John Donne's Holy Sonnets

A detailed Summary of John Donne's Holy Sonnets

The Holy Sonnets By making many references to the Bible, John Donne's Holy Sonnets reveal his want to be accepted and forgiven by God. A fear of death without God's forgiveness of sins is conveyed in these sonnets. Donne expresses extreme anxiety and fright that Satan has taken over his soul and God won't forgive him for it or his sins. A central theme of healing and forgiveness imply that John Donne, however much he wrote about God and being holy, wasn't such a holy man all of the time and tried to make up for it in his writing.

In sonnet 1, the speaker is talking to God. He tells God that his death is near. He feels that with all of the sins he has committed he is leaning towards hell instead of heaven. Satan has tempted him too much and he doesn't know if he can even go an hour without giving in to Satan's evil ways. The speaker asks God to give him wings so that he may ascend into heaven and prevent Satan from taking him to hell. There is a sense of manipulation in the speaker in the beginning of the sonnet. "Thou hast made me, and shall thy work decay?" In other words, "You're making your own creation look bad if you don't help me to become holy again." This starts out the sonnet with a bitter tone, a favorable way for D

The end of the world is how sonnet 7 starts out. This is a reminder of the fire reference in sonnet 5, to which sonnet 7 has a strong connection. In this sonnet, the speaker wants to repent so that he will not die like the other mortals who sin. "All whom the flood did, and fire shall, o'erthrow," is an allusion to the Bible once again: the great flood, which Noah built his ark for, and the fire which is to cause the end of the world. And in the first two lines, Donne makes a specific allusion to the book of Revelation 7.1: "I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth." Donne instructs the angels to blow (end the world.)

After reading through and analyzing the Holy Sonnets, it is clear to me that John Donne had a great appreciation for God. He used his writing to express his love for God. In the Holy Sonnets, there are many allusions made to the Bible and references to Satan. By doing so, not only could he praise God, he could degrade all of those opposing God and what seemed to be one of Donne's biggest fears, death.

Another bitter beginning in sonnet 9 is apparent. The questions set the tone to be somewhat childlike. The speaker thinks that just because humans have intent and reason we should not be considered more evil than animals that sin in the same situation. In the ninth line, the tone of the sonnet shifts from a bitter protest to a cowardly plea. The speaker realizes that he is talking to a supreme being and cannot win. Once more, he asks for the forgiveness of his sins and to be accepted by God.

The speaker in sonnet 5 sta

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Approximate Word count = 1081
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English