John Donne: Rake to Religion

That's the tentative title of my paper/presentation. We haven't yet covered Donne, but I'm a fan and somewhat familiar with some of his poems. It is interesting to note the difference in his early poems vs. the holy sonnets of his later years. I'm sure most of you have already read "The Flea." Well, if you have then you know it's an elaborate pick up line (he's trying to get her in bed). Compare "The Flea" to sonnet 14, also called "Batter My Heart." (I'm not including this in my presenation - it's just an example.) Click on the link to see the poem. http://www.bartleby.com/105/74.html

I won't go into great detail just yet, but notice the conceit he uses. I've read that it's actually supposed to give one the impression of a ship being tossed about at sea, but it is difficult not to see sexual elements in this sonnet. Perhaps the words "enthrall," "chast[e]," and "ravish" only help to solidify this idea - strange choice of words for someone invoking God, huh?

I've included a couple books that will help get my presentation going (not MLA format):

• Harold Bloom, John Donne and the Seventeenth-Century Metaphysical Poets


• Cleanth Brooks, The Well-Wrought Urn: Studies in the Structure of Poetry