john donne

A detailed Summary of john donne

Purify my heart for I have sinned: An Irony

In John Donne¯s °Batter my heart, three-personed God; for You,± the moral and religious qualms of the speaker are manifest in a sonnet which seems at first almost like an avowal between lovers. These convictions of guilt, which stem from his sexual emotion, are what induce desire for a creator/creation relationship with God. With further analysis, the violent and sexual slant on the relationship is also revealed.

The first expression provides the reader with an initial framework for the mood of the poem. Donne says, °Batter my heart,± (1) This opening word is the first of an upcoming myriad of terms of violence. The impression given is that the speaker is either a vulnerable and/or masochistic person. However, it becomes evident in the lines ensueing that the speaker is somewhat disconcerted.

Batter my heart, three-personed God; for You

As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;

That I may rise and stand, o¯erthrow me, and bend

Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new. (1-4)

In lines 1 and 3, he is asking God for torment, to be overcome. In lines 2 and 4, he is requesting to be fixed, mended, made new. The speaker is vascillating betw

In the concluding line, the speaker states that he will ever be °chaste, except You ravish me.± Taken literally, the phrase contradicts itself. How does one claim that he will never be virginal, unless he has been raped? It is apparent here that Donne sees a rape from God as purification, a rebirth of virginity; once again, giving emphasis to his need to be punished for his transgressions. This brings into question the exact nature of Donne¯ s relationship with God, and how and why he is so spiritually dependent on God. It is almost curious that God seems to be playing all of these differing roles. Donne wants God to be the °three-personed God,± (1) playing three different roles, the creator/destroyer, restorer/purifier, and raper. The speaker is asking God to purify him, to help him escape Satan¯s grasp, but at the same time he wants to be raped. He wants to be recreated, made °new,± but at the same time °mended,± rectified in morals. The whole intent of the poem seems contradictory, but it is very telling of the speaker¯s religious standing. Donne sees rape as a sort of purification of the soul. It sanctifies °chastity± rather than annihilating it. He requests this violence to cleanse him of his sinful defilements. He wants God to beat the sin out of him because he is tempted by it. His soul is married to the temptation of the world, to the devil and sin. Hence, needs God to imprison him because he feels helpless, aimless; he needs direction. However he cannot see himself free from sin¯s deathly grip. This explains the irony of the concluding lines. The entire poem is filled with irony, and fittingly, the poem ends in a contradiction.

This passion is implicated with a sexual character. °Batter my heart.± (1) In layman¯s terms it would say °hurt me.± Interestingly, the word °heart± during Donne¯s era had a sexual connotation. (A Dictionary of Shakespeare¯s Sexual Puns and their Significance) This definition does not actually come into play until the concluding lines, where he s

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Approximate Word count = 1359
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English