John Donne
John Donne's life sounds much like a modern-day soap opera. He came from a wealthy and distinguished family who were strong supporters of the Catholic faith. As a young man, Donne was handsome, brilliant, and privileged. He traveled extensively and studied law, medicine, and theology.
By the age of twenty-five, Donne had abandoned his catholic beliefs and joined the Church of England, possibly as a way of launching his successful career in the government. During the next six years, he associated with many important people with whom he was quite popular. One of Donne's contemporaries described him as "a great visitor of the ladies, a great frequenter of plays, and a writer of conceited verses."
His career in government service continued to soar until 1601 when it was discovered that thirty-one year old Donne had eloped with sixteen-year-old Anne More. Her family was wealthy and influential, and her father was furious. He responded by having Donne fired from his government position and thrown in jail for a while.
When he was released from jail, Donne had lost all hope of a government career. Anne had lost her dowry, ( a gift from the bride's family) and, suddenly, without funds, the couple had to move into a small cottage and live on charity. In spite of the age difference, Donne and his wife were very much in love. It was during this period of depression and frustration that Donne scratched the words mentioned at the beginning of the lesson on their window pane:
"John Donne
Anne Donne
Undone."
The couple lived in poverty for the next fourteen years, and Donne supported his growing family with odd jobs, writing, and the charity of friends. His earlier poems reflected his earlier careless lifestyle, but as he grew older, he became more deeply religious. In fact, Donne's friends were so moved by the power of his religious poems that they encouraged him to enter the ministry. At the age of forty-three, he was ordained an Anglican minister. He became known as an eloquent preacher and soon became the chaplain to King James I. Donne's life had changed for the better once again, but the happiness lasted only a short time.
Two years later, Anne Donne died. Grief-stricken by the death of the woman who changed him from a ladies' man to God's man, he poured himself into preaching with intense passion. The force and eloquence of his sermons led to his appointment, at forty-nine, as dean of St. Paul's Cathedral. He was considered the greatest preacher in England and composed some of the most deeply religious poems and sermons in the English language.
Holy Sonnet 10
The poem you will read by Donne is "Holy Sonnet 10." It is one of nineteen holy sonnets that he wrote soon after Anne died. These sonnets illustrate Donne's thoughts on religious faith and life after death.
Read "Holy Sonnet 10." You will see two variations of the poem; you may read both to see how some of the words changed.
What is the rhyme scheme?
This poem is a mixture of the Petrarchan and Elizabethan forms. The apostrophe is used in the poem. No, we aren't talking about the punctuation mark, but the literary term. An apostrophe is the addressing of a usually absent person or a usually personified thing.
What is the apostrophe in Donne's sonnet?
Holy Sonnet 10
Notice that Donne personifies "Death" and mocks its power over those death "thinks" he kills. In lines 3-4 he says that the victims of Death do not die because he believes they gain eternal life. He goes on in lines 5-6 to compare Death to peaceful pictures from which we draw "much pleasure." In lines 7-10, Donne looks at death as a reward because all the "best men" go to their "soul's delivery" while Death must live with misery.
Lines 11-12 ridicule Death as no more than a so-so sleeping pill, which Donne says is nothing to swell up in pride about. The final couplet is also Donne's final stroke against the power of Death when he reminds him that when everybody else is gone, "Death, thou shalt die."
What words let us know the tone towards death?
How did he taunt, or ridicule, death?
According to the poem, why shouldn't Death be proud?
Whom must Death serve as a slave?
Meditation 17
Next, you will study one of John Donne's most famous prose writings, "Meditation 17." It contains two very famous lines: "No man is an Island" and "Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
If you aren't familiar with these lines now, you'll recognize them in the future because they are paraphrased in books, movies, television shows, songs, commercials, and, yes, even "Sports Center."
Important Vocabulary
Words to Know:
Catholic
Contention
Head...Body
Suit
Estimation
Intermit
Piety
Main
Manor
Read Donne's "Meditation 17."
You should notice right away that there is no rhyme scheme for this work. However, there are still literary techniques throughout.
An extended metaphor is a comparison between unlike things, but extended means the metaphor is lasting throughout the work or longer than a sentence. What is the extended metaphor in the meditation?
Why does the bell toll?
Why does Donne say the tolling bell applies to him as well as others?
What does Donne mean by stating, "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent"?
Read Simon and Garfunkel's song lyrics to "I Am a Rock."
Do you believe the contrast to Donne's theme in this song? Simon and Garfunkel's lyrics argue that isolation is a good thing.
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