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Lauren Fike
Holy Sonnet IX
If poisonous minerals, and if that tree,
Whose fruit threw death on (else immortal) us,
•
(1)If poisonous minerals, and if that tree,
Classification of Poem
(2)Whose fruit threw death on (else immortal) us,
Garden.
Lines 4-8 analyze the reasoning
In the Sonnet IX
Wordle one sees that many
questioning words appear
such as “if”, “why,” and
“should.” This choice in
diction illustrates the
speaker’s struggles with faith
Holy Sonnet’s Wordle
and doubt. While in the
Wordle of the entire Holy
Sonnets, one sees few
questioning words. One can
assume that Donne’s usual
speaker uses statements
rather than questions.
One concludes, that
the common subject matter of
faith is addresses differently
in Sonnet IX than it is in most
of the Holy Sonnets.
Note: a Wordle is a visual representation of words that
gives more emphasis to repeated words through size.
Diction to Create Tone
(1)If poisonous minerals, and if that tree, These words of inquiry create a sense
(2)Whose fruit threw death on (else
of apprehension and uncertainty.
The reader feels the confusion and
immortal) us, struggle of the speaker.
(3)If lecherous goats, if serpents envious
The speaker uses diction in another
Lethean flood,
(12)And drown in it my sin's black
memory.
(13)That Thou remember them, some
claim as debt;
Shift in Sonnet IX
(1)If poisonous minerals, and if that tree, One sees a complete change of mind in
(2)Whose fruit threw death on (else
the speaker from the start of line 9.
immortal) us, Chong suggests that Donne is using a
(6)Make sins, else equal, in me more of you during the time) shows a
heinous ? complete surrender to any points
(7)And, mercy being easy, and glorious
made against God.
The structural and tonal change in line
(8)To God, in His stern wrath why
9 reference Romans 8.
threatens He ?
This reference shows the speaker’s
(9)But who am I, that dare dispute
complete recoveryof his faith that
with Thee ? was doubted
(10)O God, O ! of Thine only worthy
blood,
(11)And my tears, make a heavenly
Lethean flood,
(12)And drown in it my sin's black
memory.
(13)That Thou remember them, some
Rhetorical Strategy
Chong also suggests that
Donne uses rhetorical strategy to (1)If poisonous minerals, and if that tree,
convince the reader of the conclusion (2)Whose fruit threw death on (else immortal)
made. Chung makes the point that the us,
reader is invited to sympathize with the (3)If lecherous goats, if serpents envious to
speaker in what is said in the beginning of (4)Cannot be damn'd, alas ! why should I be ?
poem. (Questioning the fairness of (5)Why should intent or reason, born in me,
salvation). Yet agreeing with the (6)Make sins, else equal, in me more heinous ?
skepticism in the beginning, the reader is (7)And, mercy being easy, and glorious
expected to follow through with the (8)To God, in His stern wrath why threatens
He ?
conclusion made at the end of the poem. (9)But who am I, that dare dispute with Thee ? Rebuked cry
(God is sovereign and should not be (10)O God, O ! of Thine only worthy blood,
questioned). (11)And my tears, make a heavenly Lethean flood,
Chong supports this point (12)And drown in it my sin's black memory.
(13)That Thou remember them, some claim as
through the change in pronouns. The shift debt;
from first person plural to first person (14)I think it mercy if Thou wilt forget.
singular allows the reader to more easily
sympathize with the speaker. The speaker
shifts the weight on to himself so the
audience feels no pressure to abide but
sorry for his confusion and doubt. He also
supports this point through the way the
speaker changes his mind. Instead of the
speaker just accepting his faults, the
speaker rebukes in a cry (shown through
the explanation point). Listen to the
recording of Lines 8-10 to more clearly
understand this point. The audience
sympathizes with the speaker and agrees
to follow the same thought process as the
speaker.
Metaphors
• Use of metaphysical • While aspects discussed in
metaphors poem such as the fall of
• Compares unlikely objects man, grace, and mercy
with each other to usually create different
create unexpected imagery.
imagery.
• Compares sin to lusty
goats and malicious
snakes.
• Compares grace to
uncontrollable flood
vs.
Dramatic Nature of Poem
K u ch a r su p p o rts th e
• Through the cla im o f D o n n e p ro d u cin g
punctuation, on d ra m a tic p o e try. H e ta ke s th is
cla im to a fu rth e r exte n t b y
would probably sta tin g , “ S o m e o f th e m o st
hear the poem d ra m a tic m o m e n t o ccu r w h e n
D o n n e ’ s sp e a ke r re co ils in th e
more like the fa ce o f G o d ” ( K u ch a r). A s a n
audio clip exa m p le K u ch a r m e n tio n s lin e
1 1 a s a p rim e exa m p le .
assembled: K u ch a r re la te s th is
a sp e ct o f D o n n e ’ s p o e try to h is
• The following audio life h isto ry th ro u g h th e d ra m a
clip resembles exp e rie n ce d in e m o tio n s w h e n
co m p le tin g in te rse ctin g
Donne’s poetry d isco u rse o f re lig io n s in
without the C a th o licism a n d th e A n g lica n
C h u rch .
punctuation:
Poetry Related to Life
History
“Donne often describes
ecstatic religious
experience with the same
metaphors of earthly
instability and material
metamorphoses he uses to
catalogue his melancholic,
self-destructive
inclinations” (Trevor).
In Sonnet IX, one sees
Kuchar, Gary. "Petrarchism and Repentance in John Donne's Holy Sonnets." Modern
Philology: Critical and Historical Studies in Literature, Medieval Through
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Web. 2 Mar. 2010.
<www.joystickdivision.com/flood%20house%20pic.jpg>.
"Poison Prevention." TampaGov. 4 June 2009. Web. 11 Mar.
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<http://www.tampagov.net/dept_fire_rescue_public_educati
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"Saving Grace." Art.com. Web. 11 Mar. 2010.
<http://artfiles.art.com/5/p/LRG/16/1650/NAZGD00Z/garret-
walker-saving-grace.jpg>.
"The Puritans." 2007. Web. 11 Mar. 2010.
<http://www.freewebs.com/olsenblockperiod5/The_fall_of_m
an.jpg>.
Slide 12
“File:JohnDonne.jpg.” Wikipedia. 26 Sept. 2005. Web. 11 Mar.
2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JohnDonne.jpg>.