Poems and John Donne's "Death, be not Proud" Analysis

Analysis

In John Donne's poem "Death, be not Proud", he personifies death and gives his thoughts about the permanence and effect of death, stating that he, and all others cannot be conquered by death. He even goes so far as to mock his personification of death, stating the verse’s titular “be not Proud”, telling death that it is a slave to war and famine and comparing death to opiate intoxication or sleep.

The first few verses, I believe, speak specifically of John Donne’s personal and possibly religious beliefs. He says, “…nor yet canst thou kill me,” in reference to his belief in either the afterlife or reincarnation of some variety; this may also be in reference to his hopefulness that he will be immortalized by his poetic work, thus “cheating” death of taking his memory.

In the following lines Donne writes “From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,” which I believe eludes to his idea that sleep is of a similar condition to death, and that as sleep (or rest) is not something to be feared, as is death and in fact, according to “Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,” to perhaps be welcomed or thanked rather than feared.

The next section and the closing section after that Donne chastises death, “Thou art slave to Fat, Chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well, And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then,” by this he means that death should not be proud, as instead of mastering man, it is a slave to man’s wars and famines, and continues in saying that as opiate intoxication can mimic death and “better than thy stroake”, death should be mocked instead of feared. The last two lines refer back to Donne’s religious beliefs of reincarnation or afterlife, “One short sleep past, wee wake eternally,” meaning that after “One short sleep” (or death), “wee wake eternally”, waking eternally as a metaphor to his belief of eternal life, bliss, and knowledge that his vision of an afterlife would provide.

John Donne’s work, “Death, be not Proud” is an excellent example of metaphors and personification, but also aside from its literary components, expresses a possible deeper meaning to death (and life), while also expressing the author’s inner thoughts and beliefs.

Poems

Rhyming a skeltonic is often like mountain climbing

You must make sure to keep your timing when rhyming

So that your verses sound like bells chiming

Be careful that you don’t sound ridiculous

As in time

Your verses may sound as sour as a lime

An old lego set is dusty, worn, broken,

Scattered over hundreds of miles and two states

Cracked and bitten and scratched

Containing memories of old constructions and experiments

As well as forever being my favorite toy


A gnat sat on a rat

Who in turn was chased by a cat

Followed by a woman threatening with an old wooden bat

The cat jumped and knocked off the woman's hat

But still could not catch the pesky rat