The Peace in the Absence of Tears

             One of the most common fears is the fear of losing someone who is close to you. The drama caused by such events make impressions on a person that can last a lifetime. Many people spend years mourning a death. John Donne deals with these ideas in his poem "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning". He centers on the wasted energy of mourning, and the consequences of it. There are better ways to deal with a loss of that magnitude. Death does not have to cause the end of other lives around it. The poem is meant to offer peace to someone who has lost a loved one. .

             A valediction is a farewell. It is a speech often given at a funeral. John Donne was the dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London for many years. He gave many valedictions in his days as the dean, unfortunately one of his valedictions may have been for his lost wife. Donne was very well educated and grew up surrounded by the church and the arts. These influences no doubt helped to shape his views on love and the passing of life.

             .

             Each stanza of "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" is tied together by an " a - b - a - b" rhyme scheme. This is not surprising because of the calming effect expected of this poem. The steady back and forth motion of the rhyme calms down the reader, much as a hug that rocks you back and forth calms you. This poem's purpose is to offer peace to those who read it. The steady use of rhyme provides a rhythmic, serene environment. In addition to a well-developed rhyme scheme, Donne employs very few end stops. The only time periods are used is to end a stanza, all other line breaks are handled by commas or no punctuation at all. This once again adds a natural and peaceful flow to the poem. .

             The first three stanzas of the poem deal with the way people react to a death. When there is a death, people carry on and waste time and energy crying - "So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move, " ( 5 - 6 ).

Related Essays: