrast this type of mundane love to their own. Theirs is a divine love which is elevated beyond simple physical bonds. When they part, their souls remain as one without a "breach, but an expansion,/ Like gold to airy thinness beat" (lines 23–24). These lines support the idea that their bond does not dissolve, but only changes form. Near the end of the poem, Donne makes an unlikely comparison between the couple and a draftsman's compass. This is one of his most famous metaphysical conceits because the two elements which are being compared appear completely different, and yet, amazingly, Donne is able to connect them. He explains that his wife is his "fixed foot" that leans towards him as he roams and straightens again as he returns, but remains his center. Her firmness is what makes his circle complete, "[a]nd makes [him] end where [he] begun"(line 36). The imagery of the circle and the spheres in this poem solidify the eternity of their love and the knowledge that the speaker will always return to the place where he began. Donne's comparisons create an image of celebration rather than mourning. It appears Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 10. Criticism Of John Donne MLove's sweet nipples and voluptuous bust! Aphrodisia fruit to quell my lust! Had I the temerity and the conceit to compose a sonnet in the style of John Donne –– using circles and spheres as tropes –– such are metaphors I might use to construct my "strong lines". And with Donne–like boldness I might even entitle my work: "Areolas of Love". On the other hand, if I attempted the same task along Petrarchan lines, I'd meter out a couple of stanzas dedicated to a radiant but distance Laura with sapphire eyes, a head of gold diaphanous hair, encircled by halos of blue butterflies and, for good measure, I might throw in a merry–go–round of unicorns. Such stereotypes are often found in discussions of the poetry of John Donne and his philosophy of sex and love especially when contrasted to Petrarchan sonneteers. But, as with most stereotypes, the underlying assumptions may be too facile. In fundamental ways, John Donne can be seen not as a rebuke of the Petrarchan tradition but rather as an extenuation of this form of literature when it took a literary turn "sharp north" and wound up in the drawing rooms of England ("The Good Morrow", 20). Indeed, even biographically, Donne and Petrarch had much in common. Both were well–educated, well–rounded and well–travelled – born to families with aristocratic ties; each a "universal" man (uomo universale) baptized in the "universal" church. Additionally, both men read the law (i.e. learned to argue at an early age); and both served in Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 11. The Flea by John Donne Essay The Flea by John Donne In the poem "The Flea", by John Donne, the speaker uses a peculiar analogy in order to persuade his beloved to engage in premarital intercourse with him. The poem is composed of three stanzas that tell a story in chronological order about a flea that has sucked the blood of the two subjects. It tells the reader how the speaker attempts to persuade his beloved not to kill the flea because it is their marriage bed and then tells of how the woman still kills the flea but how the speaker uses that to take his argument one step further and explain how since it is so easy and guilt–free to kill the flea, the same could be said of her going to bed with the him. The structure...show more content... In the next phrase, "Me it sucked first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be; Thou know'st that this cannot be said A sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhead"(3–6), we learn that the flea has bitten the two subjects and the author feels that through the flea, they have been joined together and the author indicates that that is what his beloved is not giving him – herself. He also feels that this act of the flea having both of their blood in its body is clearly not a sin or a big deal. He then goes on and says, "Yet this enjoys before it woo, And pampered swells with one blood made of two, And this, alas, is more than we would do"(7–10). The author is saying while the flea has sucked their blood and it is mixed together in his body and there is no shame in this, the speaker and his beloved still do not sleep together because she sees shame in that act. Here the flea is pampered and full of what he wants, but Donne is not and he purports this as unfair. The next stanza goes on to tell the reader how the woman is going to kill the flea and the speaker begs her not to do so. The author writes "Oh stay, three lives in one flea spare, Where we almost, nay more than married are. This flea is you and I, and this Our marriage bed and marriage temple is; Though parents grudge, and you, we are met, Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 12. John Donne Death Be Not Proud Essay In Death Be Not Proud, John donne describes his optimistic perspective on death. His first sentence is, "Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so." Right off the bat he is showing his point that death has no reason to be feared like it is. He talks to death as if it were a person saying, Death, you can't kill me. His ending is explaining, all it is, is that we simply are awake, sleep for a short amount of time, and awake eternally, with everlasting life. his poem "Hymn to God, My God, In My Sickness", is also an uplifting view on death, and illness. In the first stanza he symbolises his religious beliefs. He compares himself to music saying he is God's music, or that he is to be used for God. Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 13. John Donne's Poetry John Donne is in fact a pioneer in the poetic wit of love; he has paved the way for many metaphysical poets after him. His style of writing, although immediately recognizable, formed to the events unfolding around him. His work covers his early years of sensuality, where he produced explicit sexual poetry, along with his later years of religious study, where he wrote explicit religious poetry, a lot of which are hard to tell apart. Because none of Donne's poetry was published while he was living, it is difficult for us to date it accurately, but we can assume that he wrote his more sensual poetry before he went to work with the church. He changed the way most poets of the 16th and 17th centuries wrote and had a large impact on the poets to follow after...show more content... In "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," Donne compares two lovers to the points on a compass. This is surprising because Donne was not using the conventional Petrarchan conceit to make comparisons like his colleagues. A metaphysical conceit requires a more introspective way of reasoning to understand the speaker's emotions. Many were shocked over how Donne transformed the conceit, failing then to see that his use of the metaphysical conceit offered new insight into his poems and lyrics. Another way Donne differs from his fellow Renaissance poets is with the use of a present listener. Donne writes directly to whom the poem was written for, while the other poets of his day; mostly write their poems without directing it towards a specific listener. His poems have very few large descriptive passages like the one's used in the works of Edmund Spenser. Donne's poetry also doesn't have the smooth, poetic flow that the other Renaissance poets had. Donne has done away with the poetic flow and instead opted to use a speaking voice, whose syntax can easily show the intensity of Donne's Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 14. John Donne : Metaphysical Poetry Metaphysical poetry, a kind of poetry is often expressed by the freshness and energy of its narrative voices. These poems classified in this style have common characteristics include high intellectualized, use rather strange imagery, use frequent paradox and contain extremely complicated thought. When talking about metaphysical poetry, most people usually start with John Donne. John Donne is "one of England's greatest love poets, and one of the greatest preachers of the 1600s" ("John Donne Poet of God's love"). He is known as the founder of metaphysical poetry and master of the metaphysical conceit. According to Academy of American Poets depicts, "Donne reached beyond the rational and hierarchical structures of the seventeenth century with his exacting and ingenious conceits, advancing the exploratory spirit of his time" ("John Donne"). Exploring the biography of John Donne, we learn more fully about what he experienced and suffered in his life which surely affected the paradoxes in his poetry. During the course of years in John Donne's life, he withstood "financial ruin, the destruction of his family, religious persecution, and other plagues" ("John Donne Poet of God's love"). John Donne was born on the 22 January 1573 in an old Roman Catholic family in London, when anti– Catholic period was develop high in England. His father, also named John, was "the chairman of the shop of London traders of hardware goods. His mother, Elizabeth Heywood, originated from the Catholic Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 15. John Donne's The Holy Sonnets Essay John Donne's The Holy Sonnets 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 beingholy, wasn't such a holy man all of the time and tried to make up for it in his writing. In sonnet 1, the speaker is talking to God. He tells God that his death is near. He feels that with all of the sins he has committed he is leaning towards hell instead of heaven. Satan...show more content... He is made craftily and "of an angelike sprite;'; implying holiness. He then goes on to say that he has sinned and needs both parts of his world to be cleansed and renewed. He asks God to give him more seas, a world's tears continuing the metaphor, to wash his sin away. Then the speaker makes a Bible reference. He asks the Lord to burn him. It is said in the Bible that the end of the world will be caused by fire. This reference is saying that the speaker wants God to destroy his world now so that he can start anew and forget about his sins in the past. Again we see the theme of sin and the want to be healed and accepted. By using this metaphor in the sonnet, he gives himself a lot of credit. To say that he is a world which God must pay so much attention to creates extreme self–significance. And to make the allusion that the actions of the Bible would be appropriate to be put to use on such an unholy world seems a little absurd. The end of the world is how sonnet 7 starts out. This is a reminder of the fire reference in sonnet 5, to which sonnet 7 has a strong connection. In this sonnet, the speaker wants to repent so that he will not die like the other mortals who sin. "All whom the flood did, and fire shall, o'erthrow,'; is an allusion to the Bible once again: the great flood, which Noah built his ark for, and the fire which is to cause the end of the world. And in the first two lines, Donne makes a specific allusion to the book of Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 16. John Donne John Donne is the name in English Literature who gave new direction to the literary activities of his age. He is in a sense founded the metaphysical lyric, which was practiced by scare of writers. As Dowden says, "We are told that in the decline of the greater poetry of the Elizabethan period, a metaphysical school arose and that John Donne was the founder or the first eminent member of this school." John Donne set up a new tradition in versification by and large Donne must be regarded as an original poet, "a poet who gave much more than what he borrowed from his age." The word "metaphysical" has been defined by various writers differently. The learned critics feels that "metaphysical poetry" is inspired by a philosophy,...show more content... Then comes a conceit which also expresses the passion of the lovers: SHE'S ALL STATES, AND ALL PRINCES I; NOTHING ELSE IS. The most striking and famous one is the comparison of man who travels and his beloved who stays at home to a pair of compasses in 'A Valediction Of Forbidding Mourning'. Here soul of the beloved is like the fixed foot of compasses as by her inborn nature she stays at home whereas the soul of the lover is like the other foot of compasses which moves beyond the center to complete a circle of journey. IF THEY BE TWO, THEY ARE TWO SO AS STIFF TWIN COMPASSES ARE TWO, THY SOUL THE FIX FOOT, MAKES NO SHOW TO MOVE, BUT (DOTH) IF THE OTHER DOE. In The Relique, John Donne imagines himself lying in a grave as a skeleton with the undeniable token of spiritual love in the sphere of his beloved's bright lock of hair forming a bracelet about his wriste borne and because of their great love, he and his beloved will be honored like saints, ALL WOMEN SHALL ADORE US, AND SOME MEN. Another feature is the use of colloquial speech which marks the metaphysical poetry. In John Donne's poems, the vigor of colloquialism is especially apparent in the abrupt, conversational opening of many of his poems. He selected colloquial diction which has vigor, freshness and originality. He discarded literary words and phrases which became rusty because of repetition. Another characteristic of metaphysical poetry Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 17. Essay On John Donne John Donne was an English Poet, Priest and outsider. He was born into a devout catholic family in 1572 in London, however, he did not stay true to his families Catholic beliefs. Donne grew up as a catholic in a rough period in England when the anti–Roman period was reaching new heights. This of course caused problems for him until the 1590's when he returned to London from his studies abroad in Theological issues and converted to the English church. During these early days of his life, Donne converted because his brother was imprisoned for being Catholic and later died in prison. With Donne now in the English Church writing he soon became the secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton, Lord Keeper of the great seal. While for many this would prove to be the beginning of a great career, it would soon end. This was because he secretly married the teen niece of Egerton, Ann More, in 1601. He was then forced to move away to the countryside living in a poverty stricken lifestyle. Although having twelve kids and living in poverty seems horrible, Donne still thrived in his poetry. According to Wendy Smith, " Poetry written during those years limns an ecstatic physical and emotional union with an intelligent, passionate companion. Perhaps this blissful society of two was the home Donne had been looking for" (7). However, his wife died and his poetry took another unexpected turn, as it became more dark and not as full of love. As the years went on Donne slowly began to get sick more Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 18. John Donne Research Paper John Donne is one of the most influential metaphysical poets of his time. Donne wrote a variety of poetry that includes, Satires, Songs and Sonnets, and later his Holy Sonnets. The nature of Donne's poetry often stems from his Christian beliefs that directly show what he believes true in many aspects of life. Donne's writings often encompass his religious and philosophical beliefs, which tie into, what he believes about love and death. Donne's religious and philosophical beliefs as well as the circumstances, he was born into greatly influenced the content of his poetry. Donne grew up in a Catholic family and had Jesuit relatives and teachers during a time when the Catholic's were being persecuted. Donne attended Oxford and Cambridge University...show more content... Donne grew up around death, such as the death of his younger brother who died of a fever in prison as well as the death of his wife who died during childbirth, these circumstances as well as his Christian belief of eternal life are likely responsible for the way Donne views death For instance, in his poem Death Be Not Proud, Donne personifies death and the speaker tells the reader to not be afraid of death because it ultimately has no power and is comparable to the type of peace felt in rest or sleep and then goes on to explain that death is more like a sleep before going into eternity. Donne writes, "One short sleep past, wee wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death thou shalt die" (Donne 13–14). Amy Cothran compares this type of message to Paul in Bible, "Donne, echoing Paul's counsel to give us a true victory song that emboldens at the same time that it comforts"(103–104). Although Donne believes one should not fear death, he does not deny that the death of someone can have a deep effect on a person. For example, Donne's poem A Nocturnal Upon St. Lucy's Day in centered around how death can leave one feeling as if they are dead. he writes, "For I am every dead thing" and " I, by Love's limbec, am the grave, Of all that's nothing" ( Donne, 12, 21–23). The lovers death affects the speaker to the extent of him feeling as if " 'she is the light' and the 'body' upon whom he depended for both presence and illumination, her death has left him not only physically but emotionally emptied' "(Hollingsworth 94). Another poem in which Donne explains how the death of another person can deeply affect someone is in Mediation Seventeen. In this poem Donne opens talking about a funeral bell, which is a metaphor for death, he then goes on to explain "the bell calls us all" and then asks, "But who can remove it from that bell, which is passing a piece of himself out of this world" (Donne 1.12, 2.9). Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 19. Death Is Inevitable By John Donne Essay Death is inevitable. At times, death may see as the starting of a new chapter. An example of this is Meditations XVII by John Donne, the speaker talks about how everyone has a path in life and God is the one that decides who dies and who doesn 't. By many, death is seen with fear, anger, denial, and grieve. In the poem, I Felt a Funeral in My Brain by Emily Dickinson, the speaker appears to be losing her mind and uses funeral as a metaphor; a representation of the speaker 's emotions dying. For me, death is a way for a person to start a new chapter. Perhaps even a better "life". John Donne was an English poet; he was born in 1572 into a catholic family, which influenced his way of seeing death. In 1601 he got married to the 16 year old Anne More and in 1617 she passed away after giving birth to their 12th child. The death of his beloved impacted John Donne life drastically and all the love poems where going to die just how his love did. As John health began to fail, he became obsessed with the concept of death and he even wrote a pre funeral sermon which was charismatic and inventive. Losing someone you love forever is not easy, but at the end Donne learned how to deal with his emotions by changing his point of view on things. Throughout meditations XVII you can easily point out that he is sad but he never loses hope. Emily Dickinson was born in 1830, she lived most of her life isolated from the world, the people that she had contact with really impacted her life. She was Get more content on HelpWriting.net
  • 20. John Donne: An Influential English Poet John Donne, one of the greatest English poets and preachers of the 1600's, greatly impacted the writing field through his works. In the first half of 1572 (actual date is unknown) he was born in London to John Donne, a merchant, and Elizabeth Heywood Donne, the daughter of the poet and playwright John Heywood. His father died when Donne was about four years old. His younger brother, Henry, also died inJohn Donne's early life. John Donne was raised in a Catholic family. Both of his parents were devout Roman Catholics. During Donne's early adult life he converted to Anglicanism. The education of John Donne is somewhat confusing because the records are incomplete. There is record of his attending Cambridge and Oxford, but he never...show more content... The few works which were published during his lifetime were only given to specific circles of people. His first published poem is Pseudo–Martyr which was dedicated to King James. His most famous collection of love poems is the Anniversaries which are dedicated to his wife; the anniversary is of her death. Songs and Sonnets, his best known set of poems; "The Canonization;" and "The Extasie" are other famous love poems of Donne. For religious poetry, the series Holy Sonnets includes three of Donne's most famous poems including "Batter my heart, three person'd God," "Death be not proud," and "Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward." Poetry is not all that Donne wrote. He was also a preacher and a few of his sermons are added to his collection of prose which is mainly religiously focused. Through his sermons and devotion books, his artistry of his poems shines through. His series of devotions two of which are Devotions and Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions were written when he became deathly ill, but he did recover slowly. This near death experience made death tangible in his mind and was a great source of inspiration for his writings. Edited by Logan Pearsall Smith, Donne's Sermons: Selected Passages contains several of his sermons and was considered by Sir Arthur Quiller–Couch "'The most significant prose ever uttered from an English pulpit, Get more content on HelpWriting.net