Vanessa & Amanda
The Funeral By John Donne
The author of The Funeral was religious man who was born in the year of 1572 in London. He was a poet who wrote many renowned sonnets, and being somewhat of an outsider, was never censored in what he wrote. However, when England made a shift to anti-roman sentiment, Catholics and their church were persecution and harassment. Around the 1590’s John converted to the English church because he could no longer tolerate the strict Catholic Church and the issues that surrounded it. He later became an ordained minister of the Church of England and was very successful.
Words we need to know!
1. Viceroy: a governor of a country or province who rules as the representative of his or her king or sovereign.
2. Manacled: to be chained at the wrists of hips.
3. Dissolution: the termination of a meeting or relationship.
4. Sinewy: Possessing physical strength and weight
5. Relics: ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated.
Questions for thought!
1. How is John Donne’s past reflected in his poetry.
2. Is this “mistress” metaphysical manifestation for Johns love of Poetry or literally his mistress?
3. What is the significance of the title?
4. What is the undertone of this poem, meaning is this a depressing poem or perhaps an uplifting one.
5. How does this poem reflect John’s opinion of himself?
Summary & Analysis
The poem begins with the narrator advising those who come to see his literal dead body to not question or touch the “subtle wreath of hair which crowns his arm”, because it is his outward soul. He talks about ascending towards heaven because he is a “Viceroy to that” meaning that he was always a servant of god. He will go to heaven and god will do what he pleases to do with him, while his provinces, the activities he achieved on earth, will remain on earth. In the next stanza he talks about his literal death in comparison to the greater idea that the poem addresses which is the idea of his eternal being. He will last forever by word of poetry. So in other words this poem in our oppion is similar to many lover he has composed, only this love is poetry.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Air and Angels
Gideon
Elina
- Air and Angels by John Donne
- Persecuted for being born a catholic, John Donne converted to the Church of England, only to become a minister in his later years. Donne’s life contained many ups and downs, which his works reflect. Donne had a long and prosperous marriage; the father of 12 children, he wrote many different poems on the topic of love.
3. Some lovely glorious nothing did I see. – He couldn’t see the spiritual beauty, “true love”, that a woman could.
But since my soul, whose child love is, - Due to the less holy state of his soul, he experiences love physically.
Takes limbs of flesh, and else could nothing do, - The only way that he could experience love was through the body.
So thy love may be my love's sphere – So that his sphere could be within her sphere. In some way her sphere transcends his sphere.
As is 'twixt air's and angels' purity, 'Twixt women's love, and men's, will ever be. – Similar to the difference between Angels and Air, although men’s love is great, women’s love is more spiritual and a “better” love than men’s.
4. - How is the difference between air and angels comparable to the difference between men and women’s love?
- What is the speaker’s attitude toward the difference between men and women’s love?
- Why is the speaker able to love only in a physical sense?
- How does this poem compare to some of Donne’s other works? Do you think that the poem is similar to other contemporary English poems?
- What do the first two lines mean?
Friday, October 31, 2008
"Holy Sonnet 10" by John Donne
1) Holy Sonnet #10 by John Donne
2) Background information:
John Donne suffered in poverty and developed a depression that stayed with him for the remainder of his adult life. Donne’s young wife gave birth to no less than twelve children, and Donne once lamented that “another death would be one less mouth to feed” but that he could not “afford a burial.” Donne also wrote, put did not publish a poem about suicide. Having contemplated death for such a long time, Donne did not seem to fear death, but on the contrary welcomed it as a long awaited slumber. Towards the end of his life, Donne found a job with the Church of England as a minister. Perhaps Donne’s holy career influenced the religious references in his poem.
3) 5 terms, phrases, or words to define: “soul’s delivery”(8), “why swell’st thou?”(12), “which but thy pictures be”(5), “Then from thee much more must flow”(6), “And poppy or charms”(11).
4) 5 compelling discussion questions:
-How is Death like “rest and sleep,” and what does this comparison imply about Death?
-Why are “poppy, or charms” just like Death and even better? How does this apply to the theme of Death thinking so highly of itself?
-How is Death “slave to Fate, chance, kings, and desperate men?” How does this same theme apply to “And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,” and how does it further degrade death?
-Who is the narrator of the poem? Does our interpretation of the narrator affect whether the poem is meant to be a source of inspiration for the reader, or a personal poem that declares Death is not to be feared? If none of the above, what is your view of the poem’s purpose and from what perspective is it written?
-A reoccurring theme personifies that Death cannot kill and that Death will die. Although a strong metaphor, how does it touch on the meaning of the poem, but leave out its foremost purpose? If you agree, should it be the last line?
5) Summary and analysis:
Donne begins his poem by personifying death by directly addressing it. Donne’s entire poem is a personification of Death, and he continues to address it like a person. Donne first attempts to humble Death by telling it that it is not as terrifying as it believes to be. Although Death is generally mighty and destructive, and can “overthrow” one’s physical being, the poet mocks Death and says it cannot really kill him. Death is next compared to a peaceful eternal sleep, thus destroying Death’s terrifying reputation. In addition, Donne questions why should Death be so proud if all “our best men with thee do go.” Donne continues to berate Death and degrades it as a “slave to Fate” and a mere consequence of disease and war. At the end of the sonnet, Donne makes it apparent that Death is actually weak rather than powerful because all it destroys is physical life, but can never maim the soul.
2) Background information:
John Donne suffered in poverty and developed a depression that stayed with him for the remainder of his adult life. Donne’s young wife gave birth to no less than twelve children, and Donne once lamented that “another death would be one less mouth to feed” but that he could not “afford a burial.” Donne also wrote, put did not publish a poem about suicide. Having contemplated death for such a long time, Donne did not seem to fear death, but on the contrary welcomed it as a long awaited slumber. Towards the end of his life, Donne found a job with the Church of England as a minister. Perhaps Donne’s holy career influenced the religious references in his poem.
3) 5 terms, phrases, or words to define: “soul’s delivery”(8), “why swell’st thou?”(12), “which but thy pictures be”(5), “Then from thee much more must flow”(6), “And poppy or charms”(11).
4) 5 compelling discussion questions:
-How is Death like “rest and sleep,” and what does this comparison imply about Death?
-Why are “poppy, or charms” just like Death and even better? How does this apply to the theme of Death thinking so highly of itself?
-How is Death “slave to Fate, chance, kings, and desperate men?” How does this same theme apply to “And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,” and how does it further degrade death?
-Who is the narrator of the poem? Does our interpretation of the narrator affect whether the poem is meant to be a source of inspiration for the reader, or a personal poem that declares Death is not to be feared? If none of the above, what is your view of the poem’s purpose and from what perspective is it written?
-A reoccurring theme personifies that Death cannot kill and that Death will die. Although a strong metaphor, how does it touch on the meaning of the poem, but leave out its foremost purpose? If you agree, should it be the last line?
5) Summary and analysis:
Donne begins his poem by personifying death by directly addressing it. Donne’s entire poem is a personification of Death, and he continues to address it like a person. Donne first attempts to humble Death by telling it that it is not as terrifying as it believes to be. Although Death is generally mighty and destructive, and can “overthrow” one’s physical being, the poet mocks Death and says it cannot really kill him. Death is next compared to a peaceful eternal sleep, thus destroying Death’s terrifying reputation. In addition, Donne questions why should Death be so proud if all “our best men with thee do go.” Donne continues to berate Death and degrades it as a “slave to Fate” and a mere consequence of disease and war. At the end of the sonnet, Donne makes it apparent that Death is actually weak rather than powerful because all it destroys is physical life, but can never maim the soul.
"The Canonization" by John Donne
“The Canonization” by John Donne.
Sophie Summergrad and Clara Fraden
Background Information:
John Donne was born into a devout Catholic family. Many of his family members were persecuted and brutally killed because of their beliefs. In the 1590s he converted to the Church of England in order to avoid persecution. Many of his poems are critical of English society. In 1601, he had a secret marriage to seventeen-year-old Anne More, niece of his superior, Sir Thomas Egerton. He was twenty-nine at the time. He was briefly imprisoned and dismissed from military service. He retired to the countryside where he lived a life of economic instability. He wrote “The Canonization” in 1633.
An eagle is a symbol of strength and vision. A dove is a symbol of mercy and mildness. A phoenix dies every 500 years and rises from its ashes as a new bird. It is a symbol of immortality and is often associated with Jesus Christ.
Words to define:
Palsy: (n). complete or partial muscle paralysis
Gout: (n). a disease of uric acid metabolism esp. occurring in males
Flout: (v). to show contempt for; to scorn
Litigious: (adj.). contentious, argumentative
Tapers: (n). a slender candle or waxed wick; a gradual decrease in thickness or width of an elongated object
Canonization: (n). the act of declaring a deceased persona Saint; the act of glorifying
Discussion questions:
Could this poem be about his marriage to Anne More? Why or why not?
Is the speaker fighting to be in a relationship with someone? Or does he believe love can last even when people are separated?
Why is the speaker’s love so frowned upon?
What is Donne trying to canonize? How does the title relate to the poem?
Do you agree with the speaker?
Summary and Analysis:
Donne starts out the poem on the defensive. The speaker is questioning another about why they are harassing him about love. The speaker raises the point that no one is injured by his love, that there are far worse things in life like wars, and that there are people dying from the plague. His love is far less damaging to the Earth as these things so he wonders why people are focusing on his love when there are more important things to be concerned with. They can only harm each other and shorten their own lives by loving each other. However, he views this in a positive light because by killing yourself through love, you are living through love and making the best out of life. In lines 19-21, he compares him and his lover to flies, a symbol of lustfulness, and tapers, candles that not only attract flies to their death but also consume them as candles do. There was a superstition that sex led to a shortened life but Donne does not care about this because he view him and his lover consuming each other as the best way to live. He argues that even after death, you can canonize love, making it sacred and therefore eternal. He expresses this belief throughout the entire second half of the poem, illustrating it with images like the phoenix, which is characterized by rising from the ashes.
Delight in Disorder by Robert Herrick
Delight in Disorder
By Robert Herrick
Background:
Herrick only published one volume of poems, Hesperides, in 1948. Many of his earlier poems were happy and charming, although they carry a deeper meaning. His poems reflect the cultural war going on between the royalists, who wanted more traditional English culture, and Puritans, who were much more ordered and clean. He supported the slightly sloppy English royalists, not the overly precise Puritans.
Words, terms, and phrases
Wantonness: can mean recklessness in general or in a sexual context (l. 2)
Lawn: fine linen scarf (l. 3)
Erring: wandering (l. 5)
Stomacher: ornamental covering of the chest worn under the laces of the bodice (l. 6)
Precise: used satirically about puritans (l. 14)
Discussion Questions
1. Herrick compares women to art. What does this show about British culture in the 16th century?
2. What does Herrick’s merely physical description of women show about his view of them?
3. How does Herrick feel about perfection?
4. How are the subject and tone of this poem (and the poet’s message) different from other British poems from the same time period?
5. How do the diction and format of the poem reflect disorder?
Robert Herrick’s Delight in Disorder is a charming salute to imperfection and “sweet disorder.” He describes different ways a woman’s clothes can be disordered: a linen scarf thrown around the shoulders, a piece of lace which sways around, an untied cuff leaving ribbons flowing, a wrinkle in the chaotic petticoat, an untied shoe. Herrick finds that all of these imperfections, which show slight wantonness - recklessness, which could also be seen as a sexual innuendo – are more appealing to him than precise, meticulously detailed art. He sees an oxymoronic “wild civility” in these women. He compares a woman’s appearance, more specifically her clothes, to art, showing that he views woman as objects to be observed; he never mentions one woman in particular, nor does he describe anything about her actual being, body or soul.
The structure, ironically, is quite ordered in a poem about the beauty of disorder. The meter is mainly dactylic quatrameter, and the rhyme scheme is 7 pairs of rhyming lines. The tone of the poem is light, nonchalant, and quick, partly from the rhyme scheme and meter, and also from diction. Herrick uses alliteration and consonance to add whimsy; pairings such as “winning wave,” “shoe-string,” and “kindles in clothes” sound playful and happy. Long, jumbled words also add to a feeling of blissful disorder, with words like “tempestuous petticoat,” “wantonness,” and “crimson stomacher.” Perhaps, since the structure of the poem is rigid but the diction is more whimsical and disordered, Herrick implies that women’s effect on the senses (sound of diction and sight of disordered clothes) is what defines them rather than their more concrete characteristics.
By Robert Herrick
Background:
Herrick only published one volume of poems, Hesperides, in 1948. Many of his earlier poems were happy and charming, although they carry a deeper meaning. His poems reflect the cultural war going on between the royalists, who wanted more traditional English culture, and Puritans, who were much more ordered and clean. He supported the slightly sloppy English royalists, not the overly precise Puritans.
Words, terms, and phrases
Wantonness: can mean recklessness in general or in a sexual context (l. 2)
Lawn: fine linen scarf (l. 3)
Erring: wandering (l. 5)
Stomacher: ornamental covering of the chest worn under the laces of the bodice (l. 6)
Precise: used satirically about puritans (l. 14)
Discussion Questions
1. Herrick compares women to art. What does this show about British culture in the 16th century?
2. What does Herrick’s merely physical description of women show about his view of them?
3. How does Herrick feel about perfection?
4. How are the subject and tone of this poem (and the poet’s message) different from other British poems from the same time period?
5. How do the diction and format of the poem reflect disorder?
Robert Herrick’s Delight in Disorder is a charming salute to imperfection and “sweet disorder.” He describes different ways a woman’s clothes can be disordered: a linen scarf thrown around the shoulders, a piece of lace which sways around, an untied cuff leaving ribbons flowing, a wrinkle in the chaotic petticoat, an untied shoe. Herrick finds that all of these imperfections, which show slight wantonness - recklessness, which could also be seen as a sexual innuendo – are more appealing to him than precise, meticulously detailed art. He sees an oxymoronic “wild civility” in these women. He compares a woman’s appearance, more specifically her clothes, to art, showing that he views woman as objects to be observed; he never mentions one woman in particular, nor does he describe anything about her actual being, body or soul.
The structure, ironically, is quite ordered in a poem about the beauty of disorder. The meter is mainly dactylic quatrameter, and the rhyme scheme is 7 pairs of rhyming lines. The tone of the poem is light, nonchalant, and quick, partly from the rhyme scheme and meter, and also from diction. Herrick uses alliteration and consonance to add whimsy; pairings such as “winning wave,” “shoe-string,” and “kindles in clothes” sound playful and happy. Long, jumbled words also add to a feeling of blissful disorder, with words like “tempestuous petticoat,” “wantonness,” and “crimson stomacher.” Perhaps, since the structure of the poem is rigid but the diction is more whimsical and disordered, Herrick implies that women’s effect on the senses (sound of diction and sight of disordered clothes) is what defines them rather than their more concrete characteristics.
Delight in Disorder by Robert Herrick
Delight in Disorder
By Robert Herrick
Background:
Herrick only published one volume of poems, Hesperides, in 1948. Many of his earlier poems were happy and charming, although they carry a deeper meaning. His poems reflect the cultural war going on between the royalists, who wanted more traditional English culture, and Puritans, who were much more ordered and clean. He supported the slightly sloppy English royalists, not the overly precise Puritans.
Words, terms, and phrases
Wantonness: can mean recklessness in general or in a sexual context (l. 2)
Lawn: fine linen scarf (l. 3)
Erring: wandering (l. 5)
Stomacher: ornamental covering of the chest worn under the laces of the bodice (l. 6)
Precise: used satirically about puritans (l. 14)
Discussion Questions
1. Herrick compares women to art. What does this show about British culture in the 16th century?
2. What does Herrick’s merely physical description of women show about his view of them?
3. How does Herrick feel about perfection?
4. How are the subject and tone of this poem (and the poet’s message) different from other British poems from the same time period?
5. How do the diction and format of the poem reflect disorder?
Robert Herrick’s Delight in Disorder is a charming salute to imperfection and “sweet disorder.” He describes different ways a woman’s clothes can be disordered: a linen scarf thrown around the shoulders, a piece of lace which sways around, an untied cuff leaving ribbons flowing, a wrinkle in the chaotic petticoat, an untied shoe. Herrick finds that all of these imperfections, which show slight wantonness - recklessness, which could also be seen as a sexual innuendo – are more appealing to him than precise, meticulously detailed art. He sees an oxymoronic “wild civility” in these women. He compares a woman’s appearance, more specifically her clothes, to art, showing that he views woman as objects to be observed; he never mentions one woman in particular, nor does he describe anything about her actual being, body or soul.
The structure, ironically, is quite ordered in a poem about the beauty of disorder. The meter is mainly dactylic quatrameter, and the rhyme scheme is 7 pairs of rhyming lines. The tone of the poem is light, nonchalant, and quick, partly from the rhyme scheme and meter, and also from diction. Herrick uses alliteration and consonance to add whimsy; pairings such as “winning wave,” “shoe-string,” and “kindles in clothes” sound playful and happy. Long, jumbled words also add to a feeling of blissful disorder, with words like “tempestuous petticoat,” “wantonness,” and “crimson stomacher.” Perhaps, since the structure of the poem is rigid but the diction is more whimsical and disordered, Herrick implies that women’s effect on the senses (sound of diction and sight of disordered clothes) is what defines them rather than their more concrete characteristics.
By Robert Herrick
Background:
Herrick only published one volume of poems, Hesperides, in 1948. Many of his earlier poems were happy and charming, although they carry a deeper meaning. His poems reflect the cultural war going on between the royalists, who wanted more traditional English culture, and Puritans, who were much more ordered and clean. He supported the slightly sloppy English royalists, not the overly precise Puritans.
Words, terms, and phrases
Wantonness: can mean recklessness in general or in a sexual context (l. 2)
Lawn: fine linen scarf (l. 3)
Erring: wandering (l. 5)
Stomacher: ornamental covering of the chest worn under the laces of the bodice (l. 6)
Precise: used satirically about puritans (l. 14)
Discussion Questions
1. Herrick compares women to art. What does this show about British culture in the 16th century?
2. What does Herrick’s merely physical description of women show about his view of them?
3. How does Herrick feel about perfection?
4. How are the subject and tone of this poem (and the poet’s message) different from other British poems from the same time period?
5. How do the diction and format of the poem reflect disorder?
Robert Herrick’s Delight in Disorder is a charming salute to imperfection and “sweet disorder.” He describes different ways a woman’s clothes can be disordered: a linen scarf thrown around the shoulders, a piece of lace which sways around, an untied cuff leaving ribbons flowing, a wrinkle in the chaotic petticoat, an untied shoe. Herrick finds that all of these imperfections, which show slight wantonness - recklessness, which could also be seen as a sexual innuendo – are more appealing to him than precise, meticulously detailed art. He sees an oxymoronic “wild civility” in these women. He compares a woman’s appearance, more specifically her clothes, to art, showing that he views woman as objects to be observed; he never mentions one woman in particular, nor does he describe anything about her actual being, body or soul.
The structure, ironically, is quite ordered in a poem about the beauty of disorder. The meter is mainly dactylic quatrameter, and the rhyme scheme is 7 pairs of rhyming lines. The tone of the poem is light, nonchalant, and quick, partly from the rhyme scheme and meter, and also from diction. Herrick uses alliteration and consonance to add whimsy; pairings such as “winning wave,” “shoe-string,” and “kindles in clothes” sound playful and happy. Long, jumbled words also add to a feeling of blissful disorder, with words like “tempestuous petticoat,” “wantonness,” and “crimson stomacher.” Perhaps, since the structure of the poem is rigid but the diction is more whimsical and disordered, Herrick implies that women’s effect on the senses (sound of diction and sight of disordered clothes) is what defines them rather than their more concrete characteristics.
"To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell
D I A N A * C H A N
K A T R I N A * W O N G
1. “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell
2. A woman claiming to be Marvell’s widow but was probably his housekeeper published the poem after Marvell’s death.
3. coy - artfully shy or reserved; slyly hesitant; showing reluctance
vegetable - lively, growing, animate
quaint - out of date (but also a pun for female reproductive organ)
transpires - breathes forth; to be revealed, known, or apparent
languish - to become feeble, weak, or depressed
4. To whom is the speaker of the poem addressing? Think of different definitions of “Mistress”. (The “other” woman, a teacher, a woman with power, an unmarried woman…)
What does the speaker of the poem literally and figuratively want?
How does the speaker personify time? Find three instances. How does the personification contribute to the poem?
Does the narrator love his “Mistress?”
What do you think of the speaker of the poem? What do we know about him? Do you support him? Why or why not?
5. In the first stanza, the speaker of the poem enumerates the things he would do with the mistress if they had all the time in the world. He would sit with her, walk with her, and admire her eyes, her forehead, and all her features for great lengths of time. Also, if they had all the time in the world, the speaker would accept the mistress’ coyness or would enjoy chasing after her; however, in the second stanza, the speaker acknowledges the effects of time. Time, which is passing quickly, ages the couple, and brings the two closer to death. So the speaker in the third stanza concludes that while they are both still young and beautiful, they should have sex now because there isn’t enough time to be coy.
K A T R I N A * W O N G
1. “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell
2. A woman claiming to be Marvell’s widow but was probably his housekeeper published the poem after Marvell’s death.
3. coy - artfully shy or reserved; slyly hesitant; showing reluctance
vegetable - lively, growing, animate
quaint - out of date (but also a pun for female reproductive organ)
transpires - breathes forth; to be revealed, known, or apparent
languish - to become feeble, weak, or depressed
4. To whom is the speaker of the poem addressing? Think of different definitions of “Mistress”. (The “other” woman, a teacher, a woman with power, an unmarried woman…)
What does the speaker of the poem literally and figuratively want?
How does the speaker personify time? Find three instances. How does the personification contribute to the poem?
Does the narrator love his “Mistress?”
What do you think of the speaker of the poem? What do we know about him? Do you support him? Why or why not?
5. In the first stanza, the speaker of the poem enumerates the things he would do with the mistress if they had all the time in the world. He would sit with her, walk with her, and admire her eyes, her forehead, and all her features for great lengths of time. Also, if they had all the time in the world, the speaker would accept the mistress’ coyness or would enjoy chasing after her; however, in the second stanza, the speaker acknowledges the effects of time. Time, which is passing quickly, ages the couple, and brings the two closer to death. So the speaker in the third stanza concludes that while they are both still young and beautiful, they should have sex now because there isn’t enough time to be coy.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Holy Sonnet #9
1) Title: From Holy Sonnets #9 Author: John Donne
2) John Donne married a sixteen-year-old girl whose family disapproved of their marriage because they didn’t believe he was good enough to marry their daughter. He was sent to prison for a short while. When he was released from prison he lived with his wife on a farm while pursuing his love of poetry. They had 12 children and lived an economically strapped life. His wife died at the very young age of 33. The King later suggested that Donne become a minister. Although he was reluctant, he became a minister and a very talented one.
3) Else-immortal- Otherwise immortal
Lecherous- Erotically suggestive
Heinous- Hateful, totally reprehensible
Lethean- In classical mythology, the waters of the river Lethe, in the underworld, caused total forgetfulness.
Wrath- Vengeance or punishment
4) -In what line does Donne’s attitude change from anger to remorse?
-Why is he so angry in lines 1-4 and who is he angry with?
-What is the significance in the repetition of the ideas of sin and death?
-What are the connection between Donne’s past and the poem?
-Why does he think he is so sinful?
5) Summary: It starts out with him asking why he should be punished for his sins. He thinks that God made him like that so it shouldn’t be a sin. He is arguing with God and then he discovers that it is pointless. He starts to beg for forgiveness, he wants to erase his past.
6) Analysis: By looking at Donne’s past, he was told to be a minister against his will, his passion was poetry and was told to do something that he didn’t have a big passion for. The poem follows that theme. In the beginning he is angry, when he was told he should be a minister against his wishes like he is being punished for his choices, “Why should intent or reason, born in me, make sins, else equal, in me more heinous?” He doesn’t think that he should be punished for his desires and personal beliefs. However, he does decide to accept the fact that he is good at being a minister and that he will still be punished for his actions. After he accepts his future, he tries to make a deal with god; God can punish him for his sins, but he asks, that when he dies, they be forgotten.
Holy Sonnet 9
What do you get when you combine a Roman Catholic scholar who leaves the Catholic Church, an education at Oxford University and the ability to write suggestive and religious poems simultaneously? A John Donne! Or rather, the John Donne, poetry savant.
Donne was born into a strictly Roman Catholic household, but the Reformation caused him to convert to the English Church. In 1609, Donne began writing his poems that would eventually comprise his 19-piece collection called the "Holy Sonnets." One of the poems, Holy Sonnet IX, focuses on the distinction of being good and being sinful.
HOLY SONNET 9
If poisonous minerals, and if that tree
Whose fruit threw death on else-immortal us,
If lecherous goats, if serpents envious
Cannot be damned, alas! why should I be?
Why should intent or reason, born in me,
Make sins, else equal, in me more heinous?
And, mercy being easy and glorious
To God, in his stern wrath why threatens he?
But who am I that dare dispute with thee
O God? Oh, of thine only worthy blood
And my tears, make a heavely Lethean flood,
And drown in it my sin's black memory.
That thou remember them some clair as debt;
I think it mercy if thou wilt forget.
Words, terms, and phrases to make this poem make more sense:
1. line 1: "tree"= The Tree of Knowledge that encompassed good and evil in the Garden of Eden.
2. line 3: "lecherous" = sexual connotation; lusty.
3. line 3: "serpents envious" = referring to humanlike qualities that would usually be damnful, but in the case of a serpent it is not possible.
4. line 11: "Lethean flood" = the speaker is asking for forgiveness, and in mythology, the river Lethe caused total forgetfulness.
5. line 12: "sin's black memory" = refers to the speaker's sins which have left a bad mark on God's memory about him.
And what is this sonnet about?
At first, the speaker seems to be talking to God and rationalizing why he, as a human, shouldn't be damned for his sins if there are so many other creatures in existance that have similary sinned. Soon, these short questions stop and tough demeanor starts to wear off and the speaker grovels and asks God to forget his sins. He says that because God is so merciful, and providing mercy for a person must be so easy, God should be able to gloss his sins over, and not use them as a debt towards him.
So what about it..
1) What is the significance of using various non-human things when talking about sin?
2) The speaker asks many questions in this poem, but which one is the most important?
3) Is the speaker attempting to convince God to forgive him of his sins through pity or reasoning?
4) Could forgetfulness really relieve sin like the speaker is hoping?
5) How does Donne's tone change from line 4 to line 10-12?
Analysis:
It is interesting to think about the fact that these Holy Sonnets were written years after Donne left the Catholic Church and began to follow Protestant ways. The Reformation, during the time when these poems were written, was a time when many decided to meditate on the closeness and truthfulness of their faith towards God. Unlike followers of the Catholic faith, Protestants believed in a closer connection to God and the ability of obtaining righteousness and salvation through faith alone. It was believed by many that the Catholic Church had ulterior motives and had let God not be the center of attention.
In this poem, the beginning seems to be asking God why he the speaker has sinned, as if the person speaking was the still-Catholic Donne telling God that he was still a religious man. As the poem progresses, it shows the transformation of Donne into a Protestant mindset and asks God to forget his sins. His sins, the forgetting of God's importance, are clearly burdening Donne and he hopes that God can see that he is still faithful and religious now that he has regained a connection with God.
Donne was born into a strictly Roman Catholic household, but the Reformation caused him to convert to the English Church. In 1609, Donne began writing his poems that would eventually comprise his 19-piece collection called the "Holy Sonnets." One of the poems, Holy Sonnet IX, focuses on the distinction of being good and being sinful.
If poisonous minerals, and if that tree
Whose fruit threw death on else-immortal us,
If lecherous goats, if serpents envious
Cannot be damned, alas! why should I be?
Why should intent or reason, born in me,
Make sins, else equal, in me more heinous?
And, mercy being easy and glorious
To God, in his stern wrath why threatens he?
But who am I that dare dispute with thee
O God? Oh, of thine only worthy blood
And my tears, make a heavely Lethean flood,
And drown in it my sin's black memory.
That thou remember them some clair as debt;
I think it mercy if thou wilt forget.
Words, terms, and phrases to make this poem make more sense:
1. line 1: "tree"= The Tree of Knowledge that encompassed good and evil in the Garden of Eden.
2. line 3: "lecherous" = sexual connotation; lusty.
3. line 3: "serpents envious" = referring to humanlike qualities that would usually be damnful, but in the case of a serpent it is not possible.
4. line 11: "Lethean flood" = the speaker is asking for forgiveness, and in mythology, the river Lethe caused total forgetfulness.
5. line 12: "sin's black memory" = refers to the speaker's sins which have left a bad mark on God's memory about him.
And what is this sonnet about?
At first, the speaker seems to be talking to God and rationalizing why he, as a human, shouldn't be damned for his sins if there are so many other creatures in existance that have similary sinned. Soon, these short questions stop and tough demeanor starts to wear off and the speaker grovels and asks God to forget his sins. He says that because God is so merciful, and providing mercy for a person must be so easy, God should be able to gloss his sins over, and not use them as a debt towards him.
So what about it..
1) What is the significance of using various non-human things when talking about sin?
2) The speaker asks many questions in this poem, but which one is the most important?
3) Is the speaker attempting to convince God to forgive him of his sins through pity or reasoning?
4) Could forgetfulness really relieve sin like the speaker is hoping?
5) How does Donne's tone change from line 4 to line 10-12?
Analysis:
It is interesting to think about the fact that these Holy Sonnets were written years after Donne left the Catholic Church and began to follow Protestant ways. The Reformation, during the time when these poems were written, was a time when many decided to meditate on the closeness and truthfulness of their faith towards God. Unlike followers of the Catholic faith, Protestants believed in a closer connection to God and the ability of obtaining righteousness and salvation through faith alone. It was believed by many that the Catholic Church had ulterior motives and had let God not be the center of attention.
In this poem, the beginning seems to be asking God why he the speaker has sinned, as if the person speaking was the still-Catholic Donne telling God that he was still a religious man. As the poem progresses, it shows the transformation of Donne into a Protestant mindset and asks God to forget his sins. His sins, the forgetting of God's importance, are clearly burdening Donne and he hopes that God can see that he is still faithful and religious now that he has regained a connection with God.
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