Batter my heart, three-person’d god - John Donne

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Batter my heart, three-person’d god - John Donne

1. The paradox in the first quatrain is that god is supposed to be a

good person but in this poem he isn’t. The speaker wants god to

destroy him and remake him so he could have chance at salvation. The

three person’d god represents the ways in which god will manifest his

power in the task of giving the speaker salvation. The speaker is

compare to an usurped town in may ways. The speaker is compared to a

land were two political parties are having a conflict. In the parallel

lines 2 and 4 knock and break represent god and how he uses direct

force. Breath and blow represent the holy spirit and how it is some

thing you can make. A spirit is not something you can feel. Burn and

shine is Jesus and how he enlightened the people. The pun is how the

heart represents the speakers believes. No matter what god does he

cant change it. So he tells god to beat him into salvation.

2. The speaker compares himself to and usurped town where there is

conflict. God is the minor political party or train of thought and the

usurper is the devil who is the dominating party. Reason plays a big

part because as in partisan faction, citizens have the choice to chose

their beliefs. The speaker is saying his reason is leaning him towards

the devil. This reason however is weak because god has absolute power

and can change it at any time.

3. The speaker compares himself to an unfaithful wife who has been

caught and is taking her punishment willingly. The speaker also

compares god to the absolute power of the husband in that era. The

enemy is compared to the devil who is the man that the wife is having

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