Lecture on John Donne’s “Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star”

Five question-and-answer flashcards covering the author, devices, imagery, theme, and style of John Donne’s “Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star.”

Who is the metaphysical poet who wrote “Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star”?

John Donne

What elaborate literary device, typical of Donne, uses far-fetched comparisons to prove a point in the poem?

A metaphysical conceit

Name TWO of the impossible tasks Donne lists to show how hard it is to find a faithful, beautiful woman.

Catching a falling star and getting a child by a mandrake root (other tasks include hearing mermaids sing and discovering who cleft the Devil’s foot).

What central theme does Donne satirize throughout “Song: Go and Catch a Falling Star”?

The alleged unfaithfulness or inconstancy of women.

Which poetic features give the poem its song-like quality and memorability, according to the lecture?

Its organized rhythm, consistent rhyme scheme, and overall musical structure.