John Donne often "broke the rules" when writing his sonnets: meaning he departed from a strict Petrarchan form. He deviated knowingly and skillfully. In order to break the rules, you first need to learn them.
The poet Petrarch (1304-1374) popularized the sonnet in Renaissance Italy. He penned a sequence of love poems addressed to Laura, a married woman he saw in a church and idolized/stalked.
The English later adapted the form, adding a closing couplet and a different rhyme scheme, and the Shakespearean sonnet was born.
Donne wrote in the original Italian form. A Petrarchan sonnet specifies 14 lines divided into two parts. The first part is the Octet (8 lines), which presents an idea, often problematic and doubt-inducing. The second part is the Sestet (6 lines), which comments on, or offers a solution to, questions raised in the Octet.
Now things get crazy. The Petrarchan sonnet employs a set rhyme scheme which changes between the Octet and the Sestet. Remember -- the Octet introduces a philosophical quandary or question, and the Sestet attempts an answer. So the rhyme scheme in a Petrarchan sonnet changes to reflect the shift in subject matter.
The movement from Octet to Sestet happens in line 9. In Italian, the word for this "turn" is Volta, and it marks the introduction of the poem's second idea. The first eight lines in a Petrarchan sonnet have an ABBA ABBA rhyme scheme. After the Volta, the next six lines can rhyme a variety of ways:
1) c d d c d d
2) c d e d c c
3) c d c d c d
(Of course, once you've considered subject matter, and sectioning, and rhyme scheme, you still have to write in iambic pentameter .)
OK, a sonnet isn't easy, so take a deep breath. It starts with baby steps. I would first decide what I wanted to write about. Visualize the separation between Octave and Sestet. What is your speaker struggling with/questioning in the first eight lines? What happens at the Volta to change the tone of the poem, to attempt to resolve or clarify doubt in the last six? Read Donne's Holy Sonnets closely. Read them out loud . Get a feel for his sounds and rhythms.
In your own sonnet, think about using enjambment as well as slant rhyme (hurt/heart) to contemporize your voice. Be creative. Think metaphorically. If you aren't writing in perfect iambic pentameter, keep going -- Donne did -- and remember that poets tweak form, that sometimes, like Donald Hall says, a poem starts out north but ends up south. Check out Marilyn Hacker if you're stuck (she writes modern Petrarchan sonnets). Wikihow also has a decent explanation of how to write a sonnet (be sure to focus on the Petrarchan).
Next Thursday, I'm asking that you submit not just your final sonnet to me, but your multiple drafts.
Finally, here is your prompt for this week (response due Tuesday by noon):
Pick one of Donne's Holy Sonnets and examine the Volta. Consider some of the following: What happens in the turn? What consumes the speaker in the first eight lines? Is it a spiritual concern? Is it stated explicitly, or indirectly through metaphor? What resolves in the last six lines? Do questions get answered/problems fixed? Does the speaker's tone change towards his subject?
When reading through and analyzing Donne’s Holy Sonnets, I chose to write about Holy Sonnets (added in 1635) 1(I). This sonnet really came to my attention because Donne starts off rather rudely and somewhat begins to question God it seems. I thought that this sonnet was rather tense and it seemed like the person, in reference to who he was writing about, knows that they have done something wrong because they are very uptight and pissed off about something. For me, it was like when one knows they did something wrong and is extremely upset, not necessarily and others but more so themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn the first eight lines the tone is rather frustrating and very tense. It is brought to the attention of the reader that this person is sitting there, very frustrated and mad for something that he or she did wrong. This person wants to be freed from God for all wrong doing because they know that their end is near. The subject is miserable and everything that used to make this person happy is now gone and all they want to do is die. Death is in search of the subject and it seems to me that the person cannot even look at themselves because they are so betrayed by what they did and somewhat embarrassed almost. All the good is gone and now the only thing in the future is death and this brings the person terror and fear while their body just sits their wasting away. Right before the Volta, it becomes clear that they know they have sinned and are most likely going to go to hell. These first eight lines are very spiritual and deal with the Lord, sin, and hell. Everything that Donne writes in these first eight lines is explicitly stated and his diction makes the reader very aware that the person in the poem is very disturbed.
In the turn, Donne brings a sense of hope for this individual who has basically had none. Donne writes
“Only Thou art above, and when towards Thee
By Thy leave I can look, I rise again;”
Here I think Donne is relaying that this person can only look at themselves with the help of a higher hand, and with that help, this person will once again be able to rise up and live the life that once was theirs. In the turn, there is a sense that this person is actually going to be alright and get some help.
Then, after the somewhat pleasant turn, the person goes back to where they were before because their elusive wrongdoings tempt them again and because of that this person is back at step one and cannot stand themselves, let alone look at themselves. Then in the final two stanzas, Donne writes that the grace of the Lord will help prevent the devil from doing his work and making this person sin. With that this persons flattened heart will be fixed and no more sin will be committed.
In the end, I think that this persons problems did get fixed because they knew that with the help and grace of the Lord, everything would be fine. The question pertaining to whether or not the Lord was going to let this man go to waste was answered, I think, because by the end of the sonnet, there was this feeling that this person knew they were going to get help, their life would not be wasted, and sooner rather than later, the Lord would help him fight his satanic urges. The speakers tone definitely changes from being very rude, tense, and uptight with the subject, to a more reserved and somewhat type of plea or bargain with the subject, asking for help rather than demanding it.
The Holy sonnet that stuck out to me is the one (from the Westmoreland MS.)(XVII). The reason this holy sonnet stuck out to me is because its starts off talking about how a man loved this woman who has just been forgiven for all the things that she has done. The woman ends up dyeing an early life. The man heart is now broken because she has left him and went to heaven. The man begins to think about her a lot and just wishes he was with her. He then goes on to say that he should not be worried about her because she is in good company with the saints and angles. Then at the very end of the poem he now has doubt in his mind about on weather his wife went to heaven or hell. The last line of this poem puzzle me because in the first half of the poem the man talks about his wife and how he loves her and how she went to heaven. Then in the last line of the poem he talks about how he has doubts about if she really did go to heaven.
ReplyDeleteIn the first eight lines of this poem it starts off depressing because it is talking about how she paid off her last debt and now she dead. Towards the end of the first eight lines the speaker goes on to say how he thinks about her and misses her. He says’ in line eight “ A holy thirsty dropsy melts me yet”. I interpreted this line to mean that soon they will meet again in heaven. The speakers emotion in these first eight lines are sad and depressing because he loved her and admired her and now she is gone. The spiritual concern in this poem is that in the beginning the speaker seems like he has no doubt in his mind that his wife went to heaven and that she is with the saints and angles. Then towards the end of the poem the speaker goes on to say that he now has doubts in his mind about his wife on weather she went to heaven or hell. The reason I think that he had doubts about his wife is because of the last two lines in the poem were he say’s “Thy tender jealousy dost doubt Lest the world, flesh yea devil put the out”. The speaker in this poem also states what he is saying explicitly instead of metaphorically. The speaker doesn’t really use symbols in this poem instead he just goes out and says what he is trying to say instead of beating around the bush.In the last six lines I don’t really think anything gets resolved because his wife is still dead and I think it gets worse towards the end because the whole time he was talking about his wife going to heaven and now he has doubts on weather she did or not. Questions don’t really get answered because he is now confused about where his wife is and problems don’t get fixed because his wife that he loves is still dead. I think the speaker tone in this poem kind of fluctuates back in forth in this poem because in the beginning it is really sad and depressing and then in the middle the mood lightens up because he realizes that his wife is now in a safe place and then it goes back down to being sad and confused because he now realizes that he has doubts in his mind on where his wife is.
In John Donne’s “The Holy Sonnets 6 (X)” Donne addresses the issue of the power that death holds over people. In the beginning of the poem he examines the abilities that death possesses. Death has the power to make people believe certain things about life. There are many adjectives that have the ability to describe death “mighty” fits it well. Death is a very heavy event the looms over peoples lives. It is something that will always be there. Death is something that occurs everyday so many people know what it feels like to lose someone they love.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the Volta (second idea) of the poem is the effect that the thought of death has on the people. It explains that people “art slave to fate”, which I see as people having no control over what happens to them but rather following life they way they feel is necessary and being directed on how to do so by death itself. In this situation, the status of an individual does not matter because death will have an effect on each and every one of us. Death is something that is out of our control. This concern is very spiritual. This poem deals with the soul of all human beings and how they feel they should live their lives. It is through the choices people make in life that they will receive the necessary deliverance at the time of their death.
I think that Donne states his case explicitly in this writing. He uses adjectives in this poem to relate them to death. He explains the different types of words and emotions that people feel toward death. This can range from “mighty”, “dreadful”, to “pleasure”. He also explains the different ways that death can overcome people’s lives. Death can occur in many ways. However, after death, we will awaken from a small rest and then will be in eternity where we will remain forever.
Through reading this poem I feel like Donne looks at death as something that plays a major role in peoples lives, as it still does today. This poem is easy to relate to the present because his fears are still something that exist in the world today. He answers his own questions about death. He realizes in the middle of the poem that death is an event that must be faced and he realizes that it will bring us to eternity. It seems like his view of death has something to do with fear of losing someone he loves or even of losing himself and his life. I think that he realizes, however, that death is out of his control. It cannot be stopped or ended. There are a lot of things that can be taken from life and in the end those things will contribute to how eternity is spent. We should live life to the fullest and enjoy every minute of it. If we live to the best of our ability, then we will have little regret of our lives when it is time to enter into eternity.
I chose the “II” sonnet, because it attracted my attention the most out of all the sonnets. It had a sense of reality of how people think about God. I do believe that the sonnet is very religious; it talks about God and Jesus of how most who believe in the crucifixion story of how Jesus died on the cross. Also, that Jesus’ death was because he was dying for the sins of the people and Donne, clearly believes in that story in the Bible; it was very literal within the first two lines. “As due many titles I resign Myself to thee, O God, First I was made.” In the first lines, Donne is confessing to God. As seen in the first two lines, he is denouncing his titles, such as a ranking in society, stating that he is himself, wants to be just plain like a new born child. He then goes on in lines three and four that he was created by God, and that his purpose of the blood shed was to save him which is a metaphor for his grace that made him pure. The blood symbolizes the sins that were saved for the death of Jesus. The remaining lines in the Octet Donne says that he is God’s son and his servant, that he has pains, which means sins that he has not repaid, because he felt he betrayed God so he then is in the temple to repent.
ReplyDeleteIn the turn, Volta Donne asks the question “Why doth the evil then usurp on me?” In my opinion it seems as though he is asking why the devil tempts him to make him do unjustly things. He is seeking for answer as to why, when he is the son of God. Next in the sestet he attempts to come up with some answer for his question. Donne attempts to answer the question while thinking of possible ways why evil is by him and he says that it steals from the good and profit from it. But then comes to a conclusion that God will come and fight for him, to steer in the right path. But if he does not fight Donne will surrender unto evil. He then says that God loves mankind so much that he will not let evil fall upon him because he loves him so much, in which will cause the devil to hate him, but will still be around to tempt him to do wrong if he slips up.
Donne’s question was not answered as to why evil messes with him, which lets me pondering on what he did as why he is repenting. He ponders as to why he would mess with him, but comes to the conclusion that God will always be with him to a certain point. God will be there to fight for him to go in the right direction. In my opinion his tone did not change it remained the same, while searching for answers.
John Donne’s Holy Sonnets were not as tricky as I suspected (though I suppose my analysis will really be the judge of that,) however his work was so repetitive it became a bit tedious. This is not to say that the word combinations were not beautiful. There were many lines within the “Holy Sonnets” which I found particularly interesting or well worded, but the images seemed to be constantly the same. I can understand this problem though, considering the work of the sonnets was based around one subject and I can appreciate the slight differences within most of the poems because of this. With that said I chose holy sonnet 1 (II.) Though I do not believe that this sonnet has the best Volta, I do enjoy the words, in particular the last two lines. “That Thou lov’st mankind well, yet wilt not choose me, And Satan hates me, yet is loath to lose me.” It really brings home an emotion of utter hopelessness. I think he is trying to say that even if he tries to overcome his sins with every breath he breathes he will not succeed. There is no path to salvation for him and the devil is now his keeper. Yet in this despair, and feeling of hopelessness there is actual hope, no matter how ironic this may sound. Though he will most certainly go to hell he won’t stop trying to be holy. He will not lose his faith in the rightness of God in his own life. There is still only damnation in his future, but the act of striving for godliness keeps him from being drowned in his desolation and shame. Having a goal to complete can often keep people alive and going for longer than a purposeless existence. To jump from the very end to the beginning, the first eight lines are a sort of ode to God. The first five lines in particular show the authors steadfast faith and love of God. The fifth through seventh lines are when the tone starts to change. He explains before how he’s God’s child and he seems to wish he could be perceived as the image of God; it is only in the next three lines we find he failed. Line five ends in a kind of masochistic way, “…whose pain thou hast still repaid,” as in saying that though he has caused God pain, God has not repaid this affliction of torment…yet. Lines six and seven are very well worded and give the reader a good image and understanding of the pain he feels regardless of the pain he is saved from by God not being retributive. He explains how he was the image of God before he betrayed himself and since God is everything and everyone, this means he has also betrayed God. Line eight completely flips the tone of the poem. It gives light to all the foreshadowing by asking, “Why doth the devil then usurp on me?” This to me means that it was the devil that helped the main character betray himself and thus lose the image of God, something very precious the character. Then the author continues on with a series of questions much like that of line eight. This time the questions are getting more and more specific and more harsh. Though it may seem as if he is putting soul responsibility on the devil I actually think he may be blaming the devil in himself. He is not blaming some religious evil but the blackness in his own heart. In line ten he is angry at himself for letting his desires over take him and not fighting for all the holiness in his life he has tried to keep. In the last three sentences, however, I think he is actually referring to God and not the purity he tries to keep. He is saddened and angry that God will most likely not overlook his indiscretions, but at the same moment there is a resigned sense in the poem. Even though he may dispute his wrongness he is already sure of his fate and accepts the judgment of God in faith, even if it is not to his liking.
ReplyDeleteI am going to discuss John Donne’s Holy Sonnet number two (IV). I really enjoyed the language in this poem, and the way in which he uses the sonnet’s structure to benefit his message. I believe that in the octet, the “question” which John Donne is asking is whether or not he will be able to go to Heaven after he dies even though he has sinned. The octet is riddled with dark imagery of death, prison, and execution. The speaker is consumed here about the ever-present question of “will I go to Heaven?” This is a question that is on everybody’s minds, and as the speaker faces death, he really begins to think about his life and if he made the right decisions to warrant himself getting into heaven. He examines the sins that he has committed in his life, and compares these to a prison cell. He is trapped behind his sins, and he is not sure if he will be able to go to heaven. The executioner is the devil in this instance, and if he is executed rather than just willed to die, then he will go to Hell. The use of the prison metaphor is a great way to examine one’s sins and whether or not they will go to Heaven. This is obviously a question that I am sure a lot of people contemplate while they are on their deathbeds, and I really like the prison metaphor, it makes me, the reader; feel as though you were trapped by your sins. At the volta however, the resolution of the speaker’s mind comes into play. If he repents for his sins, he will be forgiven through Jesus Christ. This is true too, because the Lord forgives all of your sins because of his overpowering love that he poured out for you when he died on the cross. Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins, and if one repents, then they are forgiven and may go to Heaven. All one needs to do is wash the red sins from their life in the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ washes the soul white. Even souls stained with the red of sin, the red of blood will wash the soul white, and permit the soul to enter into Heaven. All Jesus asks for is for you to repent, and he will forgive all because he loves you. The resolution in the sestet is that Jesus’ blood will forgive all and cleanse the soul. The questions that the octet produced are answered and resolved in the final sestet, by almost directly responding to the fear of the speaker. The tone of the speaker changes then, as he is overwhelmed with the love of Christ Jesus, and realizes that all he needs to do is repent for his bars to be lifted, and for him to die in peace and reach Heaven. The prison of his sin can be unlocked with the love of Jesus Christ. The speaker is now able to die in happiness and go to Heaven.
ReplyDeleteI decided to write about one of the Holy Sonnets from 1633 (1(II)). It stuck out to me because in the beginning the author writes as if something is dead. He writes, “…first I was made by Thee, and for Thee, and when I was decayed Thy blood bought that the which before was Thine...” I soon realized, after reading it many times to see what was dead, what was being talked about in these lines was how he was decayed in the sense that he has been sinful. It was God’s blood that made his in a sense better again. This was just a beginning example of how enraptured the speaker is with God.
ReplyDeleteIn the first eight lines, the speaker in the sonnet is obsessed with God. He is basically expressing how his whole life revolves around Him. The speaker of the poem writes about how he was made by God, and that he is the temple of God because of the fact that God did make him. He also expresses how he is for the use of God. In at least every other line, the speaker mentions God in some way or another. He uses words such as Thou and Thee to refer to God. In these first eight lines, the speaker seemed quite sure of himself. He knew where he stood religiously.
In the seventh line, the the speaker makes the comment of how he betrayed himself, which in turn is betraying God. This is when the change starts to occur. The speaker of the sonnet starts to question his security with God. These lines now start to talk about the Devil. The speaker is unsure of why the Devil is in his life as much as he is when he loves God. He feels that maybe the Devil might take hold of him. The speaker feels like it is unfair that the Devil can claim him when he does not belong to him. God made the speaker, so the speaker belongs to God. The speaker feels that the Devil has no right to take something that belongs to God. This is the worry right now.
These issues then continue on to be resolved when the speaker talks about how God will rise up and take back what belongs to him. However, I feel like the speaker of the sonnet just sort of gives up because he talks about how he knows that God loves all mankind. However, he then goes on to say how God will not choose him. So here, the speaker is doubting God, or the fact that he will get into Heaven, possibly because of this betrayal that occurred. The author then writes how the Devil hates him, but hates not having him on his side and most likely does not want to lose him to God. The speaker’s tone towards the situation changes too. He first off was completely sure of everything, and now is in despair because he feels as if he cannot be saved.
After reading all of John Donne’s holy sonnets, the one that I had most interest in was Sonnet 9(XIII). The reason I chose this sonnet over the other sonnets was not only because I understood it best but because I could understand it better in a deeper analysis. Meaning I could actually look deeper into each line and develop an understanding of what John Donne is saying. The word usage was very challenging thus I had to look up a few words which also helped me develop a deeper analysis of the sonnet. The language used in this sonnet was not anything of anger, sadness, or per say frustration. Rather I felt as if the language was calm in a heartrending situation.
ReplyDeleteIn the first eight lines, I can imagine Christ being crucified to the cross. The detail and word usage creates a vivid yeah very depressing image of the Lord. It is very accurate from what I have been taught when Christ when through the crucifixion process, accurate in the lines such as, “Tears in His eyes quench the amazing light, Blood fills His frowns, which from his pierced head fell.” These two lines depict the image of the Lord not being able to see the light that is shining forth on this day given to him and the second line telling us he is not frowning because he is angry but the blood and pain running down his face it what causes his frowns. But the problem addressed in these first eight lines is can those who put Christ through all his pain be put to Hell even though Christ prayed forgiveness for their terrible acts.
In the last six lines of the sonnet, I feel that there is an answer to the problem that which came forth in the first eight lines. The answer I feel is clearly stated in the first couple words of the first line, “No, no; but in my idolatry.” As the lines continue Donne makes it clear to the reader that Christ is speaking out to those that which has brought pain and misery to him. It shows us this in the second line as it reads, “I said to all my profane mistresses.” In the last couple of lines, it is stated that the unholy or “profane” mistresses not doomed to hell. Part of the twelfth line leading to the end of the sonnet, we see that the these individuals, although they are unholy still have a chance to avoid being sent to hell. The lines go as, “so I say to thee, to wicked spirits are horrid shapes assigned, This beauteous form assures a piteous mind.” The analysis I concluded from these last three lines was that because the wicked minded people who hurt our Lord are not doomed because the Lord is compassionate meaning he not necessarily will wish them to hell. The tone throughout the last six lines has not changed from that of the first eight. The tone is remarkably calm even though the situation is so terrible. I feel it portrays the calm, compassionate Christ we know very accurately in a situation only he could handle in that calm and compassionate way.
The sonnet I am writing about is the very first one of the holy sonnets from 1633. The language is more difficult than I am used to, but it makes sense in the context. One of the very first things I noticed was that Donne is addressing God. I think it is his questioning of religion actually. He does seem to reach a conclusion at the end of the fourteen lines about his religion.
ReplyDeleteIn the first eight lines, the speaker is strictly speaking about God and his own service to God. It is appropriate that in the prompt it asks what consumes the speaker, because it seems he is fully consumed by his thoughts about God. It is obviously a spiritual concern and is stated explicitly throughout the first eight lines. He says things such as he is God’s son, meant to serve him and made by Him and for Him. It is a very religious attitude and there seems to be no questioning of his beliefs on the speaker’s part. The first hint that he is maybe questioning God is when he says he betrayed himself in something. Donne does not reveal what the betrayal is. But this makes me think the speaker sinned or committed a negative act in his eyes to make him unworthy of God.
In the turn, there is a very distinct change in the sonnet from the speaker. He goes from speaking strictly about God to the devil. It was kind of surprising that he asked why the devil has claimed him, after reading how faithful and fully committed to God the speaker is. I am assuming this followed after his betrayal. Donne uses the words usurp and ravish, which have a negative connotation here. This makes it known that the speaker is not agreeing with being claimed by the devil and still wants to be of God.
In the end, I would not say the speaker’s problem is fixed, because it is not a good outcome, but I think his main question is answered. What resolves is that the speaker settles on being claimed by the devil. I feel like he tried to have hope saying that God would come back and fight for him, but then he predicts that he will soon feel despair when God does not take him back. So the problem remains that the speaker is no longer of God because of his betrayal. The speaker also answers his own question as to who will claim him in the end, which will be the devil. The question I do not think is answered is why God loves mankind, which the speaker admits, but still will not choose him in the end. The speaker also asks directly of God why the devil is able to steal and ravish what is His. I think the next question that is implied is why God will not choose him even though he loves mankind.
The speaker’s tone does change towards his subject, which is God. He began the sonnet glorifying God, and ends thinking He will not fight for the speaker enough to claim him back from the devil. And even though the devil hates the speaker, he would hate more to lose him to God.
While reading the Holy Sonnets, I felt an overwhelming desire to try to figure out why a person would write such poetry… what was John Donne’s purpose for these poems? What types of problems did Donne face that lead to these poems? Without knowing anything about Donne, it is obvious to see that all of the Sonnets have religious implications. Religion is also indicated by the title of the collection as the “Holy” Sonnets. Thus, I pictured Donne being stuck in a time where he was extremely contemplative about his religion and where he was trying to piece together aspects of his beliefs bit by bit. Thus, to me, each Sonnet represents a piece of Donne’s religious puzzle that he choose to dissect in order to understand his religious beliefs as a whole. The piece that I chose to focus my analysis on was Sonnet (XII), because I believe that Donne is questioning something that I have often pondered about myself…
ReplyDeleteIn the first eight lines of Sonnet (XII), Donne questions the worthiness of humanity to be the “creatures waited on.” He ponders why humans should have power over other creatures, such as horses, bulls, and boars. While reading these lines, I took Donne’s reference to these creatures as literal references. I felt that Donne was questioning why humans should have dominion over any type of animal, and by choosing these three animals, Donne was simple supplying examples of animals as a whole. Donne also made a point to mention the seeming innocence of these creatures, suggesting that humankind is undeserving of such power over these creatures due to the corruptive, sinful nature of humans. Why do humans get such royal treatment when they appear to be so evil in comparison to the other creatures on Earth? Donne suggests an answer in the last six lines of the sonnet.
In the last six lines, Donne proposes that the only way to explain the nature of man’s presence above the other creatures on Earth is to look towards God. Donne suggests that regardless of humankind’s placement on Earth and dominion over the creatures around them, there is still a higher power to whom which humans must subdue. Donne refers to this higher power as “their Creator” in line 12 of the Sonnet, which may be interpreted as being the One who created humankind. Drawing from the theme of Donne’s other sonnets, I believe that it is safe to say that Donne believed that God was the Creator.
Overall, my interpretation of Donne’s Sonnet XII was that he was trying to encourage people to pay their respect to God. The sonnet makes me feel as though Donne had a strong faith in God, and even though he questioned parts of his life on Earth, he did not question the existence of God. I feel that his faith in God humbled him as a human by setting him lower to the Divine being. This sonnet, if read by other Christian believers, serves to remind humans that even though they may have power over other creatures on Earth, they are Ultimately powerless under God, their Almighty Ruler.
After reading and analyzing some of John Donne’s poetry, I choose to discuss the sonnet form of the Holy Sonnet 1(I) (1635). I felt the speaker’s request towards God (referred to as: “Thou” or “Thy”) more direct and rational than some of the other problems introduced in the octet of the Holy Sonnets. The speaker discovered the consequences that death reveals and understands that only God’s power can save this soul from destruction.
ReplyDeleteIn the octet, the speaker explicitly states a spiritual concern claiming that death closely approaches. The first eight lines have an accusatory tone, where the speaker demands God to give his creation more time to fix any mistakes before death succumbs. This tone may have arisen because the speaker is not ready to face the “terror.” Starting in the first couplet, the speaker transfers the stressing idea of sickness and aging (decay) to his creator, God, and orders him to fix the situation because death quickly waits. The speaker acknowledges that an end is near and feels that all the memories of the past “yesterday” (line four) are forever gone, unattainable for the soul. In lines five and six, the speaker expresses the situation; that the eyes do not stray away from the image, yet they are concentrated on God’s solution even though all other hope is lost and death is near. Line seven sets up the Volta saying that the body is dirty with sins that are considered hellish. The Volta in like eight “By sin in it, which it towards hell doth weight;” clarifies that although the speaker is close to death’s grasp the fear of hell is present because of the previously evil choices made in life. This turn summaries the speaker’s demands for God’s power so that the soul may be saved from eternal damnation.
In the sestet, I immediately notice that the speaker’s voice changes from the previously demanding tone to one that is hopeful and praising towards God. Lines nine and ten outline the speaker’s belief that if the soul is saved, then the Almighty God could allow the speaker to “rise again” in a new life. Also, the power in God’s grace gives the speaker strength and knowledge to open the eyes and look forward to a fruitful life. This means that the speaker could fix the mistakes that once caused the fear of death, or that the speaker could adapt a new lifestyle without sin, yet with God as the highest power. This belief extends into lines eleven and twelve with the mention of a common enemy “foe.” The speaker is referring to Satan, the angel of death, who tempts with ease of sin and a painless death. Once again, God is referenced as a powerful image and a guardian to keep watch over the speaker, because the soul is unable to withstand the trickery of the devil. In the last two lines, the speaker clearly admits the weakness without being underneath God’s “wing,” and how the speaker and God are truly drawn together. God mines the “iron heart” of the speaker. There the speaker claims the two are magnetically pulled together. Iron is a malleable and ductile metal possibly meaning that the speaker can easily alter the previous sins in the heart with God’s strength of forgiveness and guidance.
John Donne’s Holy Sonnet IV (Oh my Black Soul!)—Analysis
ReplyDeleteUpon reading excerpts from John Donne’s Holy Sonnets, I noticed something peculiarly intimate about sonnet IV (also known as ‘Oh my Black Soul’). Like many authors and poets before and after his literary reign, Donne seeks to flirt with the idea of death; namely, death by way of sickness. In doing this he illustrates a subject that many of us contemplate though rarely articulate into words.
In the initial octet Donne introduces this idea of a death-prompting sickness by comparing it to a treasonous pilgrim, and a convicted thief awaiting execution. The speaker in the poem seems to lament the state of the human condition—revealing that man is subject to finite fault. The voice reflects on man’s sinful nature; thus, implying that humans have a propensity to commit evil deeds (though, surely he is mistaken, as human beings [especially Americans] are entirely ethical in all practices and never out-of-line in terms of morality).
In prototypical Petrarchan sonnet form, Donne’s Volta in line nine compels the reader to re-evaluate the dismal nature of the preliminary eight lines. The line begins with ‘yet,’ which immediately signifies a change in direction—a “turn,” if you will. It would seem that Donne reconsiders his original drab outlook, replacing his thoughts with notions of repentance. Such notions are implicative of hope; a stark contrast to the ponder-filled octet. It is in the sestet that the speaker first presents a possible “answer” to the debacle of the octet.
Though metaphors are used to creatively construct an image (object correlative, eh?) for the reader, I would not agree that they are in any way extended. The spiritual concern thereby becomes, explicitly stated, the speaker’s doubt. Doubt in the form of skepticism about the afterlife: what becomes of a man who sins and is presented with certain death? The speaker’s holy unease is seemingly quieted by the resulting final six lines—albeit vague, as one can never quite be sure of the afterlife until they do in fact die.
The poem gives the impression that there was a “change of heart” mid-write; thus, the obvious change in direction (e.g. line nine). The speaker’s voice/tone changes from sullen and morose, to hopeful and encouraging. This particular sonnet serves as a challenge to man in my mind as Donne offers hope for salvation to a human race of sinners. He challenges the reader insofar as he presents a debacle (sin begets sickness which begets death—so on and so forth) and then offers a solution to the common problem (repentance, deliverance, ‘wash[ing] thee in Christ’s blood, et cetera).
Lastly, I feel that contrasting color signifiers in the final three lines of the poem are highly effective insofar as they depict the dissimilarity of the two sections of the poem: red souls being those whom have sinned and polluted the air with their afflictions; while white connotes sentiments of hope, and spiritual renewal while simultaneously promoting repentance—something for the aforementioned to aspire towards.
I chose to write on the sonnet #11(XV) of 1633. This sonnet truly touches me in the religious sense. This sonnet is very real and understandable at the same exact time. Before the Volta, the turn, this poem spoke about how good God was for doing everything he did for us. For making a son exactly in his image for us to praise and to one day takeover his throne. Donne also focuses are attention on how much God is inside of our hearts. Donne calling outrhearts,temples for God's work and its through us that God makes this earthe work properly. After the turn the poem seems to switch gears almost as if to show what work the devil completed in this whole scandal. Donne explains how the devil came and stolethe life from God's son. I think this is a good depiction of the crucifixion. That was the day our Lord was taken from us, but the only people we can blame are the devil and ourselves. I think that this turn reminds me alot of birth and then death with its ability to switch from such a glorious mood into a horrific setting. I like the way Donne portrayed this in his sonnet.
ReplyDeleteThis sonnet has great usage of metaphors throughout. It compares God to everything within us. Its almost as if Donne is asking us if we want to except the lord or not. If we choose to then fully except his ways and intentions to use you. The first line in the sonnet describes this very well, "Wilt thou love God, as He thee? then digest." After the turn Donne started comparing God to the unfortunate in the world. A person robbed, another victim of Satan, and the people of the world. Donne seems to force us to switch gears in the right of passage to make us understand how the death of Jesus affected him. I think it is great how he not only used good metaphors to explain God, but also shwed that his plan didnt work to perfection either. I think all that brings in the last two lines that show how much God and man are alike. "Twas much that man was made like God before, But that God should be made like man, much more," this feels like Donne also trying to call God out by saying you cant make everything perfect. The ability of free will is always in affect and that maybe God should experience it also. Once again after the turn i feel like not only did the sonnet change course, but Donne completely went from happy sonnet to destructive,negative sonnet. It seems as if Donne answers his questions without answering them. Donne seems to put alot of feeling in his ability to tell the story in a realistic tone. I think he is a realist persons dream poet. Most of the sonnets I read through he seemed to just be upfront an truthful about hs subjects. He shows it the best in this poem in which he was able to compare God to both good things and bad things.
6(X)
ReplyDeleteIn this sonnet he starts off saying “Death be not proud, though some have called it thee”. I think this phrase means that death is nothing of significance as some may think and death does not have preference or care who you are. I find this to be a very powerful phrase. In these first eight lines I think he is questioning what death is or what exactly happens when one dies. He writes “for thou whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow”. In this line I think it means that some think they can stop death from coming or “overthrow” death. Then he continues to say something like even the best men will die. He says “And soonest our best men thee do go”. I think he is sort of questioning why people die or why death comes? It seems that you can be a wonderful, kind, good person, but it doesn’t matter because death will still come.
The turning point in this sonnet or the Volta is the line “Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men”. I think what this line is trying to say is that we often leave things up to fate and chance, believing we have no control over our own lives. Or in other words we are being controlled by a higher power. From this we can see that there is a spiritual element to this poem. Essentially, the existence of God is brought up. This is the turning point because he is realizing that is silly to think that something happens after death and we should leave things up to fate rather than take control of our own lives.
Therefore, the next six lines start off with the idea that death is simply death and when we die, we simply die. He talks about how bad things happen like poison, war, and sickness and at night people try to prevent death by using things like the flower poppy and charms in hope of getting better. He believes these people put faith into these objects hoping it will make things better. Or in other words they are leaving things up to fate or chance. However, what he is trying to point out is that in reality death will come when it comes, no matter how much we try to prevent it from coming. In the end it says “One short sleep past. We wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die” From what I understand from this is he is saying that when death comes we will “wake eternally” or possibly go to a sort of Heaven. Once we have made this transition from death to eternity, we begin kind of a new life. So I think the resolution to his original dilemma is that we should not worry about death or trying to prevent death because this life is only the first step in our journey and one never truly dies. One never truly dies because later they will enter a new eternal life in Heaven.
First, I would like to start by saying that I really, really dislike these Holy Sonnets. They are boring and a chore to read. This could be due to the language but when reading these sonnets I found myself reading them just to get through them rather than really getting something from them. The rhyme scheme wasn’t appealing to me and I can tell I am going to have a hard time writing a sonnet for Thursday. Having said that my favorite sonnet was (VI) but I am choosing to comment on sonnet (IV). The volta in this sonnet deals with repentance. The author begins by saying that he is on his death bed and then begins reflecting on his “black soul.” His reflection is presented in the form of analogies about sins he has committed in his life. He compares the sin of his soul to a pilgrim fleeing from a country. This analogy escaped me at first but when I reread the sonnet this analogy really stood out to me. Sin really is like a pilgrim who has committed treason against a home nation by leaving to form a new independent one. You know that you have sinned and wronged someone but as long as you don’t confront the sin (stay in the new country) there seems to be no problem and the sin is forgotten. Likewise, the analogy of the thief who evades prison lends itself to sin. As long as he is not caught, the robbery will seemingly be forgiven or erased.
ReplyDeleteThe volta in this sonnet is that sins that are seemingly forgotten are remembered by God. The only way to truly have sin erased is to repent and be forgiven by God’s grace. Whereas in the beginning, the author is consumed with the idea that his sins throughout his life have built up and turned his soul black, after the volta we get a solution or salvation for these sins. The author asks “who shall give thee that grace…?” He then responds with two options; to remain black with sin or to be washed white by Christ’s blood. There is a definite switch in the authors tone in the volta. When I read the line “Yet grace, if thou repent, thou canst lack” it seems like a light at the end of a tunnel. The first eight lines make it seem like there is no hope of escaping sin, the author even speaks of taking sin with us till death and being damned to execution. He paints a very dark and bleak end for someone who has sinned. However, when we reach the volta there is a salvation form sin and a resolution to being damned. I find it interesting that the six lines following the volta are not wholly positive. Donne presents the reader with a choice to either be redeemed through God or die with sin. So even though there is a shift in the direction of the sonnet we still get some of the mood from the first eight lines.
I chose to examine the Volta found within sonnet 5 (IX) of the 1633 Holy Sonnets. The sonnet asks an interesting question, and it features a very drastic change in tone at the Volta. It deals with spirituality in the form of the nature of sin and redemption, with the speaker inevitably finding the answer to his own question.
ReplyDeleteIn the first eight lines, the speaker of John Donne’s sonnet seems to be upset with God, and seems to even doubt God’s judgment. He asks how it is fair that humans should have to face damnation for their sins. After all, the speaker reasons, snakes, poisons, the forbidden fruit and all other manners of wicked things do not have to share man’s fear of hell. The speaker continues by asking why humans should have had to have been made with a capacity for sin in the first place. Because it had to have been God himself who gave man his ability to do evil, it seems as if the speaker is angry at his creator and thinks it unfair to be judged by the sins he was created to commit.
However, the speaker instantly reverses his attitude at the Volta. He renounces himself for having the audacity to question the wisdom of God. In the poem’s conclusion, the speaker decides that he will not take issue with divine judgment so long as he will be forgiven and cleansed of his sins.
In this sense, the initial problem raised by the speaker is answered. He is hungry at first for answers, wanting to know why he should have to face possible damnation for the sins God gave him the capacity to commit. However, when the speaker realizes that his sins will be forgiven regardless, he is content, finding there no need in debating the matter any further. Likewise, the speaker’s tone changes throughout the poem. At first he seems upset, almost angry at God for the position in which mankind was placed. But after the turn, the anger quickly vanishes. The speaker assumes a tone that seems supremely apologetic, almost ashamed at himself for having the foolishness to question the Almighty. In contrast to the way the sonnet began, the speaker finishes on a tone of contentment.
The sonnet is able to express itself without the use of an extended metaphor. There is nothing to be compared. The poem simply follows the form of question and answer. The speaker asks the question when he is discontented with God, and answers it himself when he remembers that he will be saved regardless of his sin.
I think the decision to not use extended metaphor in this poem is a good one. The question raised by the speaker provokes enough thought on its own, and I would see the use of a metaphor in this case as putting too much icing on the cake. Because the sonnet is delivered in a simple question and answer format, I think there is a sense of honesty to it that makes the speaker’s journey from anger to contentment all the more powerful.
While reading John Donne’s sonnets, majority o them had some spiritual aspects to them. There was one sonnet that caught my attention as soon as I started reading it. It was number five (IX) written in 1633. This sonnet is very spiritual and is stated explicitly. If a person has ever read Genesis before they would know what Donne was talking about in this sonnet by reading the first two lines of it. As soon as I started reading it I knew what Donne was referring to and what the issue at hand was. He depicted and allusion of the Garden of Eden, which was from Genesis 3:19, when Adam and Eve ate the apple from the Forbidden Tree. God told them not to eat from the tree, but they got tricked by the serpent. Adam and Eve were immortal when this incident occurred. God took their immortality away. Now they had to feel childbirth, pain, hurt, death, etc. By depicting this scene he sets up the issue of questioning God.
ReplyDeleteThe issue he is conflicted with is why God made the decisions he made. He has to endure sin and he would’ve been immortal if Adam and Eve did not eat from the tree. I liked how he compared humans to that of the animals, goats and serpents because God does not reject them as he does animals. Donne does not understand God’s reasoning for making humans damned and not animals when it was the serpent who manipulated Adam and Eve to commit the first sin. At first Donne questions about how God decisions about how he dealt with the Adam and Eve situation and how in a way it is unfair toward humans. He feels as though he should not be punished for something that was instilled in him since birth. God put reason and intent into humans, so why hold them accountable for what they do. Donne then tries to come to a solution or plea.
The turn of the sonnet changes when he prompts a question the leading to the new idea and solution of his issue. The Volta is, “But who am I that dare dispute with thee? He has come to the realization that God is not malicious and does not hate humans. In my opinion I think God made the decision he did was so that humans could prove to him that they were worthy enough to come to heaven. He wants to see if the reason and intent he instilled in us is used for good and not bad. He even takes into account Jesus Christ when he says, “Oh God, oh! Of thine only worthy blood,” and him dying on the cross to clean away humans sins. He talks about his sins flooding the Lethe River of the underworld and that he wants his forgiveness and also forgetfulness for his sins. In the last six lines of this poem, Donne seems to shift gears and comes to a resolution that yes he has sinned and asks God to forget his sins. The tone definitely changes from his seeming mad that he is damned to pleading with God to forgive and forget his sins he has committed.
When reading the Holy Sonnets it was hard to understand what was happening until I read the background on how John Donne went about writing them. I think it is very interesting how sonnets are supposed to be read. The way the volta is an “answer” to the sestet, and helps you better understand the octet.
ReplyDeleteThe tenth holy sonnet was my favorite in the way it builds into the volta. It starts by talking about death and how no matter what you think about death it will always come and there is no escaping. The fourth line to me set the stage for the sonnet because Donne asks the read to “die not, poor death”, which for me set the mood of, you know you’re going to die so make the best of your life while you are still on earth. He continues on that road by saying “And soonest our best men with thee do go”, to me this say no matter how good of a person you are, death will find you in the end. The next line however gives some hope of death “and souls delivery.” I think Donne foreshadows the volta with this line because he hints at there being more to the earthly life, and souls will be sent to an afterlife. The sestet in this sonnet does a good job of provoking a new type of think in the sonnet by asking “why swell’st thou then?” meaning “why do you have so much pride then?”, this is kind of a shocking because you read the octet reaching a realization that your dead no matter what, now it feels like he’s adding insult to injury by saying what do you have in your life to be proud of. Which makes the volta all the better because he calls death one short sleep, and saying “we wake eternally” now the reader has a new sense of life and hope knowing his earthly life is gone now you have a new life that will last for eternity. The last line to me is very powerful because it contradicts everything the sonnet had spoken about before by saying “And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.” It brings a whole new dimension to the idea of dying, because now you can almost be happy about dying knowing you will never have to face your mortality again.
I think the first eight lines of the sonnet really give a sense of grief, because it shows the weakness of death in human nature. It also points out to the reader that death is inevitable, and knowing this is one of mankind’s greatest blessings and curses. I think Donne did an alright job of conveying a spiritual concern because he doesn’t talk about salvation, he only talks about an afterlife. I think the tune at the end of the sonnet changes from grief to happiness because you do see an answer that is eternal life, and the idea of no more death.
John Donne's Holy Sonnets are all, in fact, holy. By holy, I mean that they are of spiritual content. The common-day Christian faith is the source of spirituality in these sonnets. The sonnet titled VII is a perfect demonstration of how Donne tied his Christian beliefs into his poems.
ReplyDeleteAs all Petrarchan sonnets should, VII begins with an octet that presents a problematic situation. In this case, the speaker (who I assume is Donne) has a irrefutable fear of the day the world ends. He is not afraid of death, but he is terrified for the time of judgement.
Though it's not fully a metaphor, Donne's octet is almost like a hallucination or a dream. The speaker envisions the last day on earth where he sees four angels sent to gather the souls of the deceased. I know he's referring to the end of the world because in sonnet V there's a footnote that states, “by the fire that, it was believed, would end the world.” The fire is mentioned in the fifth line of VII, “All whom the flood did, and fire shall o'erthrow.” The speaker goes on to explain that all souls are up for judgement, no matter what the cause of bodily death, “All whom war, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies, / Despair, law, chance, hath slain...” Since all are up for judgement, the speaker realizes that this includes himself.
The sestet functions as a proper ending to a Petrarchan sonnet. Although the speaker is scared of being eternally damned, he finds a way to be considered worthy of entrance to Heaven. He knows that judgement day is not the time to plea for redemption, “For if above all these my sins abound, / 'Tis late to ask abundance of Thy grace.” Therefore, he decides to ask God to teach him how to repent while he is still alive on earth. That, according to him, would be as good as a pardon sealed with God's own blood.
I believe the spiritual concern of VII is explicit. The speaker admits to having sinned, and even calls out for God's help. I think the message is clearly explained; a man (the speaker) is in fear of going to Hell because he has sinned, but he believes there is a way to save himself, and that is to learn how to repent.
Tone is evident in VII as well. In the octet, there is an underlying tone of desperation and anxiety. The speaker seems almost angry at the four angels. However, as the sonnet goes on, the tone shifts. There is a sense of relief as he convinces himself that there is still time for redemption.
Although the speaker of VII believes that he still has the opportunity to redeem himself, the problem from the octet is not entirely answered. He asks God, “When we are there; here on this lowly ground, / Teach me how to repent...” but God does not answer his request. The reader is left wondering if the speaker will ever be saved.
I am choosing to write about Donne’s Holy Sonnet 3(VI). I liked this one initially because the volta stuck out to me very clearly, and because of this I could really see and understand the difference between the first eight lines and the last six. In the turn of this Sonnet, we get an image of Donne’s soul flying up to heaven. One thing I am curious about is the part of the turn that says, “her first seat.” I am not to sure how to interpret this part of the line but I would assume that it has something to d with the seat at the right hand of God or something of that nature. The turn does a good job of introducing the answer or explanation of what is happening in the first eight lines. In the first eight lines we get the idea that Donne’s is about to die. He states, “my play’s last scene, death will instantly unjoint my body and soul.” He also uses various other metaphors and similes, many of which that use the word last. This repeated use of last gives me the feeling of him on his death bed, literally this point in time is right before he will die. It is explicitly spiritual, as in the first line he uses the word heaven, and more implicitly as he continues to describe that last moment before death. Also in the footnotes, there is a note about the phrase, “Whose fear already shakes my every joint,” which implies the religious idea of the fear of God. In the turn we go from the moment before he dies, to the actual process of getting to heaven. This is cool because in the last six lines he explains what is now happening after he has died, and explain the experience we were waiting for throughout the first eight lines. My favorite line is line ten, which states “and earth-born body in the earth shall dwell.” I like this because it is basically a fresh way to describe a few different things. The first is that Donne is recognizing the separation of his physical body and his soul. He believes that the two are distinct and that the soul continues on even if the physical body does not. I also think it is a cool way to basically say, I am dead and buried. The body his soul has left is not simply, thrown in the ground, or buried, but instead it is dwelling in the earth. I just really liked that line. In the last six lines we finally get the feeling that Donne makes it to heaven. Although he goes about it with a strange tone. It feels more like Donne’s is thankful to not be in hell than he is happy to have made it to heaven. He acknowledges that he has sinned, and that these sins have now been taken away, and if they had not been he would have been in hell. He says that he has been given righteousness and purged of evil and because of this he can leave the world, his body and the devil. Donne is making a very strong statement about religion, and how he interprets his religion and the ideas of life after death. He is also making a statement about his own life on earth. He believes that he has lived a sinful life, and without God’s forgiveness he would surely be in hell after he dies. The question of what would happen to Donne after he dies, brought up in the first eight lines, is answered after the turn in the last six. The problem is resolved. I also get a sense of a change in tone, before and after the turn, as before the turn he is almost scared, nervous and on edge. While in contrast after the turn Donne has a more thankful and relieved tone.
ReplyDeleteI never have had to really analyze sonnets before and now I understand why. For one they are hard to decipher, and the meaning that the author wants to get across in the Octet and the Sestet is hard for the reader to comprehend. Its not that I didn’t enjoy John Donne’s sonnets, rather I disliked the language used and thought it was a bit rigorous and hard to interpret at times. I think it was the use of all the thines, thyselfs, thous, these, and any other th word that referred to god or himself. I have never really been a fan of that biblical tone because to me it sounds complicating and is hard to comprehend. On the other hand though, I did enjoy some of the sonnets and was able to analyze and attempt to interpret some of the underlying meanings.
ReplyDeleteThe sonnet that I chose to analyze is from the sonnets that were added in 1635, more specifically sonnet (III). I chose this one because it stuck out the most to me due to the strong emotions that were present as well as the messages that were presented throughout the sonnet. In the first eight lines, the tone is rather depressing and dreary. He starts off the sonnet by saying “O might those sighs and tears return again into my breast and eyes, which I have spent,” implying that he wants some sort of grief or pain that he has already experienced to return to him again. Something might have happened to him before that is either happening again now or something closely related to it. He goes on to say in lines 5 and 6 “In mine idolatry what showers of rain mine eyes did waste! What griefs my heart did rent!” To me this meant that he had a mistress for sometime, whom he admired and worshipped, but either he got caught or she left him for another man. Or it could mean that if he did get caught his wife might have left him and then the mistress he spent so much time with decided she didn’t want him either and now he is regretting what he did. Basically saying he wasted his time and tears on some woman who didn’t even love him.
The last six lines begin to answer or suggest what exactly happened to him that he is now suffering and in pain. He begins by saying “The hydroptic drunkard and night-scouting thief, the itchy lecher and self-tickling proud.” Here he is talking about different types of men that are not the most admiral men, and each having some sort of flaw. I really didn’t understand what the point of those two lines was, but I figure they have some importance to the sonnet. He then goes on to say that these men, unlike him, have good memories of the past to take their minds off of the terrible things that are to come over them. He then states “To poor me is allowed no ease; for long yet vehement grief hath been” meaning that he on the other hand gets no such luck, and has been and will continue to be in constant pain an d suffering. The last line of the sonnet is mysterious and was a bit confusing for me to determine, “The effect and cause, the punishment and sin.” I thought this line was a bit ironic in the way that John Donne decided to word it. Usually you would see these two analogies worded in the reverse, cause and effect, sin and punishment. A cause for something has to occur first before there is an effect, just like one needs to sin before one receives the punishment for sinning. The reverse does not seem logical. I wonder why he worded the last line like that? Maybe he is saying that he needs to look back on what he did to see where he went wrong. He admits that he does deserve to suffer pain, but maybe he wants to backtrack his steps to see where he fell off the wagon.
Overall I enjoyed the sonnets, and am interested to see how my own turns out.
When reading Donne’s Holy Sonnets, it really sent my mind on a wild goose chase. I was really confused as to what to think about in his poems because it was just something I seemed to not quite relate to at the moment. I got the feeling that he may have been somewhat confused on his religion, as Jillian said, just because he talks about God and taking him away and about death, which seems to be somewhat harsh. The one poem that I liked the most was 10(XIV) just for the plain fact that the imagery to me was so tasteful.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading this one, I sort of sent a chill up my spine with the words like, “your force, to break, blow, burn and make me new.” The alliteration was great in this line and it really draws you to it. These first eight lines seem to be talking about how this person wants God to take him in. He is asking God to make him his, as in the line “that I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me.” This line is saying that he wants God to have him at any cost, and it seems to be almost sexual, which just seems wrong when you are talking about God or anything holy. This does seem to be a spiritual concern because I think that anytime you are talking about God, it is something that is inside of you and maybe you don’t want anyone else to see. He also describes how he wants God to hold in captive, that maybe this is this is the only way that he wishes to live his life is with God. To me, God has always had the higher power over everything in this world, the creator, and that’s exactly how this person makes him look. He is the weak one to God.
At the Volta, it is just kind of weird how he just says “yet dearly I love You and would be loved fain” after he was just saying how God can do all these terrible things to him. It’s like being a bad relationship and having this person treat you so terribly, but that’s the only person you want to be with. Also, in these last six lines, there is a paradox about how wants to be imprisoned by God and that is the only way that he will be free. Well, how can you be free if you are imprisoned? I thought that was an excellent paradox and it really through the poem in a different direction. I feel like the only thing being resolved in the end of the poem, is that the only thing this person wants is to be stuck with God for eternity. This to me shows his true feelings about religion, that it is something very important to him and can solve anything in life. I don’t really feel like the tone is changed a whole lot because in the beginning of the poem it has that dark feeling of entrapment, but then it continues when talking about being imprisoned by God. One thing I also noticed was how he capitalized You in referencing God. I think that shows how important God is to him.
John Donne’s Holy sonnets were extremely interesting to read. It wasn’t the fact that they were difficult, it was more how interesting they were. The words though, being that they were in old English, created difficulty reading and understanding what exactly his message was that he was trying to put forth.
ReplyDeleteIn the first eight lines it seems as though he is conveying himself as Jesus Christ. He says that he is thy son, made with thyself to shine this can be seen as to say that he is gods son and is made in his image. Its tricky to fully understand what he is trying to say though because its used in metaphor form and its not said out right. He wonders why the devil has to come after him even though he is gods son. I don’t think he fully understands his place in the world. He understands the significance of being gods son but he doesn’t fully comprehend all that, that entitles. These first eight lines are defiantly spiritually charged. The lines speak about Jesus and his fear of death and the devil. He talks about being betrayed which can be attributed to Judas when he gives up Jesus’ position. I personally am thinking that the poem could be written in 1st person, yet the narrator is able to look back on the past and reflect on it. I think that Jesus is looking back on what happened and wondering why it had to be him, why did he have to get betrayed, why did the devil come after him, and I don’t think Jesus fully understands his significance in the world. It could be thought that Jesus is just a human being like anyone else and that he wonders the same things everyone wonders.
Its stated directly and through a metaphor at the same time. The fact that he says he is his son and that he was betrayed by the devil can make it easier to come to the conclusion that he is Jesus, but he never fully states that he is Jesus. The only connection to a metaphor I can make is that he hasn’t admitted that he was Jesus so this can be the story of a person who gets betrayed and in turn that poem can be a metaphor for Jesus life.
In the last six lines it appears as though he has accepted death and that death is upon him. The tone has definitely changed and this can be seen in the last line when he mentions love standing triumphant over evil. I personally feel that he is accepting his role and he is doing what he is destined to do. The tone of him changes because he realizes that he has to give himself up in order to let everyone else love and flourish. He is saying that he has the last will which can be led to believe the last commitment to goodness in the world and the last belief that man can actually be good. If given a chance love will flourish.
Donne’s Holy Sonnet (X) is, I think, a very spiritual poem in that it very much concerns his existence (perhaps even defines to some extent) and his religious beliefs (especially in so far as it deals with the afterlife). The most important thing to keep in mind when reading this poem is that the entire sonnet is an apostrophe, i.e. Donne is addressing a personified idea, namely Death. Consequently, every “thee” and “thou” in the poem refers not to a real person (or real people), but to Death.
ReplyDeleteThe octet deals primarily with the ideas people often have about death, as well as the conception that the personified Death might have of itself. The denial of Death as “Mighty and dreadful” in the first two lines of the sonnet makes it evident that Donne’s view of death is going to differ greatly from the common conception. Death is not “Mighty” because “those whom [Death] think'st [he] dost overthrow/Die not”. Death is not dreadful because, as Donne asserts, it can be likened to “rest and sleep” which “thy pictures be”. Since “rest and sleep” are pleasurable and necessary for humans in this life, then Death must be all the more pleasurable and necessary for the soul of a man to transition into the next life.
The Volta does not mark a drastic change in Donne’s attitude toward the subject matter (Death), but rather, a change in the tone of the poem. Having cleared away the common misconceptions of Death in the octet, Donne introduces what Death actually is in the Volta. He transitions from addressing Death in a sincere (grave?), but relatively calm manner, to mocking it.
Not only is Death not “Mighty”, but it is a “slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men,” and dwells among “poison, war, and sickness”. As is evidenced in the octet, Death may have thought that it could conquer, or kill men, and in such a way control them. Yet, the sestet seems to assert that the true is nearly the exact opposite; Death must act at the behest of men, fate, and chance. Death is called upon by men when kings start wars or when desperate men commit crimes; it is commanded by fate or chance in cases of sickness or accidents, etc. So Death dwells among lowly things like poison, war, and sickness, not of its own accord, but by necessity. Furthermore, even within its servile capacity, its powers are not so great. Donne explains that narcotics can produce the same effect (sleep), and to a greater extent. Having shown that Death is quite the opposite of mighty, he sarcastically questions,“why swell’st thou then?”.
The last two lines in the sestet reflect the last four lines in the octet; their theme is that Death is not so dreadful. Yet, Donne asserts this more aggressively here, and with one final irony. Not only will death for men be a “short sleep” before eternal life, but it is in fact Death that “shalt die”.
For my examination of the Volta in one of John Donne’s sonnets, I chose XII from Holy Sonnets (1633). This poem deals with the great sacrifices made (to seemingly undeserving parties) in the name of love. The first eight lines—the Octet—question the justification of mankind’s supremacy over animals. Animals, Donne argues, have not committed sins as humans have. Human logic insists that the animals need not be afraid of getting harmed because they are more pure; however, they are subjected to mankind’s disposal and can “by one man’s stroke die”. Here, he touches on the arrogance of human supremacy, questioning why we are given pure, lesser beings to exploit. Donne reminds us that animals (he uses bulls and boars) have the capability to feed upon mankind, if mankind did not have the power to stop them. In short, he questions our right to our elevated status in the animal world, based on the fact that we commit sins far greater than animals have the capacity to do. The Sestet resolves that quandary by determining that humans are actually the weaker of the two because of their sins. Donne is humbled by acknowledging the presence of a higher being than even humans—one which created both humans and the lesser animals. His perspective towards the lower beings (the animals) changes when he realizes that God is uninhibited by neither the harshness of nature, as animals are—making them subject to humans, nor the pollution of sins, as humans are—making them subject to the devil and the gates of hell. The end of the Sestet comments on the ultimate goodness of God, in the fact that he died for the sake of the lesser beings. This sacrifice is the exact opposite of the relationship between humans and animals—the latter has been sacrificed for man’s sake since man first realized he had to hunt to survive. Therefore, Donne urges, mankind should be more humble than arrogant. The Volta in the ninth line is full of self-pity and concession to the lesser beings: “Weaker I am, woe is me, and worse than you”. The problem in the Octet—the uneasiness and perhaps guilt of exploiting a weaker, yet more pure group—is resolved by the need to adopt a more humble approach to our relationships with others. Donne suggests that we must realize our impact on this earth and also that we are imperfect beings—a fact that we so often ignore. If the rest of John Donne’s work is taken into consideration when examining this particular sonnet, one could apply the guilt of exploiting a lesser being to the guilt a man feels after he has gotten caught with a mistress. Personally, I think that this sonnet conveys a good enough message without metaphorically describing a relationship with a mistress, but because it is part of a larger group of poems dealing with lust and envy, it probably carries a double meaning. In that case, Donne’s decision to humble himself in the face of his sins was well-deserved, and the metaphor he used to convey this humility created a familiar image in the reader’s mind—a skill that Donne uses masterfully in his other sonnets.
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