An Analysis Of Death Be Not Proud By John Donne - 849 Words

John Donne automatically tells us who the speaker is addressing in his poem â€Å"Death be Not Proud†; death. The speaker uses apostrophe and addresses death, an abstract idea, as if it were a person. The poet pretends that death is capable of understanding his feelings, as he informally confronts death and belittles him, and tells death to not be arrogant because even though some have called him mighty and fearful, he is not. People call death these things and fear him so much for no reason, because even though people think that he kills, the people he’s taken are not really dead. The speaker states that â€Å"Poor death† cannot kill him either, he’d simply be giving him more pleasure than he would get from resting and sleeping. The speaker states†¦show more content†¦Such as how when sickness is done with its victims and they have been riddled with diseases, it passes on its leftovers for Death to finish. All of Death’s work relies on following around more powerful beings, who are doing the killing while he creates no harm or pain. The speaker then tells Death â€Å"And poppyor charms can make us sleep as well/ And better than thy stroke; why swellst thou then.† Here, the speaker is telling Death that we don’t even need death for a death and pleasurable sleep, we have other things such as poppy seeds and narcotics that would make us sleep just as well. He asks Death why he is so arrogant if we have all these things to replace Death. In these lines, the speaker is being condescending to death and referring to Death as nothing more than a sleep inducer before one’s step into eternal life. The speaker then asks death why he boasts the position he has been given if fate, chance, kings, and desperate men are those in charge of overthrowing lives, and if we have poppy seeds and charms that give us more pleasure than Death. The speaker does contradicts himself here, when he states that poppy seed and charms make people sleep â€Å"better than thy stroke.† The speaker was previously saying t hat Death’s touch is a kind of gift in disguise because he said that people have everlasting life; people do not really die when they are touched by Death, they are instead just moved to Heaven. TheShow MoreRelatedJohn Donne Death Be Not Proud Analysis799 Words   |  4 PagesIs Death the Finale? Death has always been an intriguing topic in literature. Writers have been confounded by the idea of death and the unknown afterlife for centuries. Some people believe death is the end of all things because nothing can withstand it. In John Donne’s poem, â€Å"Death, be not proud,† the poet explains his personal understanding of death and its permanence. This poem is a narrative sonnet. Although this sonnet follows the rhyme scheme of an Italian sonnet (abba cddc effe gg), it alsoRead MoreAnalysis Of Death Be Not Proud By John Donne1488 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout his poems, John Donne uses literary devices, such as imagery and diction, to discuss an overarching theme of death along with its religious implications, done most noticeably in the Holy Sonnet â€Å"Death Be Not Proud† and the lyrical poem â€Å"Hymn to God, My God, In My Sickness.† He also elaborates on the complexity of emotion, particularly in the metaphysical love poem, â€Å"The Flea .† Donne’s witty and clever style paired with his affinity for social and religious commentary allows his works toRead MoreAnalysis Of Death Be Not Proud By John Donne745 Words   |  3 PagesThe Holy Sonnet, â€Å"Death Be Not Proud† written by John Donne. He was the founder of metaphysical poems in the Elizabeth period and a religious figure. 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