... by John Donne. It will focus on the diction, figures of speech and rhetoric, tone and form that appear in the poem and how Donne used these tools to convey his intended message. To His Mistress Going To Bed was written in the late-sixteenth century, but not published until after Donne's death ... work. It was considered too improper to have been included in the publishing of the first edition of his work in 1633. In the poem, Donne writes about the experience of undressing his Mistress in different stages, how his excitement and desire grows throughout the poem until he exclaims, in an ...

• Word Count: 1126
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Virginity: the key to seduction in John Donne's "The Relique" In John Donne's "The Relique," he uses a metaphysical conceit to explore the vastness of the spiritual love which the speaker shares with ... miracles of his love. In conjunction with allusions to Jesus, this might mean that he would be completing some form of a bible. Clearly, Donne furthers his conceit with the aforementioned religious associations; he makes the grave digging procedure exemplify his spiritual love not only through people's adoration, but ... also through holy implications. In spite of everything, Donne uses para...

• Word Count: 1029
• Approx Pages: 4

The commentary of John Donne's poem "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" describes this piece as a poem of the speaker telling his lady not to weep if he is to never return from the journey he will be ... speaker is leaving, the impenetrable feelings that they share will allow their love to grow despite his absence. Imagery is a subject that the author of the commentary often touches upon. Donne, in his poem, uses the imagery of the universe to compare and contrast his relationship to the relationships of others. For example the line "Dull Sublunary lovers" love" (Line 13 ... circles, the ...

• Word Count: 319
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

Violent imagery in a holy sonnet: Batter my heart, three-personed God In John Donne's "Batter my heart, three-personed God ," the speaker is in despair about his ability to be chaste. He knows that he loves God and wants to be loved in return. ... from the enemy. He uses "again" here, indicating that he has sinned before and is asking God to liberate him again. The marriage idea is a metaphor and another conceit that Donne uses in the poem. The speaker's conflict apparently is about his efforts to be chaste and the impossibility of being good in the face of worldly temptations. The language ...

• Word Count: 750
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... ' "The Flea- Rejoice! For at long last, that humblest and most useless of insects, the bloodsucking flea, has found its' purpose in life through poetry. John Donnes' "The Flea- demonstrates that former presidents and politicians are not the only men who manipulate language to suit their own ends. Indeed, the use of sophistry as a tool of ... seduction is an ancient art, and Donne, through his speaker in this piece, uses it more than any other poet in this section. "The Flea- is more than a run of the mill love poem. It is an ... ...

• Word Count: 529
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... different in terms of the ambiguity encountered in his work. many of his poems will logically support a vast number of interpretations. "Batter my heart," a holy sonnet by John Donne, uses sexual imagery to describe the speaker's acceptance of God's will. To what degree should critics focus on the suggestive language used to describe God forcing the speaker to serve ... 's creation" (Payne 1). In this interpretation, the first four lines seem to indicate a violent struggle rather than a romantic interlude. William kerrigan addresses this element of the poem by pointing out that John Don...

• Word Count: 2802
• Approx Pages: 11

"A Hymn to God the Father" by John Donne is an insightful poem that addresses the speaker's unease caused by the sins he has committed throughout his life and the inner battle to relieve his fear of death. The speaker is supposedly John Donne because he was on the verge of death when ... writing this poem and was deeply religious during the latter part of his life. Donne's simple and precise wording in combination with the rhythmical consistency creates an atmosphere ... and the subsequent guilt, and the very human fear of death. The poem "A Hymn to God the Father," although assumed to be sp...

• Word Count: 607
• Approx Pages: 2

Unconditional Love Although the subject matter of "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning- could be applied to any couple pending separation, John Donne wrote his poem for his wife on the eve of his departure for France in 1611. In the poem, the ... elevated love of ordinary people. The second stanza introduces another category of startling comparative images, referring to the motions or changes of the earth and spheres. Donne's contemporaries believed that the heavens were perfect (reflecting the perfection of God). Everything "sublunary- "below the moon, on this earth "was imperfect ... "stiff ...

• Word Count: 988
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... their first heart break, most continue to look for that fairy tale love story, while others give up anticipating love. This sole perspective is clearly seen in John Donne's poem The Broken Heart. Throughout of the poem, the speaker uses imagery to convey the brutality, betrayal, and misery of love. The speaker uses metaphors ... , the speaker says that love swallows people whole without even chewing. "He swallows us, and never chaws He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry (Donne, lines 14 and 16)." This quote shows how love abruptly destroys ones life in a matter of seconds. When somet...

• Word Count: 866
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

John Donne uses a flea, blood, and the murder of the flea as cunning metaphors for the most established ancient ritual, intercourse. Through the use of symbolic images Donne is not only analyzing the power of virginity but also the significance of premarital sex and intercourse as it exists in life. The speaker uses the flea as a cunning tool ... sexual plea but also supplies him with a strong influence to help defend him when his lady does what any rational woman would do; she attempts to kill the flea. Here Donne expresses the fact that by squashing the flea she is spreading the speaker's ...

• Word Count: 1307
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

John Donne's "A Valediction Forbidding Mourning" is a poem from one lover to another upon their parting. The speaker is lover who must leave, while the other lover remains at home. The poem is ... the lovers" bodies part, but remain attached but expanded. The second metaphor describing the two lovers as they part is that of a compass. This ties in several themes common in Donne's poems. The first is the usage of travel metaphors since circles are often used in drawing maps. This is especially relevant in this poem because it seems that the speaker ... is about to depart on a voyage. In the ...

• Word Count: 1190
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

Poetry Explication John Donne's Death Be Not Proud dramatizes the conflict between appearance and reality through the use of rhyme scheme, imagery, and language throughout the poem. He reveals the true nature of Death ... anger felt by the speaker in the quatrain, and hastily resolves it in the couplet. This unusual rhyme scheme also suggests that Death and the fear of it transcends countries. John Donne was raised a Catholic but became an Anglican priest. He uses a combination of rhyme schemes to show the religious connection between Catholicism and Anglicanism. Petrarch was Italian and was...

• Word Count: 773
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

God's Gifts Analysis of the poem The Flea John Donne, a poet of the renaissance has produced many lusty and sexual poems. One of his many poems is called "The Flea" which introduces a character whose main goal is to bed his ... for having premarital sex. The speaker wants to convey to the mistress that sex is just as thoughtless, easy and unremorseful as it was for her to kill the flea. John Donne's character in this poem is very determined to bed his mistress by applying his wits instead of by force. The speaker does not shower his mistress with compliments and words ... ...

• Word Count: 1163
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School