John Donne- A Valediction Forbidding Mourning, Pseudo-Marty

A detailed Summary of John Donne- A Valediction Forbidding Mourning, Pseudo-Marty

John Donne is known today as being the chief writer of verse known as metaphysical poetry, which features elaborate conceits and surprising symbols, wrapped up in original, challenging language structures. John Donne was born to a Roman Catholic family in 1572 on Bread Street in London. Although he was born to a well-known Catholic family, he later converted to Anglicanism during the 1590s. His father died when he was only four and left him and his other two siblings to be raised by their mother. Donne learned his first years of education form Jesuits, but at the age of 11, he entered the University of Oxford. He only studied there for three years before transferring to the University of Cambridge, where he spent the next three years studying. However, he did not receive a degree from either of these universities because he could not take the Oath of Supremacy required to graduate. He began to question his faith when his brother gave shelter to a proscribed Catholic priest and was arrested. His brother died in prison due to a fever in 1593. Soon after, he began his first writings and first book of poems, Satires, which is considered one of his most important literary works. By 1598, his career in law was becoming successful, howe

It was very ironic of Donne to write love poetry and religious poetry. He somewhat contradicted himself through his works. Being a minister in the Anglican Church, he was very spiritual, but as a human being, he lived for life and pleasure. In his poem The Ecstasy, he became very graphic about his love life. During the Renaissance era, this type of writing was not fully accepted, and vulgar. However, Donne also wrote many religious poems such as Hymn to God, my God, in my Sickness. Donne always wanted to fuse love and religion, two contradicting things, and make them looked upon as the same. He only ended up contradicting himself. He later became known as the leader in metaphysical poetry, which challenged itself all of the time.

Hymn to God, my God, in my Sickness mainly surrounds death, heaven, and religion. In the first stanza, the speaker explained that he was, "coming to that Holy room," or a kenning for heaven. He wanted to be made into music, his instrument, or soul must get tuned. In the second stanza he compared himself to a flat map, his sickness coming from the southwest and explained, "Per fretum febris," or by the strait of fever, which was how he felt he would die. He then talked of his different body parts and how they have all, in the end, been affected by his fever. He then asked in the next stanza where his, "home," or heaven is. He believed that the route to heaven was through one of these straits. The speaker then spoke about Adam and Christ, the apple tree and the cross. He described that the cross and tree, "stood in one place," and that the characteristics of both Adam and Christ, "met in me." He was just stating he has worked hard and hopes that Christ will purify his soul. He ended his poem by explaining how he thought he would enter heaven, "So, in His purple wrapp'd, receive me, Lord; / By these His thorns, give me His other crown," He then confirmed in the last three lines that he was a preacher, and preached the Lord's word to many other souls. The poem ended with what he wanted to be the sermon for his death, "Therefore that He may raise, the Lord throws down."

The mood of this poem is gloomy and upsetting. The author feels as if he is dieing and is telling the reader what is going to happen to himself after he has passed away. During the time this poem was written, many people were questioning the faith of the Roman Catholic Church

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Approximate Word count = 1610
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: People