Death Be Not Proud

David Taaffe

Jernigan

English AP

February 24, 2010

“Death Be Not Proud”

            In this poem, John Donne utilizes figurative language, English Format, and cunning irony in order display his view of death as weak and insignificant which gives humanity hope against the idea which they fear most.

            The figurative language reveals death’s triviality and feebleness giving the reader optimism against the daunting event that comes at the end of one’s life. Right off the bat and throughout the poem, the author employs apostrophe and personification by commanding, “Death be not proud” and exposing the fact that death is not as “mighty and dreadful” as it thinks it is.

            The format of the poem assists the author in achieving his goal of giving people hope through demoralizing death. Donne utilizes the Volta to shift from describing death’s victims to its limitations. The final couplet also gives the reader hope against death. It states that we shall live on and death will not. Both of these elements uncover death’s pettiness.

            Donne’s cunning irony strongly emasculates death and makes the reader want to dance on death’s face in victory. Throughout the poem the author teases death and pokes fun at it: “poor death,” “thou art slave.” The ultimate irony comes in the very last line as the author writes “And death shall be no more, death, thou shalt die.” He spits in death’s face and lives to fight another day. He gives humanity hope in the after-life and humiliates death like a new kid who dropped his lunch on the first day of school.

No, master, never

David Taaffe

Mrs. Jernigan

AP English Lit.

February 7, 2011

“No, Master, Never!”

            In this poem our beloved author Joshua Mccarter Simpson employs dialogue, repetition, and irony in order to display a slave’s desire for freedom which exposes the injustice of slavery.

            I believe that a slave named Jack narrates this poem. In the which, he quotes himself, his master, and others. Dialogue makes up most of this poem. The author uses dialogue to characterize Jack and the master. According to what the master said, the master trusts Jack and thinks of him as a noble man. Jack respects his master as person as well. But his dialogue shows the reader that he would much rather have freedom, even with the risk of freezing to death, than remain in bondage.

            Repetition clearly stands out to anyone who reads this poem. Simpson utilizes to show how Jack feels, and he also uses it for ironic purposes. The author repeats the word “never” a multitude of times throughout the poem. At times it foreshadows the fact that Jack will eventually run away from his master. At other times, the author uses it for irony as the owner predicts that Jack will “never” leave him.

            I always find it difficult to decipher who the audience of a poem is. It seems in this one that the narrator tells a story. So his audience could be his children, a friend, or some random person that he met on the street. Or maybe the audience is simply supposed to be the reader of the poem.