Analysis of Holy Sonnet XIV

During his later years in life, John Donne's latter poetry took his controversial themes and applied them to religious matters rather than secular affairs; as "The Flea". "Holy Sonnet XIV" is a plea to the Divine to have a more pronounced impact in the life of the speaker.

The first quatrain of the poem acknowledges the power and nature of God. The narrator specifically refers to the Divine as "three-person'd God" to reflect his religious beliefs. He acknowledges that his ultimate fate is within God's hands, that the Divine could "...break, blow, burn, and make me new". The narrator has no delusions of grandeur: God is the omnipotent one; the one who determines the final judgement of all beings. In fact, the narrator beseeches God to 'batter my heart"; to test his faithfulness.

The second quatrain reinforces the narrator's desire to submit himself to the will of the Divine. He essentially demands to be tried; as even suffering yields lessons that may be useful in the here and now. By his reasoning, the Divine owes him at least that much.

The concluding sestet is where Donne's controversial themes and symbols are most apparent. He begs for the following from God:

Take me to you, imprison me, for I,

Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,

Nor ever chatse, except you ravish me.

The sexual connotations here are apparent: to be extremely blunt on the matter, he is asking God to rape him. This isn't that outlandish considering the author; Donne sees religious enlightenment in the same sense as sexual ecstasy. To the narrator, anything that he could apply to his earthly life would suffice; as he'd rather not wait until heaven for the glories of God.

Throughout the poem, the narrator seeks some kind of action from the Divine to help him in his earthly life. Any kind of revelation would be an orgasmic experience; something Donne repeats throughout his other works.

Sources:

-http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/donne/themes.html

John Milton: A Biography

John Milton; considered the greatest writer in the history of English literature after Shakespeare, was born December 9, 1608, in London, and died about November 8, 1674, possibly in London. His works include "Paradise Lost"; his most notable piece, "Paradise Regained", and "Samson Agonistes". He was deeply opposed to the English monarchy.

Milton received an excellent education as he matured; in no small par due to his family's financial prosperity. He was taught classical languages, and developed a lifelong appreciation of music from his father. Milton was a hardworking student, but he was also very argumentative; he was suspended from Cambridge in 1626 after a tense dispute with his mentor. He also partook in several years of private studies and literary composition at his family homes.

As the English Civil War began to brew, Milton aligned himself with Oliver Cromwell and the Roundheads.With the Cromwellian government in control, Milton was appointed Secretary for Foreign Tongues and wrote several pieces for the government. In 1652, Milton lost both his eyesight and wife of ten years; Mary Powell. He was briefly thrown in jail in June 1660 after King Charles II was restored to the throne in May of that year.

With the restoration of the Crown, Milton remarried, and spent his time tutoring students and writing his masterpiece: "Paradise Lost"; first published in 1667. The astounding thing is that he managed to write the multi-book epic poem in spite of his blindness. He worked around this by composing the verses in head, and recited them by memory for his aides to scribe in his stead. He wrote several more works for the next 7 years, and then died peacefully of gout in 1674.

John Milton is remembered mostly for his masterpiece"Paradise Lost"; written in spite of being blind. He is also remembered for his opposition against the English crown and his involvement within the Cromwellian government.

Sources:

-http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/383113/John-Milton

-http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/milton/miltonbio.htm

Analysis of "The Flea"-Carpe Diem

In John Donne's poem "The Flea", Donne uses the symbolism of a flea as a means through which he attempts to seduce a lover to become intimate with him. It is a piece of poetry that hails from Donne's "Carpe Diem" period; when his main focus within his works focused on worldly matters rather than those dealing with faith.

The purpose of this piece is, to put it rather bluntly, for Donne to bed his reluctant partner. The poem begins with the following lines:

MARK but this flea, and mark in this,

How little that which thou deniest me is ;

The flea here has easy access to what Donne finds his lover hesitant to give him: her blood. Donne downplays what the flea has taken; in this way trying to get his mistress to not regard her virginity as highly as she does. Donne also mentions how that committing a sexual act would not be "a sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead", further trying to disarm his wary lover.

The second part of this sexual poem describes the flea in such terms:

This flea is you and I, and this

Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is.

This symbolizes the flea as a living sign of the consummation of the couple's relationship. While it isn't within the formal sense a marriage, Donne uses this bit to describe how he and his mistress are, in the physical sense, already betrothed to one another. Via the flea, the pair has already combined bodily fluids, and therefore have already become intimate with each other in a sense.

The third part of "The Flea" ends with the lover crushing the flea to death. Donne asks how the lea is guilty of anything "Except in that drop which it suck'd from thee?" In this way, Donne compares himself to the flea in how they both just want a little "blood". The way he presents it again downplays its importance again; suggesting that maybe his love should be more inclined to share her "blood".

"The Flea" is one of John Donne's lusty seduction poems from his "Carpe Diem" days of his poetry. The overtly sexual nature of the piece contrasts greatly with his later, more religiously centered works.

Sources:

-http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/donne/section3.rhtml

John Donne: A Biography

English poet John Donne was born sometime between Janurary 24 and June 19 of 1572 in London, England, and died March 31, 1631, in London. Often considered the greatest love poet in the English language, he is renowned as the founder of the Metaphysical poets; who are known for their ability to starle the reader and encourage a new perspective through methods such as subtle argument, inventive syntax, and religious imagery. He is also noted for his religious verses, treatises, and sermons.

Donne was born to Roman Catholic parents, and his mother was a direct descendant of Sir Thomas Moore's sister. Donne's lifetime was during a period of both religious and political turmoil: Catholics were a persecuted minority within England. His education included three years of study at the University at Oxford, and, with some probability, the University of Cambridge. He married Anne More; the daughter of Sir George More, in secrecy. As a result of this, Donne was denied her dowry, was briefly imprisoned, and his chances for a career in public service were effectively shattered.

Finding himself within poverty at the age of thirty, Donne spent the next ten years living off the charity of his wife's cousin. He fathered twelve children; with five of them dying before reaching adulthood. During this time, Donne wrote and studied dutifully; producing works such as prose works on theology and canon law, alongside religious poetry. Starting around 1607, Donne's friends began to urge him to consider Holy Orders. He was ordained a deacon and a priest on January 23, 1615, and he become revered for the power and eloquence of his sermons.

Looking at Donne's work, he essentially had two different periods in which he did his work: his "Carpe Diem" stage, and his more reverent state. The difference between the two was a secular, more worldly Donne, versus a Donne more concerned with Anglican teachings and doctrine. An example of a piece from the "Carpe Diem" era would be "The Flea"; a seduction poem to a lover attempting to downplay virginity and to consummate the relationship between the narrator and his mistress. He uses the symbol of the flea as a metaphor for several concepts; namely the relationship between the lovers, and the virginity of his mistress alongside its insignificance.

John Donne;one of English's most influential poets, went from a worldly life to one concerned with the dealing of faith. His quest to advance himself within the sphere of public service ultimately led him to seek the rites of holy orders and to focus his efforts on religious works.

Sources:

-"John Donne." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/169175/John-Donne>.

- http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/243

Analysis of Sonnet CXXX: The Dark Lady

Sonnet CXXX by Shakespeare is ones of the series of sonnets describing the narrator's relationship with a woman known only as The Dark Lady. The sonnet compares his love to different objects like many other love poems, but accentuates her negatives rather than her positives. However, the narrator eventually uses these less than flattering analogies to make a point about the Lady.

The poem's imagery of the Dark Lady would paint her as almost unlovable if taken at face value. His line "If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun" (line 3) note his mistress's difference in skin tone compared to white women. Upper class white women of the day bore pale skin; an indication of their lack of participation in physical labor. Therefore,the Dark Lady would be identified as a woman of much lower class. He also has no qualms pointing out other deficiencies; such as he bad breath in lines 7-8.

However, after mentioning what the Dark Lady is not, the narrator mentions the one thing she is:

And yet by heaven, i think my love is rare,

As any she belied with false compare. (Lines 13-14)

Unlike all the other class women white like snow, the Dark Lady is a deeper person. She is not a shallow woman simply interested in sex or social status; she is someone the narrator can truly call a companion. They share an intimate relationship because it is not based off each other's looks or place in society.

Unlike the narrator's previous love, the Fair Youth, the relationship with the Dark Lady is based of personality rather than beauty. In my opinion, this would be the more satisfying relationship to be involved in. While the Fair Youth had his charms, the narrator was able to create this relationship with the Lady based of the person rather than the looks of the person. While anyone could enjoy pleasures from a beautiful partner, it is simply casual: no intimate relationship is made. The missing intimacy is what turns a one-night stand into a lifelong commitment.

Sonnet CXXX is one of several the describe the narrator's affair with the Black Lady. In contrast to the Fair Youth, however, the narrator bases the relationship off the Lady's genuine nature rather than her external looks.

Sources:

http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/sonnet/130

Shakespearean Sonnets: Analysis of Sonnet I

Besides being credited with over 37 stage productions, Shakespeare's name is also attributed to over 154 sonnets. Upon closer inspection these sonnets; when put together, tell a story with a defined plot and characters. These characters include the narrator's love interests; known as the Fair Youth and the Dark Lady, and a rival poet of the narrator. This entry will attempt to unravel the words and imagery of the first Sonnet of this rather lengthy series.

The first sonnet is part of the group of sonnets referring to the Fair Youth. The first four lines describes the Youth's beauty; both physically and mentally, and the narrator's passionate admiration of this beauty. However, they also make mention of the Youth's mortality; how time and death will steal this beauty from him. In spite of this, there is always the hope that the Youth's children; the next generation, will continue to bear his elegance in his name. It is paradox of life: it gives only to take away, and we live only to die.

The next quatrain deals with the Youth's capacity to harm both himself and others. With all the features lauded by the narrator, there is also the cruel happenstance of being human. If anything, the youth's beauty is an imperfect reality. Human nature is imperfect; we are subject to negative emotions such as greed and avarice, we have the potential to lie, and many other blemishes among the human condition. Therefore, the sad truth is that, either through the actions of himself or others, this imperfect beauty may collapse entirely.

The last quatrain further affirms the narrator's affection towards the Fair Youth. The narrator describes the Youth as "the world's fresh ornament" (9) and as the "only herald to the gaudy spring" (10). These lines refer to to the Youth through romantic pretenses; highlighting the positive at the expense of the negative. The "rose-colored glasses" of affection, if you will. The next to lines are terms of endearment; playful in their approach. The narrator uses this quatrain to express his endearment more clearly towards the Youth.

The couplet that concludes the piece defines the depth of the narrator's feeling towards the fair youth. His language suggests how, although they are both due back to the earth from which they came, the narrator fully intends to make the most of it he can. He plans to overindulge in feelings; passions that may never be fully satisfied.

Sources:

http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/sonnet/1

Welcome!

Hello,

This is Wanco's Poetry Blog: a place where I am going to reflect on pieces of poetry as per school assignment. I wish to whomever views this blog finds my reflections satisfactory and insightful. Enjoy your stay!

-Brandon Wancowicz