I noticed that after my post on Sadie and Maud (which I thought no one would read), I started to receive dozens of search engine referrals for that post. I assume they’re all from English students looking for a critical analysis or essay of some sort on that poem. Hey, honestly, before I even started to write that essay, I plugged away at a few websites myself towards the same end and I think I left the internet disappointed from finding nothing. So, for posterity, and particularly for other desperate English Majors out there looking for an essay to steer them clear on John Donne’s cryptic little poem Death Be Not Proud, I leave you the essay I wrote for class on this poem. Keep in mind, it’s another last minute hack I put together, but hey, it passed, whatever.
Analysis on John Donne’s “Death Be Not Proud” (doc | html)
Death Be Not Proud
by John Donne
(1572-1631)
DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell’st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.
i like the poem ‘death be not proud ‘ its very good
I would just like to say thank you for posting this essay - All I needed for my EnglishLit class was another essay to review and contrast the point of view on this poem, and I was so relieved when I finally found yours…It’s a really good piece of writing and definitely saved my butt!
This is so incrdibly useful, every other thing I found just had a dang copy of the poem not an explanation of what it is about, which is useful as it is such a complex piece of writing
thanks, this helped a lot.
this is crazy my dad has brain cancer and he told me to read this poem he never knew who wrote it or why the author wrote it. i dont think my dad has much longer to live but this poem and the whole breakdown of it was great thanks .
thanks,
It helped a lot with helping me gain knowledge of the poem. A friend told me to look into using it for a english assignment.I’m not good at poetry so I like seeing other people’s point of view.
Thank you very much sir for sharing your thoughts with us. I found your paper enlightening. It made me see various details I could not see.
Derick, I must say you have made an irrefutable synopsis of this great work. I too have studied this very work for academic and personal reasons. I found your take on it to be close if not exact to my own. Thank you for this unexpected and most likely unacknowledged synopsis, It’s definitely worth the read.
I liked the poem ‘Death Be Not Proud’ very much..I enjoy reading the poem even more after reading your essay.It was really a very good analysis.
I think I love you! I’m working on an assignment for my composition II class in which the teacher gave us a variety of poems with questions she wanted specific answers to. I was having trouble finding the information I needed and your essay was so helpful. Thank you for sharing your amazing work.
thanks mannnnn!!!
where is the analyzing? i really like this poem and need to analyze it
Thank you alot for your wonderful analysis and I just want to tell you that even Muslims have the same religion concept about Eternal Life and that is what makes me love the poem….
thank you so much Derick, your essay helped me much doing the assignment, even I was looking for features of metaphysical poetry and figurative speech in the poem but it’s ok. Additionally, Noura is right, cause we Muslims have the same belief in eternal life after death and we believe that the angel of death will die at the final day or te day of judgment, so we have no conceptual contradiction regarding this point and the poem in general.
Thanks again. … regards.
thanks to you Ariyam for your wonderful piece of work. It has really helped my deeper understanding of the poem.Though i am looking for features of a metaphysical poem. God bless you.
you are a lifesaver! thank you so much for posting this, i was struggeling then found it
thanks a lot. this essay will surely be of great help
About Death, be not proud
John Donne is an escapist…..his idea about death is subjective in nature….he is unable to digest the fact death is a universal truth…
He personifies death as a human being and talks to it and challenges death it’s not a big for it to occur as its role is also played by war, disease and poison…
Our Literature Sir taught it very nicely
so we like this poem!!
John Donne has been a leader of his time,and a model to the present world of writers.He combines the depth of his religion and his great poetic skills to present a great poetic works.
Well written I could not have put it in better terms myself. Your essay was logically thought out and embedded with proof; which is what a professor looks for in an essay and I concur, opinions are nothing without good evidence to back it up.
Well,U’r MY JESUS !
(none)
http://Www.sun2ola@yahoo.com
Not a bad analysis, but you have the Christian viewpoint, at least as expressed by Paul, incorrect. Paul did not believe in a disembodied soul living forever. He believed in the soul “sleeping” until the time of the general resurrection, at the return of the Lord. At that time each soul will be awaken and given a new body, a new physicality. That new body will live forever (”imperishable”). Paul viewed this new embodiment as a part of God’s larger renewal of all creation. A careful analysis of Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 8 makes these points.