John Donne’s “Death Be Not Proud,” is a beautiful poem, where the author mocks death and its tragic events. Donne humanizes death in a very personal way, and he is quick to criticize it. The author understands how to communicate emotionally with the reader; therefore, he uses descriptive words to capture the reader’s attention. By using many literary terms, John Donne presents a poem about death, which engages the emotions of the reader. John Donne uses poetry in the form of a sonnet as the genre to address the specter of death.
A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem that address one, distinct thought. With its three quatrains and a couplet, this poem can also pass as a tragedy, for there is a clear subject with a sense of human distress. As displayed in lines 3 and 4, Donne states “For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow / Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.” Although not in the form of a drama, or a play, it leans toward a tragedy by including struggle and seriousness that concerns the author.
In “Death Be Not Proud,” John Donne uses style to spruce up his writing. When looking into the style of a poem, one must consider its technical aspects, such as the varying lengths in the lines of poetry, the use of different punctuation, and even the rhyme scheme itself. Donne achieves great style in his writing by employing varied punctuation and a unique form of rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme presented in the poem, “Death Be Not Proud,” is as follows: ABBAABBACDDCEE.
This emotional poem is consisted of iambic pentameter. Donne also uses dactylic tetrameter as well. For example, line 2, “Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so[,]” shows his varied use of meter. In the couplet, the last two words of each line are “eternally” and “die” (line 14). These words are referred to as an imperfect rhyme. Although its meter is quite advanced, Donne exhibits an organized sonnet.
When considering Donne’s sonnet, syntax is an interesting study. Although the author uses correct syntax throughout, he also uses what is called inverted sentences, or anastrophe. The reader can identify line 2 as an anastrophe. There are more examples of this syntax used effectively throughout Donne’s literary work. Employing different syntax allows the author to connects personally to the reader. Through his clever choice of words, Donne decides to demonstrate imagery to communicate more effectively with the reader. Through the image of death and sleep, one can easily begin to feel its impacts. For example, “poppy” (line 11) refers to a flower that is pleasant to smell and soft to touch. The poppy has properties that causes deep sleep. Through sleep, one can begin to feel the escape from life and its burdens.
Throughout this fascinating, rhythmic poem, Donne displays several figures of speech. Clear examples of metaphors, personification, and metonymy are present in this sonnet. For example, the very first line portrays a major metaphor— “Death be not proud” (line 1). Clearly, Donne is showing that death, in this case, is to be compared to a proud man. Personification is evident throughout the entire sonnet. Death is personified, stating it should do certain actions. These are definite human traits that cannot be literally done by death. In a metonymy, a certain object is displayed as closely related with another. As stated in the above paragraph, “poppy” and “charms” (line 11) are two specific words which can easily take the place of rest, or death, to be more precise.
Death is clearly mocked by Donne, who decides to use a rather vulgar tone to his poem. The tone, in literary writing, refers to the attitude that the author has with its main subject. When observing the clear attitude that Donne displays, it is clear that he is criticizing death for its cause— “And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell” (line 10); however, he is also stating that it cannot completely take an individual, for “One short sleep past, we wake eternally” (line 13). Donne illustrates that death can never have an eternal hold on an individual.
With his unique point of view, Donne uses diction to his advantage. Instead of symbolizing death with its adverse consequences, he uses the arrangement of words to depict a sense of positivity in the minds of the readers. “And soonest our best men with thee do go, / Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery” (lines 7 and 8). These two lines present a clear understanding of alacrity on the author’s part, for he is sure of his stance. Observing this effect, Donne addresses death as his audience, making his statements appear more powerful and even challenging death’s behavior.
As noted, the author gives a stern sound to his writing, but there is also literary sound displayed in this sonnet. Donne uses alliteration and assonance to give this poem another keen aspect. “And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then” (line 12)? This line of poetry uses the sound of “th” to display alliteration. Another example is given in line 6. “Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flow.” Donne also uses assonance in line 7. “And soonest our best men with thee do go.” As Donne composes his poem, death plays a key symbol. Displayed clearly in the third quatrain, Donne symbolizes death as sleep, or slumber, indicating that death has distinct limitations.
In the last couplet, Donne refers to this slumber for one last time. “One short sleep past, we wake eternally” (line 13). This sleep personifies death’s symbolism in this sonnet. When observing “Death Be Not Proud,” John Donne makes the theme of death a clear objective in this emotional sonnet. Its most prominent facet is the helplessness of death. The author achieves this theme by criticizing death and its effects. According to Donne, death is pictured as a clear way to eternal life. For Believers, Christ is that true, eternal life!
Death Be Not Proud John Donne. (2022, Dec 13). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/death-be-not-proud-john-donne/