John Donne Poetry

By Referring Closely to at least 4 poems, examine the distinct characteristics of John Donne poetry, paying particular attention to the Relationship Between Intellect and Emotion.

John Donne was born in 1572 and both of his parents were Roman Catholics and as a result religion played a very prominent part in his upbringing, and this influenced his poetry greatly. Throughout his poetry there is a strong feel of religion. He was also an educated man and this is also shows in his work with his logical arguments and thought and feeling that goes into his poems. He often uses a paradox and likens things such as love and religion to other things as well. This also shows his range and variety of language also showing his intellectual and emotional feelings. This also illustrates how much thought goes into his work as well as feeling as it is all relevant to him and personal.

Many things become apparent throughout John Donne’s poetry however one theme is particularly apparent. This is his idea’s towards understanding the relationship between man and God. Donne has a strong idea of how this relationship should take place and of how man is to relate to God and he often likens it to a relationship between a man and a woman. However

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However we can also see that even though he makes plenty of sexual and emotional references he also manages to combine this with intellectual and logical arguments without losing the two. Once this bond has been made, it is difficult to break. At the start of the poem he likens him and his lover to a compass. One of the two lovers waking into a new life together and the other is of the new world created by their new, mutual love. This way he says they are without the “declining west”, meaning primitive and “sharp north” meaning cold. He also claims that his lover is more powerful than the sun, “If her eyes had not blinded thine” implies this. From the use of imagery and referring things as something else, Donne presents his poems as though they are riddles. He then asks her (his wife) to:

“Thy firmness drawes my circle just,

And makes me end, where I begunne”

The “firmness” is referring to the physical stiffness of the leg of the compass, this being the moral strength he is urging on her throughout the poem. In the end though he concedes to allow the sun into his chamber but emphasis that they are still the centre of the world “This bed thy centre is, these walls, thy spheare. He creates the image that there is no life beyond the walls of there room and that they are the only two people in the world that matter “Let us posses one world, each hath one, and is one.

From this you can see that Emotion and Intellect play a dominant part in forming the characteristics of John Donne poetry but they aren't the only characteristics. For example in The Flea the complaining lover uses the messages of both science and religion to argue that their alliance is justifiable.

Approximate Word count = 1881
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

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