Lecture notes
Holy Sonnets- XIV
- Institution
- CCEA
This is a comprehensive analysis of John Donne's poem 'Holy Sonnets XIV.' It provides information on the context, form and structure and language and imagery of the
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HOLY SONNETS XIVFORM AND STRUCTURE
- The poem is a sonnet
- It is loosely iambic pentameter. Donne’s rhythmic patterns are inventive as he manipulates
them to create the rhythms of the natural speaking voice. He does not conform to
traditional rhythmic patterns
- The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet with a Shakespearean rhyming couplet at the end to clinch
the argument
- The rhyme scheme is consistent with the Petrarchan sonnet form
- The poem has an octave/sestet division
- Octave: The poet presents the dilemma- the speaker wants to achieve redemption and
eternal life yet feels unworthy and is acutely aware of his own innate sinfulness
- Sestet: In the sestet, the poet requests God to take action and intervene in his life
- The poet skilfully uses the sonnet form to present the speaker’s dilemma
- However despite the personal nature of the sonnet, it has a universal / Christian relevance
as it looks at the innate frailty of the human condition and the innate sinfulness of man
LANGUAGE AND IMAGERY
Octave
- Line 1: The poem has a dramatic opening, “Batter my heart.” Through the imperative verb
“batter” and the aural effects of the plosive ‘b’ sounds the poet suggests the need for divine
intervention. The imperative verb also creates a tone of urgency and desperation. The
hyphenated allusion to the holy trinity, “three-person’d God” characterises the speaker as
god-fearing and Church-going. The paradox “three-person’d” alludes to one of the central
mysteries of Christian faith. This allusion implies the gulf between human experience and
divine knowledge. The late caesura and use of syntax creates a jagged, uneven rhythm and
also suggests the despair / panic / restlessness of the speaker. The ‘heart’ is the symbolic
seat of emotion and passion in the human body. The apostrophe to the divine, “for you”
creates a sense of intimacy and the direct, impassioned appeal creates a sense of urgency.
- Line 2: The poem consists of 3 central conceits- The poet compares himself to:
A vessel needing to be fixed
A town under siege
A wife in an unhappy marriage
- The conceits suggest the poets innate sinfulness and his acute sense of his unworthiness
- Line 2: Through the blacksmith imagery, “knock; breathe; shine” the poet suggests the
poet’s need for intervention. The poet paradoxically implies through the gentle verbs that,
although he suggests he needs forceful intervention (“batter”), the divine is characterised
as gentle, kind and well-intentioned (“seek to mend”)
- Line 3: Through the paradox, “rise and stand, o’erthrow me” the poet asks for dramatic
intervention. The poet euphemistically references his own resurrection. There is a tension in
the poem between the hopeful language and imagery and the suggestion that he needs
dramatic intervention. The harsh, consonantal / plosive ‘b’ sounds and use of enjambment
suggests that the divine needs to take dramatic actions against the sinfulness of the speaker
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