John Donne Poetry
- Submitted by: calikush
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- Category: English: Poetic Works
- Date Submitted: 06/05/2013 12:16 AM
- Pages: 6
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* Sonnet asking god for a violent overmastering of his soul.
* ‘the poet begins by asking God to increase the strength of divine force to win over the poet’s soul.
* Batter my heart three-personed God’ Donne is asking God to knock on his heart much harder than he is now. There is a reference to the Holy Trinity.
* Right now God ‘knock[s], breathe[s], shine[s]’ on Donne, but he feels too weak to accept God himself and so wants God to violently overtake his heart.
* The poem blends in the elements of both Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets, perhaps to highlight the uncertainty and confusion of Donne. As he is torn apart between the two types of sonnets, he is also reflected between Catholicism and Protestantism.
* Dramatic opening adds to the immediate tone and emphasizes the direct address, making the poem more intimate.
* Donne uses simple words in his poem to explain more complex ideas. Perhaps this is to convey the simplicity and pureness of his remorse, as he doesn’t use excessive descriptions to describe how he is feeling.
* ‘break, blow, burn and make me new’ through the use of alliteration with explosive qualities, Donne asks God to paradoxically break him so that he can be whole again. What God is doing is not enough to win over the poet’s soul. Vocabulary reminds the reader of a torture chamber, implying Donne wants to be punished by God.
* Donne uses a metaphysical conceit to compare himself to an ‘usurped town’ implying he feels like a town which is taken over by the enemy. It can be argued that he feels that the devil or sin is this enemy. On the other hand, since Donne converted to Protestantism, the enemy could be seen as the religion itself, as Donne abandoned Catholicism.
* Donne feels he is ‘weak or untrue’ as he is not powerful enough to free himself from sin and Satan.
* ‘Labour to admit you’ Donne tries to let God in, but is too weak and vulnerable to do it himself.
* Despite readily loving...
* ‘the poet begins by asking God to increase the strength of divine force to win over the poet’s soul.
* Batter my heart three-personed God’ Donne is asking God to knock on his heart much harder than he is now. There is a reference to the Holy Trinity.
* Right now God ‘knock[s], breathe[s], shine[s]’ on Donne, but he feels too weak to accept God himself and so wants God to violently overtake his heart.
* The poem blends in the elements of both Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets, perhaps to highlight the uncertainty and confusion of Donne. As he is torn apart between the two types of sonnets, he is also reflected between Catholicism and Protestantism.
* Dramatic opening adds to the immediate tone and emphasizes the direct address, making the poem more intimate.
* Donne uses simple words in his poem to explain more complex ideas. Perhaps this is to convey the simplicity and pureness of his remorse, as he doesn’t use excessive descriptions to describe how he is feeling.
* ‘break, blow, burn and make me new’ through the use of alliteration with explosive qualities, Donne asks God to paradoxically break him so that he can be whole again. What God is doing is not enough to win over the poet’s soul. Vocabulary reminds the reader of a torture chamber, implying Donne wants to be punished by God.
* Donne uses a metaphysical conceit to compare himself to an ‘usurped town’ implying he feels like a town which is taken over by the enemy. It can be argued that he feels that the devil or sin is this enemy. On the other hand, since Donne converted to Protestantism, the enemy could be seen as the religion itself, as Donne abandoned Catholicism.
* Donne feels he is ‘weak or untrue’ as he is not powerful enough to free himself from sin and Satan.
* ‘Labour to admit you’ Donne tries to let God in, but is too weak and vulnerable to do it himself.
* Despite readily loving...