Comparing Meditation And Paul Simon's I Am A Rock

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John Donne’s Meditation XVII speaks about people being a part of society and something vast, while Paul Simon’s I Am a Rock discusses his loneliness, pain and suffering from being a part of society. Simon uses plenty of figurative techniques throughout his lyrics. He uses metaphors such as “I Am a Rock, I am an island”, “I’ve built walls, a fortress deep and mighty, that none may penetrate”, and “Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.” These are all examples of metaphors that have been used in Simon’s song. Donne’s message is that we are all connected to each other in diverse ways and that losing someone affects us all. “If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less” is a metaphor and it’s just saying how if a part of something is taken away, …show more content…

If a part of a community becomes broken apart or taken away, that community isn’t as full as it once was. On the other hand, Simon has a completely different outlook on this. He says that “Friendship causes pain. It’s laughter and it’s loving I disdain.” This completely contradicts Donne’s message, considering that when you’re a part of a community, you typically have numerous friendships or relationships and you generally have fun and create so many memories with these people. In addition, you will generally work much better as a group instead of going off on your own. Simon sees this as the complete opposite, and follows up by saying “I Am a Rock, I am an island.” What he’s saying here is that he’s completely strong without having people with him and that he’s perfectly content with his state of isolation. When the song comes to an end, Simon finishes it off with “and a rock feels no pain; and an island never cries.” This line affects the lyrics of the song so much and it brings the mood down completely. Simon uses a rock and island to express his state.

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