Questions to consider:
- What is being personified in the first poem?
- How does the speaker feel about death in the first poem?
- The second poem wasn't at first a poem, but a section from Donne's "Meditation XVII." It therefore does not have a strict structure like the "Holy Sonnet." What effect does this have?
- What allusion is being made when Donne references the "bells tolling"?
- What extended metaphor is Donne using in "For Whom the Bell Tolls"?
Holy Sonnet X: Death Be Not Proud
Death, be not proud, though some have callèd thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which yet thy pictures be,
Much pleasure, then from thee much more, must low
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men
And dost with poison, war and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then ?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which yet thy pictures be,
Much pleasure, then from thee much more, must low
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men
And dost with poison, war and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then ?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
For Whom the Bell Tolls is about a man who says know one man can really be alone in the wolrd because they need a backbone or a friend
ReplyDeleteTaymonReavis
In the poem I read by John Donne "Holy Sonnet X: Death Be Not Proud" which was personifying death. He was comparing the diferent ways of death and saying that it isn't anything someone should be proud about. He use examples like, back in the slavery days how people were dying from posion, sickness dwell, stroke, and in their sleep. In the second poem was talking about death as well, but not in the same way as the first poem was it was more about mankind.
ReplyDeleteJ.Lee
@Taymon
ReplyDeletei agree with joe
ReplyDeleteTaymon, I agree with the man feeling alone but not sure if it's because they need a friend. I haven't quite grasp why yet but i think maybe he might be trying to say is that every man goes through the same thing . . living and dieing. I liked the parallelism though.
ReplyDelete-Marcus
@Taymon: I agree that Donne’s poem is discussing the importance of community and dependence on one another. We need each other to accomplish each other’s and our own dreams!
ReplyDelete@Jo: You have defended your interpretation well, especially for the first poem. You are on the right track for the second one. Great job on picking up on the death reference (bells tolling). Perhaps death awaits those who choose to isolate themselves like islands rather than loving each other.
In Holy Sonnet X: Death Be Not Proud death was being personified and the author feels as if death isn't something to brag about nor be proud about. The first poem talked how most people died while the second poem talked about how mankind caused most death.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Joe he picked out very good details from the second poem and explained the second poem very well.
ReplyDelete@ Ms. Burton
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you said that Joe and Taymon both discussed the poem quite well. I was kind of confused when they were asking what was “bells tossing” and still am.
-Shameeka Bates