“The Sun Rising” Analysis

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“The Sun Rising” by John Donne is an aubade all about two lovers getting woken up by the sun when all they want to do is lay in bed all day. The entire poem is the speaker, presumably Donne himself, is talking to the sun and telling him to go away. This poem is broken into three stanzas with a rhyme scheme of ABBACDCDEE. Each of those stanzas represents what Donne is telling the sun to do, which is, to go away, I am stronger than you, and that he and his lover are the center of the world. He uses diction all throughout the poem to emphasize that the sun is not welcome in waking him and is lover and throughout all three stanzas to make his three points and to give the overall points of the poem. There are many metaphors used all through the poem and one overall metaphor.
In the beginning of the poem Donne is calling the sun an “old fool” and “unruly”, which shows that he is not grateful for the sun shining through their window and waking them up. The second line and third line, “why dost thou thus? Through windows, and through curtains call on us”, asking the sun why he is awaking him and his lover by coming through the curtains and interrupting their blissful night. He asks another question, “must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run?” asking if lovers have to get up just because the sun has risen. Donne uses the words “saucy, pedantic wretch” to now describe the sun, saying that the sun has power some people but not him and his lover. He then goes on to tell the sun to go “chide” the people it still has power over like, children going to school who are late and apprentices who have overslept and are “sour” about it. The sun should be an indication to the huntsmen that the king will want go out and ride and the sun will also indicate to the “ants” that it is a good day to harvest their crops. The sun should not be waking up the lovers, because love does not change

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