Holy Sonnets XI Donne By Karen Lee Background John Donne was born in the midst of probably the largest religious upheaval in Englands history Born to a Catholic family after Henry VIII had moved the country into Protestantism ID: 570801
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Slide1
John DonneHoly Sonnets XI.
Donne By: Karen LeeSlide2
BackgroundJohn Donne was born in the midst of probably the largest religious upheaval in England’s history. Born to a Catholic family after Henry VIII had moved the country into Protestantism.
By the time Donne was born, the level of pressure to conform to Anglicanism had been well-established.Slide3
Holy SonnetsWritten when he was struggling to transition from Catholicism to Anglicanism- ProtestantConveys his spiritual fears, thoughts and hopes.
Spiritual growth and journey of Donne.Themes of the Holy Sonnets deal with death, sin and the struggle against the flesh, a desire for grace and the seeking of sanctification, and wonderment at Christ’s sacrifice.Slide4
Themes of Holy Sonnet XI.Shows his intense awareness of the effects of sin in his flesh.The struggle between death and weight of sin in the Flesh.
Highlights his guilt and desire to pay for his sins.His love for GodSlide5
ANALYSIS TIME!
Btw,
In
Christianity,
price of sin= death. Slide6
Spit in my face, you Jews, and pierce my side,Buffet, and scoff, scourge, and crucify me,
Starts with a direct address to the JewsAsks to be treated the same way as they did to JesusPlosives words are used which makes the 2 lines sound harsh.
i.e
“spit” “pierce” “buffet” “scoff” “scourge”
The detailed description of Jesus’ torture= Poet’s guilt as he wishes to be treated the same way Slide7
For I have sinn'd, and sinne', and only He,Who could do no iniquity, hath died.
Reveals his need to be punished. “I have
sinn’d
and
sinne
’”
His sins should be punished and yet He (Jesus) who did no wrong had died for him.
Repetition of sin = reinforces his sense of being damned and unworthy of God’s grace.
Poet continues sinning while the Jesus (sin-less person) had died for him = INTENSIFIED feelings of guilt. Juxtaposition of himself and Christ.
Iniquity= sinSlide8
But by my death can not be satisfiedMy sins, which pass the Jews' impiety.His death alone would not be able to account for his sins
His sins are so great that they surpassed the Jews’ “impiety” (their disrespect of God)Slide9
They kill'd once an inglorious man, but ICrucify him daily, being now glorified.
“They” = Jews. Killed him once but the poet “crucify” him daily as he continues to sinDonne inverts 1
Cor
15:31, where Apostle Paul says “I die everyday!” for his sinful nature.
The poet sees himself killing Jesus everyday by committing sins that Christ had died for in the first place despite the fact that he has risen and is “now glorified” in Heaven.Slide10
O let me then His strange love still admire ;Kings pardon, but He bore our punishment ;Donne admires the “strange love” that goes beyond a normal King’s pardon as “He bore our punishment”
Agape Love. The selfless love that Christ showed by dying for our sins. Punishment of sin= DeathSlide11
And Jacob came clothed in vile harsh attire,But to supplant, and with gainful intent ;Refers to Jacob’s impersonation of his brother Esau to gain their father’s blessings (that was meant for the first born son, Esau)
Compares Jacob’s impersonation with God’s act of taking form of a man.Slide12
God clothed Himself in vile man's flesh, that soHe might be weak enough to suffer woe.Vile man’s flesh= demeans man
Doctrine of IncarnationTook form of a man to pay for his believers’ sins. Christ sacrificed himself to
atone for the
sins. Slide13
Rhyme This sonnet follows the typical Donne rhyme scheme abba
abba cdcd
ee
, combining the structure of the Elizabethan (or Shakespearean) sonnet with the rhyme of the Italian (or
Petrarchan
) sonnet.
This allows the first two quatrains to be considered together as an octet.
Last two lines = Shakespearean couplet as it delivers the moral or conclusion of sonnet.Slide14
MeterEach line has 10 syllablesDactylic pentameter (/UU)“
Spit in my face, you Jews, and pierce
my
side
,”Slide15
TQ