Roman/Englight Poetry- test

🔹 John Donne- “Death, Be Not Proud”

The speaker tells Death not to be proud because it’s not truly powerful or deadly. Death only brings rest, like sleep, and even that can be done better by drugs or magic. Good people die young, but that brings peace and freedom. Death serves fate, chance, rulers, and violence—it has no control. After death, people wake to eternal life, and in the end, Death itself will die.

🔹 John Donne- Meditation 17

John Donne says no one is isolated—we are all part of the same human family. When someone dies, it’s a loss for everyone, not just that person. The church bell that rings for a funeral is a reminder that we, too, are mortal and should pay attention to what death teaches us. Suffering, illness, and death are not punishments but ways that God shapes us and brings us closer to Him. We should learn from others’ experiences, because their loss is also ours.

🔹 John Milton- “How Soon Hath Time”

Milton is surprised at how fast he’s reached 23 years old, yet feels he hasn’t achieved much or shown signs of “blossoming” like others. He wonders if he even looks like a grown man or if he’s matured inwardly. Still, he believes that whether his progress is fast or slow, his life will follow the path God has chosen. His job is to stay faithful and use his time well, always aware that God is watching.

🔹 John Milton- Paradise Lost

The poem begins in Hell, where Satan and his followers have just been thrown after rebelling against God. Satan plans to get revenge by corrupting God’s newest creation—humans. He sneaks into the Garden of Eden and tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and Adam chooses to join her. As a result, they are cast out of Paradise. But the poem ends with hope, as God promises that one day, through His Son, humanity will be saved.

🔹 Alexander Pope- Essay on Man

Pope advises that humans should focus on understanding themselves, rather than trying to understand God's purpose. He explains that humans live in a middle state—neither all-knowing nor completely ignorant, neither god-like nor animal-like. They have too much knowledge for pure doubt, yet too much weakness to be fully proud. Humans are torn between acting or resting, thinking they are either gods or beasts, and always confused by their own thoughts and desires. Despite being capable of greatness, humans often end up a mess of errors and contradictions. This makes them both the glory and the riddle of the world. HUMANs EXIST IN A BALANCE

🔹 Robert Herrick- “To the Virgins, Make Much of Time”

In this poem, Herrick tells young women to enjoy life and love while they’re still young, because time flies and youth fades quickly. He uses the metaphor of rosebuds to represent beauty and youth, which are short-lived, just like the sun’s journey across the sky. Herrick believes that the best time in life is youth, and as you get older, things decline. Therefore, he urges women to marry while they still have the chance, because waiting too long might mean they miss out.

🔹 William Blake- “The Lamb”

The speaker gently asks the little lamb who made it, noting how beautiful and gentle it is, and how its softness and voice bring joy to the world. Then, the speaker answers his own question, telling the lamb that God, who is also called "the Lamb," created it. God is meek and mild, and he became a child, just like the lamb. The speaker expresses that both he and the lamb are called by God's name and ends by blessing the lamb.

🔹 William Blake- “The Tyger”

The speaker is both fascinated and terrified by the tiger, describing its glowing eyes and powerful form. He wonders who could have created such a creature, questioning what kind of god or force would dare to shape something so dangerous. The poem asks whether the same God who created the gentle lamb could also be responsible for the tiger's fierceness. It explores the mystery of creation, good and evil, and the power behind the universe.

📌 Together ("The Lamb" & "The Tyger")

Contrast: Innocence vs. Experience

Key Question: How can good and evil both come from the same creator?

Metaphysical Poets

a group of 17th-century English writers known for their use of complex, intellectual ideas and elaborate metaphors called conceits. They explored deep, often philosophical topics like love, death, religion, and the nature of existence.

Conceits

-- a type of metaphor that is very elaborate or unusual. One of Donne's conceits involves a flea that's used to describe love.

Paradox --

a seemingly contradictory statement that actually expresses a truth ('in giving we receive')

Apostrophe

-- a figure of speech where a speaker addresses someone or something that is not present or an abstract concept. (Like, 'O melancholy October')

Allusion

-- a reference to a well-known person, event, object, or work from history or literature

Italian Sonnet

-- often called the Petrarchan Sonnet, it consists of an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines)

anti-hero

- a central character of an epic who lacks all the qualities of the hero; think Grendel, or Lucifer

heroic couplets

--- a pair of rhyming iambic pentameter lines love, honor, and loyalty to the king.

Carpe Diem

--- from the Latin for 'seize the day,' it's a famous them of Cavalier poets

Enlightenment

valued logic, math, science, and man's ability to understand all!

romanticism (William Blake)

an 18th-century literary and artistic movement that ran counter to the Enlightenment period

romanticism valued

emotions, beauty, and the supernatural.

romanticism emphasized:

a. feelings over logic and reason

b. individualism over the group (society, institutions)

c. a deep respect for nature

d. spontaneity and freedom over order & control 

e. the ability to feel & experience life, rather than examine it through a microscope

questions to consider:

John Donne:

•  ➤ Why does death die? Because death is not the end—according to Christian belief, eternal life follows, making death powerless. The speaker mocks Death.

•  Bell Reference: Church bell ringing for someone's death.

• “No man is an island, entire of itself.”
  ➤ Meaning: We are all connected. One person’s suffering or death affects everyone.

•  “Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
  ➤ Meaning: Don’t ask who has died—every death is a reminder of your own mortality and shared humanity.

  John Milton:

• Volta (Line 9):
  ➤ Octave (lines 1–8): Worried about lack of visible achievements at a young age.
  ➤ Sestet (lines 9–14): Accepts God's plan; trusts that spiritual maturity matters more than worldly success.