Explication on Death, Be Not Proud（John Donne的Death, Be Not Proud英文诗歌鉴赏）

吴楚琪 138班 1318100014

Explication on Death, Be Not Proud

Ⅰ.1. The poem first appeared titled “Holy Sonnet X” in a collection of 19 sonnets by John Donne. Then it came to be known as “Death, Be Not Proud” (after the first four words of the poem). It was written between 1601 and 1610—the exact year is uncertain—and published after Donne died. He was deeply affected by the death of his wife and meanwhile he was leading a much harder life than before. Maybe it is these difficulties that gave him a deeper understanding to life and death. 2. Praise

Though some people are terrified of death, there are still some people whom death cannot threaten. Death itself is not able to do many things. Neither it can die, nor can it take away people whose lives are not at an end such as the poet himself. Actually death is a kind of rest or sleep, and people can even have pleasure from death because death can release them from the difficulties or tiredness in their lives. Related to the previous part of the poem, death is only a servant of fate, chance, kings, and desperate men because it is unable to take away people’s lives under its will. Death colludes in taking people’s lives with poison, war and sickness, but charms and poppies can also take away people’s lives and they even do a better job. Most importantly, death is only a temporary sleep and after that we may be on the way to eternality where death no longer exists. Actually, death is worthless and there is need to be scared of it. Ⅱ. Form:

1. It is an Italian sonnet (abba abba cddc ee). Although not every line shares a same metrical pattern, most of the lines are of iambic pentameter. One exception in meter is line No.9”Thou art/slave to/fate, chance, /kings and/despe /rate men”, which is of hexameter. Another exception is line No.1”Death, be/not proud, /though some/have called thee”, which is of tetrameter.

2. ⑴Alliteration: almost the whole is written in alliteration and the following are

some examples:

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow

⑵Personification: the poet personifies the Death as a person, and the personification shows in adjectives like “proud” which shows the emotion or feeling of the Death, and the poet called the Death “thee (you)” and “salve to fate...”. Moreover, the poet also personifies the fate, sickness, poison and so on.

⑶Metaphor: As the founder of metaphysical school, the poet uses conceit in the poem. He compares death to sleep, which is a rarely used metaphor. The metaphor shows the poet’s fearlessness and calmness to death.

⑷Paradox: The last line “Death, thou shalt die” uses paradox because it’s wired to ask death itself to die. This shows the poet’s contempt for death. Ⅲ. Content

1. Theme: The theme is “human’s contempt for death”. The poem tells the reader that death has no right to be proud, since human beings do not die but live eternally after “one short sleep.” The poet lifts the dreadful and mighty mask of death by explaining the fact death cannot control our lives and what really dominate are fate, opportunity and so on. Most importantly, people’s lives can be eternal.

2. Evaluation: As one of the most popular English poem in the history, Death, Be Not Proud represents a detached and shows contempt and calmness for death, and points out death cannot decide people’s lives and lives could never end. The poem reflects the poet’s detached and bold attitude towards death as well as his religious belief. It’s a very special opinion about death at that time and I think it also helps diversify humans’ views to death and encourage people lessen the fear to death. Similarly, the poet mentions some people died and they free themselves from all the misery in their lives. John Donne offers us a different angle of viewing death.

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