This paper analyses one of the most influential poems by John Donne, Hymn to God, My God in My Sickness. Its aim is to foreground the significance of the metaphysical conceit at the stylistic and thematic levels. One of the pivotal keywords used in this paper is the metaphysical conceit.
Table of Contents
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Analysis
- The Speaker's Spiritual Journey to Heaven
- The Metaphysical Conceit and Cartographic Imagery
- Exploring the Eternal Sanctuary: The Pacific Sea, Jerusalem and the Straits
- The Two Adams: A Reflection of Sin and Redemption
- Conclusion
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper offers a literary analysis of John Donne's "Hymn to God, My God in My Sickness," focusing on the role of the metaphysical conceit in shaping the poem's style and themes. The aim is to examine how this literary device contributes to the poem's exploration of death, faith, and the speaker's spiritual journey to heaven.
- The power of the metaphysical conceit in Donne's poetry
- The speaker's acceptance of death as a transition to eternal life
- The use of cartographic imagery to depict the spiritual journey
- The comparison of the speaker to both Adam and Christ
- The poem's exploration of religious symbolism and Christian beliefs
Chapter Summaries
The opening lines of the poem introduce the speaker's contemplation of his impending death and his anticipation of joining the choir of saints in heaven. The speaker is not afraid of death but views it as a transition to a higher state of existence, where he will sing praises to God. The second stanza introduces a prominent feature of the poem: the use of a cartographic metaphor. The speaker compares himself to a map being studied by physicians, who are likened to cosmographers. He then describes his passage through the "straits," a metaphorical representation of the transition from life to death and resurrection. The poem continues to explore the speaker's journey to heaven, using imagery of the Pacific Sea, Jerusalem, and the Straits of Anyan and Gibraltar as metaphors for different aspects of his spiritual journey. Finally, the poem concludes by drawing a comparison between the speaker and both Adam and Christ, suggesting a shared humanity and a path to redemption through faith.
Keywords
The primary keywords of this analysis include: metaphysical conceit, John Donne, “Hymn to God, My God in My Sickness," death, faith, spiritual journey, cartographic imagery, resurrection, Adam, Christ, religious symbolism, Christian beliefs.
- Quote paper
- Somaya Bahji (Author), 2013, John Donne's Poem "Hymn to God, My God, In My Sickness", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/267314
