Contexualist Perception in Death Be Not Proud

1641 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The meaning of poetry

Contexualist Perception in Death Be Not Proud

One of the most fascinating views of life is the contextualistic perception. Contextualists seek to understand the essential human passions of the world. As a contexualist interpreting a poem, it is portentous to observe the passion of the poem. A contextualist draws the sensations out of the poet's mind. It focuses on the emotional thoughts and vivid ideas created in the picture painted by the poet. There is always a picture, some sort of portrait of emotion the writer wants to express to the reader in order to build a connection. The connection is made when he can successfully duplicate the same picture in his mind to the reader. Contextualists seek the deeper meaning behind the story. They appreciate the vividness and intensity that life, and even death, has to offer.

No poem of John Donne's is more widely read or more directly associated with Donne than the tenth of the Holy Sonnets,"Death, be not proud." Donne's reputation as a morbid preacher was well-known. He had a portrait of himself made while posed in a winding-sheet so that he could contemplate a personalized memento of death. Donne draws upon a popular subject in medieval and Renaissance art, Le roi mort or King Death. His fascination with death reaches another plateau with this poem. He almost welcomes it and denounces the process as being neither horrifying nor the "end-all be-all." In a contextual point of view, he works to rupture habitual thinking and bring attention to the intensity and depth of a situation by creating doubt or offering a new aspect of his subject. Donne takes this poem and pours forth an array of visions that directly connects to the contextualist in a look at death, the pa...

... middle of paper ...

...s now.

Religion has been an area of doubt for me for many years. My faith in the Christian religion has wavered so much, yet there was so much I did not know. So I took a Bible and Literature class this semester. It was the best decision I could have ever made. I learned so much from studying the Bible as a piece of literature rather than a faith. It allowed me to question the teachings I learned as a young child, and I did not feel guilty for disagreeing with what I had learned. It has made me want to learn more and question more in order to experience the true passions behind religious faith.

In conclusion, I am a contextualist thinker/perceiver of the world. Poetry is of the most mysterious and wonderful pieces of literature, in my opinion, because it allows your mind to reach into the depth of your soul and express emotion and truth through passion.

Show More
Related

  • Holy Sonnet 10

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    William Penn, an English philosopher and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, once said that, “For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity.” He is saying that death is not the end of our lives, but just another stage. In the poem “Holy Sonnet 10” by John Donne, the poet talks to death itself and gives his opinion on his view of death and others’ views: it is something that cannot control anything, can be replaced by others things, and is not the end of a person’s life. Through the use of his figurative language, Petrachan form, and tone and language, Mr. Donne expresses the message that death is not to be feared because one lives on in heaven.

    Read More

  • Interpretation of A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    In arguing against mourning and emotional confusion, Donne uses a series of bold and unexpected comparisons for the love between himself and his lady. Donne makes his first surprising analogy in the first stanza when he compares the approaching separation of the lovers to death. "he speaker compares his parting from his lover to the parting of the soul from a virtuous man at death. According to the speaker, "virtuous men pass mildly away" (line 1) because the virtue in their lives has assured them of glory and happiness in the afterlife; therefore, they die in peace without fear and emotion. By this he suggests that the separation of the lovers is parrallel to the separation caused by death.

    Read More

  • Division of the Body and Soul in John Donne's "The Funeral" and "Sonnet 3"

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Donne's "The Funeral" and "Holy Sonnet 3" are undeniably similar in their discussions of the separation of the body and soul. Each poem deals directly with the idea of death and afterlife. However, the topic of death is referred to not as an ending but more of as a beginning to a new life, exclusively for the soul. Each poem reflects the soul being released from the body as a way of cleansing the spirit while allowing the mind to rid itself of things that might have troubled the speaker while living. Through death the soul is given a second life, free of previous concerns and with new virginity to the blessings of the afterlife.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of John Donne's A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

    757 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...r roles complicates the daily household experience between Baroque married couples. Donne uses remarkable terms to describe his love and affection towards his wife which is rarely expected in the household duties of the Baroque, while his insistence about his wife keeping silent in public about their parting and staying firm till he comes back is an evident example of those norms. However, the poem “A Valediction: Forbidding mourning” mostly complicates the Baroque gender norms rather than supporting them. Men or women in the Baroque age would be confused about the way norms are laid out in this poem due to the contradictions between the roles and Donne’s affection towards his wife. In this age, the poem could be seen as a romantic gesture by which, Donne tries to plant hope in his wife’s heart, which is a great contradiction to the gender roles of the Baroque age.

    Read More

  • Compare Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night And Because I Could Not Wait For Death

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    The two poems, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”, by Dylan Thomas and, “Because I Could Not Wait for Death”, by Emily Dickinson, we find two distinct treatments on the same theme, death. Although they both represent death, they also represent it as something other than death. Death brings about a variety of different feelings, because no two people feel the same way or believe the same thing. The fact that our faith is unknown makes the notion of death a common topic, as writers can make sense of their own feelings and emotions and in the process hope to make readers make sense of theirs too. Both Dickinson and Thomas are two well known and revered poets for their eloquent capture of these emotions. The poems both explore death and the

    Read More

  • Death Be Not Proud Tone

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Donne’s famous sonnet, “Death, Be Not Proud,” was published in 1633 shortly after his death. Donne’s transition from the Catholic religion to Anglicanism was greatly portrayed in many of his religious work. “Death, Be Not Proud” was no acceptation to this concept. “Death, Be Not Proud” was written in order to portray Donne’s belief in an afterlife, and to portray how the final destination in life is not death but rather a place in the afterlife. His poem, “Death, Be Not Proud, portrays the message that Death is not as almighty as he believes due to Death being a delivery man for souls between life and the afterlife. Donne’s belief on how Death is nothing to fear because an afterlife awaits us after death is seen through the poem’s structure,

    Read More

  • The Flea and The Sun Rising

    1643 Words  | 4 Pages

    The metaphysical era in poetry started in the 17th century when a number of poets extended the content of their poems to a more elaborate one which investigated the principles of nature and thought. John Donne was part of this literary movement and he explored the themes of love, death, and religion to such an extent, that he instilled his own beliefs and theories into his poems. His earlier works, such as The Flea and The Sunne Rising, exhibit his sexist views of women as he wrote more about the physical pleasures of being in a relationship with women. However, John Donne displays maturity and adulthood in his later works, The Canonization and A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, in which his attitude transcends to a more grown up one. The content of his earlier works focused on pursuing women for his sexual desires, which contrasts heavily with his latter work. John Donne’s desire for physical pleasure subsides and he seeks to gain an emotional bond with women, as expressed in his later poetry.

    Read More

  • Emerson's Philosophy

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    The way in which one views the phenomenon of nature can define the character of that individual. How one interprets the sight of nature has the ability to identify that individual as a poet. One who views nature simply and at face value like a child rather than manipulating and falsely analyzing as an adult would, is a poet. Emer...

    Read More

  • Poem Analysis of Meditation 17 by John Donne

    1446 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is quite feasible to state that poetry at its finest is a dazzling and expressive art of words. A poem not only can expose the diplomatic beliefs of societies, but can also articulate passions and sentiments of the author to whom the poem belongs. One of the many fine poems that have been prevalent among the study of literature that is irrefutably powerful is Meditation 17 by John Donne. This poetic essay exposes John Donne’s opinions and beliefs on humanity, and covers much cogitation from religion all the way to death. Of course, the poem has been written so profoundly that one may not grasp it completely at first glimpse, however John Donne does use explicit strategies to better convey his message to readers of all sorts. John Donne utilizes situation, structure, language, and musical devices to enhance the poem and to aid in delivering his message efficiently.

    Read More

  • Death, Be Not Proud by John Donne

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    In John Donne’s sonnet “Death, Be Not Proud” death is closely examined and Donne writes about his views on death and his belief that people should not live in fear of death, but embrace it. “Death, Be Not Proud” is a Shakespearean sonnet that consists of three quatrains and one concluding couplet, of which I individually analyzed each quatrain and the couplet to elucidate Donne’s arguments with death. Donne converses with death, and argues that death is not the universal destroyer of life. He elaborates on the conflict with death in each quatrain through the use of imagery, figurative language, and structure. These elements not only increase the power of Donne’s message, but also symbolize the meaning of hope of eternal life as the ultimate escape to death.

    Read More

  • John Donne's The Holy Sonnets

    1098 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Summary Of I Died For Beauty-But Was Scarce

    781 Words  | 2 Pages

    Death is a prominent pre-occupation in Emily Dickinson’s poetry that through compelling imagery constructs a repellently morbid picture in the reader's mind, epitomizing interesting ideas about people and their experiences in adjusting to their own mortality. Dickinson’s use of a caesura in the opening line, “I died for beauty-but was scarce”, is a visual trigger for the reader insinuating that the speaker is trying to come to terms with her death, she is nervous about continuing and as she pauses the reader pauses with her. Dickinson's use of evocative imagery and ambiguity conducts interesting ideas about people and their experiences. This forces the reader to immediately question how the speaker is dead and yet speaking?(PAUSE) Is the speaker truly dead or metaphorically stating that she died for an ideal?(PAUSE) The persona was also scarce, as in rare, in that it was unusual that someone could die for beauty and how seldom it is to find one who is willing to live in accordance with their ideals and principles. When the persona who died searching for some truth is introduced into the poem, through the metaphor “when one who died for truth was lain”, they respect and identify with one another after configuring that they both had given their lives on the altar of principle. Intriguing ideas are presented about people and their interactive

    Read More

  • Death Not Be Proud And Ozymandius Comparison

    570 Words  | 2 Pages

    Death has not always been thought of as the final frontier, or the end of life. In John Donne’s sonnet “Death Not Be Proud” which is apart of a collection of sonnets known as The Holy Sonnets, is a series of 19 sonnets that embrace the concept of metaphysics, while embracing the Christian faith, he challenges the concept of death (Ferry, 1975). Donne personifies death, and addressing death as an

    Read More

  • John Donne's A Valediction: Forbidding

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning by John Donne. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2012. 1275-276. Print.

    Read More

  • Thomas Sterns Eliot and William Butler Yeats' Poetry

    1408 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The point of view which I am struggling to attack is perhaps related to the metaphysical theory of the substantial unity of the soul: for my meaning is, that the poet has, not a ‘personality' to express, but a particular medium, which is only a medium and not a personality, in which impressions and experiences combine in peculiar and unexpected ways."

    Read More

More about Contexualist Perception in Death Be Not Proud

Open Document