Thursday, September 23, 2010

"Batter my heart, three-personed God" John Donne

I took this poem as a the speaker asking God in the form of the Trinity to save him from temptation and sin. In lines 2 and 4, he lists verbs and then a final action. In line two he says "knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend." Then in line 4 he says "break, blow, burn, and make me new." I think these two lines are parallel to one another where the first is associated with God, the second verb is associated with the Holy Spirit, the third verb is associated with Jesus, and the final action is the outcome of what happens after They all do Their work. It is as if he wants God to break him down before he can build him up again. He hit rock bottom and needs an intervention from the Lord. Lines 12-14 say "Take me to you, imprison me, for I,/ Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,/ Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me." This statement seems almost contradicting, but he means that God mus completely take him over in order for him to be saved from the devil.

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