Themes, Motifs and Symbols for John Donnes Poetry

Themes ............... Lovers as Microcosms Donne incorporates the Renaissance notion of the human body as a microcosm into his love poetry. During the Renaissance, many people believed that the microcosmic human body mirrored the macrocosmic physical world. According to this belief, the intellect governs the body, much like a king or queen governs the land. Many of Donne’s poems—most notably â€Å"The Sun Rising† (1633), â€Å"The Good-Morrow† (1633), and â€Å"A Valediction: Of Weeping† (1633)—envision a lover or pair of lovers as being entire worlds unto themselves. But rather than use the analogy to imply that the whole world can be compressed into a small space, Donne uses it to show how lovers become so enraptured with each other that they†¦show more content†¦The speaker of Holy Sonnet 18 asks Christ to explain which bride, or church, belongs to Christ. Neither poem forthrightly proposes one church as representing the true religion, but nor does either poem reject outri ght the notion of one true church or religion. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Motifs ........... Spheres Donne’s fascination with spheres rests partly on the perfection of these shapes and partly on the near-infinite associations that can be drawn from them. Like other metaphysical poets, Donne used conceits to extend analogies and to make thematic connections between otherwise dissimilar objects. For instance, in â€Å"The Good-Morrow,† the speaker, through brilliant metaphorical leaps, uses the motif of spheres to move from a description of the world to a description of globes to a description of his beloved’s eyes to a description of their perfect love. Rather than simply praise his beloved, the speaker compares her to a faultless shape, the sphere, which contains neither corners nor edges. The comparison to a sphere also emphasizes the way in which his beloved’s face has become the world, as far as the speaker is concerned. In â€Å"A Valediction: Of Weeping,† the speaker uses the spherical shapeShow MoreRelatedWhen I Have Fears, by John Keats and Holy Sonnet 1, by John Donnes1660 Words   |  7 PagesMortality is a moving and compelling subject. This end is a confirmation of one’s humanity and the end of one’s substance. Perhaps that is why so many writers and poets muse about their own death in their writings. Keats and John Donne are two such examples of musing poets who share the human condition experience in When I Have Fears and Holy Sonnet 1. Keats begins each quatrain of the Shakespearean sonnet with a modifier, and each modifier indexes the subject of that quatrain. The modifierRead Morethatcher4803 Words   |  20 Pagesfeel the fell of dark†¦Ã¢â‚¬  2. William Shakespeare, Sonnets 1-7 3. John Donne, â€Å"Valediction Forbidding Mourning†, â€Å"The Flea†, â€Å"Hymn to God, My God in my Sickness† 4. George Herbert, â€Å"The Collar†, â€Å"The Altar†, â€Å"Love III† 5. Andrew Marvell, â€Å"To his Coy Mistress† 6. T.S. Eliot, â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock†, â€Å"Journey of the Magi† 2. Poems for individual reading: 1. William Shakespeare Sonnet 73 (â€Å"That time of year†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) 2. John Donne, â€Å"Holy Sonnet I† (â€Å"Thou hast made me†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ), â€Å"Holy Sonnet IX†Read MorePoems with Theme with Life and Death and Their Analysis8446 Words   |  34 PagesEI WAI KHAING AN ANALYSIS OF THEMES ON LIFE AND DEATH OF SOME POEMS Abstract: Some basic elements of poem and types of poem are included in this paper. Although there are countless number of poems on Life and Death, only the ones which seem noteworthy are studied and analysed in terms of themes. Different opinions of different poets on life and death found in their poems are also presented and contrasted in this paper. This paperRead MoreAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 Pagess inner feelings emphasis on the imagination over reason and intuition over facts urbanization versus nostalgia for nature burden of the Puritan past Genre/Style: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · literary tale character sketch slave narratives, political novels poetry transcendentalism Effect: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · helps instill proper gender behavior for men and women fuels the abolitionist movement allow people to re-imagine the American past Historical Context: ï‚ · ï‚ · expansion of magazines, newspapers, and bookRead MoreStudy Guide Literary Terms7657 Words   |  31 Pagesmeanings, a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning 4. allusion- A reference in one literary work to a character or theme found in another literary work. T. S. Eliot, in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock alludes (refers) to the biblical figure John the Baptist in the line Though I have seen my head (grown slightly bald) brought in upon a platter, . . . In the New Testament, John the Baptists head was presented to King Herod on a platter 5. ambiguity-A statement which can contain two or more