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The Power of Literary Devices in John Donne's 'Death Be Not Proud'

Categories: Literary Genres

  • Words: 1277

Published: Aug 30, 2024

Many historical and influential authors of the past used literary devices to create magnificent pieces of literature. There are a vast amount of literary devices some of which include personification, imagery and diction. In John Donne's "Death Be Not Proud" Donne uses multiple literary devices such as imagery, personification and diction to fully convey the meaning of his poem.

In Donne's "Death Be Not Proud" he uses imagery to paint a literary picture for his audience. Imagery is defined as "visually descriptive or figurative language, frequently occurring in a literary work" (Webster).  For example, in the story Donne uses words like "mighty and dreadful" to describe death and evoke a sense of fear or reputation for death. He also uses imagery when he says "rest of their bones" to describe the death of others around him. While it would have been easier to say flat out that the people around him died, he chose to use expressive words to display that message to the audience. These descriptive words help play a large role in brining his story to life.

Furthermore, it can be seen that Donne also used personification in the story to add to create the feeling of death being a person. Personification is described as "a figure of speech in which a thing, an animal, or an abstract term is endowed with human characteristics" (Terry 1). Personification allows the author to sensationalize the non-human within the confines of substantially human terms. Personification can be clearly seen in the story. In the first line Donne says "Death be not proud" giving human emotions to a very non-human death. He then goes on to say that "Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men". This likens Death to a slave and gives death human characteristics. At the end of the story, he uses personification when he says, "Death, thou shalt die"(Donne 1). He relates death to having an end-of-life experience of dying and once again gives death human characteristics through personification.

Additionally, Donne also used the literary device of diction to set his tone and convey his message to the audience. Diction is often referred to as, "the class of words that an author decides is appropriate to use in a particular work" (Terry 2). Diction often sets the tone of the story or poem being expressed. In Donne's "Death Be Not Proud" diction is seen clearly throughout the poem and creates a satirical and patronizing tone. Donne appears to be mocking Death throughout the entire poem. He begins his poem by talking to Death telling him how he knows he has a reputation of being mighty and dreadful but that's not the case. He then goes on to further taunt death and compares him to sleep. He states that death does not work of his own accord but that he is enslaved. As the poem continues to move on the tone almost changes. It seems as though Donne introduces a tone of pity over the story by adding a religious case to be made in his fight against death. He says, "One short sleep past, we wake eternally And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die" (Donne 2). He appears to end on a note that feels triumphant and ties his mocking and pity for death together by stating that death is but a slumber on the way to afterlife as opposed to a final battle lost. Donne's diction throughout the story grabs the readers' interest and sets a tone that is quite intriguing.

In conclusion, Donne's literary devices are seen clearly throughout the poem "Death Be Not Proud". He used imagery to create a more vibrant picture of his topic. He then used personification as a way for the audience to relate and invest in the character. Lastly, he used diction to set his satirical tone throughout the story. During the story Donne uses literary devices to create an amazing story that pulls the audience in from the beginning.

 

Works Cited

  • "Diction." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.
  • Donne, John. "Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.
  • Terry, Joe, ed. The Literature collection. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc., 2013. Pearson Education Inc., 2013. Web. 09 Apr. 2017.

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In addition to visual imagery, Cisneros also employs sensory imagery to enhance the reader's experience of the novel. Throughout the story

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