Explication-on-Death--Be-Not-Proud(John-Donne的Deat

吴楚琪138班1318100014ExplicationonDeath,BeNotProudⅠ.1.Thepoemfirstappearedtitled“HolySonnetX”inacollectionof19sonnetsbyJohnDonne.Thenitcametobeknownas“Death,BeNotProud”(afterthefirstfourwordsofthepoem).Itwaswrittenbetween1601and1610—theexactyearisuncertain—andpublishedafterDonnedied.Hewasdeeplyaffectedbythedeathofhiswifeandmeanwhilehewasleadingamuchharderlifethanbefore.Maybeitisthesedifficultiesthatgavehimadeeperunderstandingtolifeanddeath.2.PraiseThoughsomepeopleareterrifiedofdeath,therearestillsomepeoplewhomdeathcannotthreaten.Deathitselfisnotabletodomanythings.Neitheritcandie,norcanittakeawaypeoplewhoselivesarenotatanendsuchasthepoethimself.Actuallydeathisakindofrestorsleep,andpeoplecanevenhavepleasurefromdeathbecausedeathcanreleasethemfromthedifficultiesortirednessintheirlives.Relatedtothepreviouspartofthepoem,deathisonlyaservantoffate,chance,kings,anddesperatemenbecauseitisunabletotakeawaypeople’slivesunderitswill.Deathcolludesintakingpeople’sliveswithpoison,warandsickness,butcharmsandpoppiescanalsotakeawaypeople’slivesandtheyevendoabetterjob.Mostimportantly,deathisonlyatemporarysleepandafterthatwemaybeonthewaytoeternalitywheredeathnolongerexists.Actually,deathisworthlessandthereisneedtobescaredofit.Ⅱ.Form:1.ItisanItaliansonnet(abbaabbacddcee).Althoughnoteverylinesharesasamemetricalpattern,mostofthelinesareofiambicpentameter.OneexceptioninmeterislineNo.9”Thouart/slaveto/fate,chance,/kingsand/despe/ratemen”,whichisofhexameter.AnotherexceptionislineNo.1”Death,be/notproud,/thoughsome/havecalledthee”,whichisoftetrameter.2.⑴Alliteration:almostthewholeiswritteninalliterationandthefollowingaresomeexamples:Forthosewhomthouthink'stthoudostoverthrowDienot,poorDeath,noryetcanstthoukillmeMuchpleasure;thenfromtheemuchmoremustflow⑵Personification:thepoetpersonifiestheDeathasaperson,andthepersonificationshowsinadjectiveslike“proud”whichshowstheemotionorfeelingoftheDeath,andthepoetcalledtheDeath“thee(you)”and“salvetofate...”.Moreover,thepoetalsopersonifiesthefate,sickness,poisonandsoon.⑶Metaphor:Asthefounderofmetaphysicalschool,thepoetusesconceitinthepoem.Hecomparesdeathtosleep,whichisararelyusedmetaphor.Themetaphorshowsthepoet’sfearlessnessandcalmnesstodeath.⑷Paradox:Thelastline“Death,thoushaltdie”usesparadoxbecauseit’swiredtoaskdeathitselftodie.Thisshowsthepoet’scontemptfordeath.Ⅲ.Content1.Theme:Thethemeis“human’scontemptfordeath”.Thepoemtellsthereaderthatdeathhasnorighttobeproud,sincehumanbeingsdonotdiebutliveeternallyafter“oneshortsleep.”Thepoetliftsthedreadfulandmightymaskofdeathbyexplainingthefactdeathcannotcontrolourlivesandwhatreallydominatearefate,opportunityandsoon.Mostimportantly,people’slivescanbeeternal.2.Evaluation:AsoneofthemostpopularEnglishpoeminthehistory,Death,BeNotProudrepresentsadetachedandshowscontemptandcalmnessfordeath,andpointsoutdeathcannotdecidepeople’slivesandlivescouldneverend.Thepoemreflectsthepoet’sdetachedandboldattitudetowardsdeathaswellashisreligiousbelief.It’saveryspecialopinionaboutdeathatthattimeandIthinkitalsohelpsdiversifyhumans’viewstodeathandencouragepeoplelessenthefeartodeath.Similarly,thepoetmentionssomepeoplediedandtheyfreethemselvesfromallthemiseryintheirlives.JohnDonneoffersusadifferentangleofviewingdeath.