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Death be not Proud notes PDF - ppup part 1 english honours notes and study material pdf

[ Death be not Proud notes PDF | ppup part 1 english honours notes and study material pdf ] 


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Introduction to Death be not Proud notes PDF


Table of contents - About the Poem	 About the Characters	 About of the Author	 Death Not be Proud explained stanza by stanza to its context	 Question. Summary of Death not be proud	 Question. A Critical analysis of Death not be Proud.	 Question. Discuss The Theme of Death not be proud.	 Question. What was the moral or lesson of the Death not be proud?	 Question. HISTORICAL CONTEXT of Death not be proud.

About the Poem  “Holy Sonnet 10,” often referred to as “Death, Be Not Proud,” was written by the English poet and Christian cleric John Donne in 1609 and first published in 1633.  The poem is a direct address to death, arguing that it is powerless because it acts merely as a “short sleep” between earthly living and the eternal afterlife—in essence, death is nothing to fear.  The sonnet written mostly in iambic pentameter and is part of a series known as Donne's "Holy Sonnets"(or “Divine Meditations”/ “Divine Sonnets”). In keeping with these other poems, “Holy Sonnet 10” is a devotional lyric that looks at life’s biggest questions in the context of Donne’s religious beliefs.

About the Characters of Death be not Proud notes PDF | ppup part 1 english honours notes and study material pdf


About the Characters  Johnny  Johnny is the subject of Death Be Not Proud. He is a sensitive, intelligent, selfless, courageous teenager who battles a brain tumor. His parents are John Gunther and Frances.  Read an in-depth analysis of johnny  John Gunther  Gunther is Johnny's father and is divorced from Frances. He is the author of Death Be Not Proud. His works as a journalist, and over the course of the memoir, he writes a book.

Frances  Frances is Johnny's mother and the divorced wife of Gunther. Gunther says that Johnny inherits his intellectual and emotional maturity from her. She is more intimate with him than Gunther. Dr. Traeger  Traeger is the family physician who advises the Gunthers on Johnny's condition.  Dr. Max Gerson  Gerson is a doctor whose unorthodox methods of treating illnesses are based on a controversial diet.  Dr. Tracy Putnam

Putnam is a specialist in tumors. He is a sensitive man who comes to love Johnny.  Dr. Lester Mount  Putnam's assistant. Mount helps Johnny throughout his illness.  Dr. Wilder Penfield  A renowned brain surgeon who operates on Johnny.  Dr. Harvey Cushing  Preeminent brain surgeon who was the first to open the skull to remove tumors.

Dr. Hahn  A neurologist who identifies Johnny's tumor at Deerfield.  Dr. Johnson  The Deerfield doctor who takes Johnny into the infirmary because of his stiff neck and suspects something worse.  Mr. Boydon  The kindly headmaster of Deerfield.

Mr. Weaver  An older neighbor in the country and chemistry teacher at Andover who helps Johnny with his ammonia experiment.  About of the Author   The English writer and Anglican cleric John Donne is considered now to be the preeminent metaphysical poet of his time. He was born in 1572 to Roman Catholic parents, when practicing that religion was illegal in England.   His work is distinguished by its emotional and sonic intensity and its capacity to plumb the paradoxes of

About the Author of Death be not Proud notes PDF | ppup part 1 english honours notes and study material pdf


faith, human and divine love, and the possibility of salvation.  Death Not be Proud explained stanza by stanza to its context  Lines 1-2  "Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;"  Explained -

Death not be proud notes line by line stanza explained | ppup part 1 english honours notes and study material pdf


One think that he has the power ("might") to do terrible ("dreadful") things.(And, by the way, we’re going to refer to Death as "he" because Donne talks to death as if it is a person – think of the hooded guy who carries around a sickle.   Also, when poets address a person or thing that isn’t there or can’t respond, it’s called an "apostrophe." This is one of the most famous examples of apostrophe in all of literature.)

But, the speaker isn’t afraid. He walks right up to Death and gives him a piece of his mind, just like your mother told you to do with grade-school bullies. It’s downright gutsy for the speaker to be telling this guy – who frightens everyone – what to do.   The speaker orders Death not to be proud, and then says that people are mistaken in treating Death as some fearsome being.  Now, let’s go off on a tangent for a second. We’ve got an important message from the people who study Donne and other Renaissance poets for a living, and that is: the poem you’re reading is not exactly the same

version as the one published in the 17th century.   For one thing, you’re probably reading a version with modern English spelling (except for the occasional "thee," "thou" or "art.").The original version has old-school spellings like "dreadfull" instead of "dreadful." That's no biggie.   More important are the changes in punctuation, of which the first line is a great example. In the original version from 1633, the sonnet begins "Death be not proud."What’s the difference? There’s no comma after "death" in the original.

Now, we think it’s perfectly cool for modern editors to change the punctuation to make it clearer that Donne addresses Death like a person. But, just keep in mind that it changes the meaning slightly.   For one thing, in the modern version, we lose the possibility that the speaker could describe Death, as well as address it. That is, you could read "Death be not proud" to mean "Death is not proud," which means Death isn’t trying to be a tough guy, after all. We think "Tough Guy Death" is more fun, but it’s just something for you to think about.

Lines 3-4  "For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me."  Explained -   Death thinks that he has the power to kill people, but he actually doesn’t. Donne uses the word "overthrow" instead of "kill" in line 3 – an interesting choice, because people usually use the word in the context of

"overthrowing" a ruler and taking control of his territory.   Notice how there’s a nice dramatic pause created by the line break between "overthrow" and "die," as if the speaker lets Death savor the idea of killing people just before pulling the rug out from under him.   To make things more humiliating, the speaker starts to show his pity by addressing "poor Death," as if Death just had his dreams crushed, and now needs some cheering up. But, hold on: it seems totally ridiculous to say that Death doesn’t kill people.

That’s what makes Death Death! What gives? Donneuses the idea of Christian eternity to argue that death is something that people pass through on their way to a new, eternal life. A good Christian must experience death – the end of life on earth – but, in the long run, he or she can’t be "killed."  Lines 5-6  "From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,"  Explained -

These two lines are a tangled knot of words, so read ‘em slow, and then go back and read ‘em again. He compares death to "rest" and "sleep," two things that give us "pleasure." Therefore, death should give us pleasure, too, when we finally meet it.   He claims that rest and sleep are only "pictures" of death. The difference these two things and death is like the difference between a painting of an object and the real thing. They are watered-down versions of death, so if they give us some pleasure, then

death will give "much more."   The pleasure of death will "flow’ like water or honey. Sounds nice – where do we sign up? The comparison of death to sleep or eternal rest is a classic metaphor in Christian writings – one that goes back a long time.   The philosopher St. Augustine, for example, writes that he won’t know what rest is really like, until he rests with God in Heaven.

It is a way for people to talk themselves out of their fear of dying – compare it to an experience that they enjoy. Kind of like how you might persuade someone to go skydiving by comparing it to a super-fun rollercoaster ride.  Lines 7-8  "And soonest our best men with thee do go, Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery."  Explained -

The "best men […] soonest" follow this dude Death into the afterlife, thinking that he will give the "rest of their bones," and free or "deliver" their Christian souls from all the pain of earthly life.  (Note that "deliver"can also refer to childbirth, which adds to the whole "new life" idea.)They are the hardest-working and bravest people in society, so they get to kick their feet back and enjoy eternal rest before everyone else.  (We think that, if Donne lived today, he would include women in this group, as well.)The speaker almost

certainly refers to people like soldiers and martyrs, who sacrifice themselves for the greater good.   Is Donne being too cute here? After all, not that many soldiers are really thrilled to go off to war, and few people go to war intending to die – otherwise they wouldn’t be very good soldiers.   Donne makes it sound like the best men volunteer for death, when, in most cases, they only volunteer to risk death in order to achieve something else.  It is worth keeping in mind how downright sneaky this poem can be. It almost makes you want to run out and take on one of the "World’s Most Dangerous Jobs."

Lines 9-10  "Thou'art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,"  Explained -   In Petrarchan sonnets like this, it’s standard for the poem to shift or "turn" at line 9.This shift can be slight, or it can be a total U-turn. We think this sonnet has more of a slight turn.

The speaker raises his intensity in these lines, and becomes more hostile towards Death, calling him names and taunting him as a slave. With the metaphor of the slave, the speaker suggests that Death doesn’t act on his own free will, and instead is controlled or manipulated by other things like "fate, chance, kings, and desperate men."  Let’s take these one by one. Like Death, Fate is often treated as a person in literature. Fate is thought to control everything that happens to people, including when they will die.

So, Death doesn’t decide when people will die; he just carries out orders from Fate."Chance" is kind of the opposite of fate, so, again, it’s sneaky of Donne to put them side-by-side.   "Chance" is luck, the idea that things can happen for no particular rhyme or reason. If you die when a meteor crashes through your house in the middle of the night, that’s sheer bad luck, and there’s nothing you can do about it."Kings" are different from fate and chance because they are real people, but they have a similar kind of control over when and how people die.   A king can send soldiers to die in battle or sentence people to execution."Desperate men," we think,

refers to people who commit suicide or do stupid and reckless stuff, which might as well be suicide.   If you decide to take your own life, it pretty much robs Death of the only card he has to play. In line 10, the speaker brings another accusation against Death, claiming that he hangs out, or "dwells," with those notorious thugs, "poison, war, and sickness."  In other words, Death’s friends are total losers. It might be obvious by now, but we’ll repeat it anyway:

Donne treats these three things like people. What do poison, war, and sickness have in common? Easy: they all kill lots and lots of people. Moreover, they are all generally considered bad or painful ways to die.  Lines 11-12  "And poppy'or charms can make us sleep as well And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?"  Explained -

In lines 5-6, the speaker argues that death will be just like sleep, except even better. But, now, he’s all, "Who needs Death anyway? If I want to sleep really well, I can just use drugs and magic charms!"This seems to conflict with the idea that Death is supposed to be way more pleasurable than sleep, but who cares?   The speaker’s on a roll, and doesn’t have time to think about whether his arguments make perfect sense. When you’re trying to insult someone, it’s more important to be clever and think on

your feet. The "poppy" is a flower used to make opium, an old-fashioned drug that makes people really happy, but also turns their skin yellow. In fact, drugs and magic charms work even "better" than Death at bringing on sleep.  (We’re like: and you know this how?)And, "stroke" is another interesting word. It could refer to "stroking" someone, like one might stroke a child’s head to put him to sleep. Or, it could refer to the "stroke" of a sword, which is obviously much more violent.

Or, it could imply the "stroke" of a clock at the exact moment of death. Totally demolishing Death’s claim to be the ultimate sleep aid, the speaker puts Death in his place, telling him not to "swell" with pride. This rhetorical question culminates the poem’s entire argument up to this point.  Lines 13-14  "One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die."  Explained-

Or, it could imply the "stroke" of a clock at the exact moment of death. Totally demolishing Death’s claim to be the ultimate sleep aid, the speaker puts Death in his place, telling him not to "swell" with pride. This rhetorical question culminates the poem’s entire argument up to this point.  Lines 13-14  "One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die."  Explained-

Donne, and the Metaphysical Poets in general, are masters of the surprise ending, and this one is no exception. First, he returns to the idea of death as "sleep," which gets a bit more complicated here because he gives a timeframe: it’s a "short sleep."In traditional Christian theology, it is thought that, when people died, it is like they are asleep until the end of the world or Judgment Day.   At this point, Jesus wakes everyone up to lead them to Heaven, where they will spend eternity. Therefore, when the Apocalypse

Death not be proud summary



happens and the world ends, there isn’t any more death. All good Christians will have eternal life in Heaven. The poem’s final words seal the deal: "Death, thou shalt die.

Question. Summary of Death not be proud   Ans. -  About the Poem  “Holy Sonnet 10,” often referred to as “Death, Be Not Proud,” was written by the English poet and Christian cleric John Donne in 1609 and first published in 1633.  The poem is a direct address to death, arguing that it is powerless because it acts merely as a “short sleep” between earthly living and the eternal afterlife—in essence, death is nothing to fear.  The sonnet written mostly in iambic pentameter and is part of a series known as Donne's "Holy Sonnets"(or “Divine Meditations”/ “Divine Sonnets”). In keeping with these other poems, “Holy Sonnet 10” is a devotional lyric that looks at life’s biggest questions in the context of Donne’s religious beliefs.  About of the Author   The English writer and Anglican cleric John Donne is considered now to be the preeminent metaphysical poet of his time. He was born in 1572 to Roman

Catholic parents, when practicing that religion was illegal in England.   His work is distinguished by its emotional and sonic intensity and its capacity to plumb the paradoxes of faith, human and divine love, and the possibility of salvation.  summary  The poet John Donne uses the old fashioned Elizabethan English in his poems that type of English that is sometimes referred to as Shakespearean English. In his poem “death be not proud” he dwells on the subject of death and how to overcome it. Of course no one has power over death therefore overcoming death seems to be a delusion. The poet says that death actually gives men and women a break from all the troubles of the world. According to the Donne death has its masters and these are forces like chance, fate, kings together with desperate men.

The victims of death now have the chance to finally rest while death actually thinks that it is eliminating supposed victims it is offering them relief. Death is not in power because there are other forces that are responsible for taking lives. Drugs are superior to death in as much death brings relief.  The poet then goes ahead to even to condemn death to death! ‘Death, thou shalt die; this shows great irony. The poet Donne has personified death and now death is like a character in the poem.  The first stanza the poem centres on the subject of the poem death and the audience.  In the first line the poet sends death a warning not to be proud and in line two he asks death to re-evaluate his stand as the ‘mighty and dreadful’ power.  The first stanza is concluded that even the victims of death who death claims to have eliminated do not die ‘die not’ and even the poet himself believes that death cannot strike him he says ‘poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me’.  The second stanza is full of praise for death a big contrast to the first stanza which was only full of condemnation for death.

Death is being praised for its good traits. Death is associated with pleasure the poet talks of ‘much pleasure’ from the ‘rest and sleep’.  The poet suggests that death is a source of relief from all the pain in the world. The victims of death get ‘rest of their bones’.  Donne then goes back to condemning death again and accusing it having too much regard of itself.  The poet suggests that death is not supreme and that there are forces that death is but a ‘slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men.  Desperate men are those who decide to take their own lives in order to flee from the world suffering.  Death is still inferior because the rest it provides can be attained through ‘charms’ or ‘poppy’. Drugs can offer similar rest to death. At the end the poet

condemns death to death because cannot actually kill anyone as it is a slave to greater forces.  Death to the poet has its own fate death. Being that the Donne is a Christian and borrows from his Christian background that resurrection as the ultimate prize of believers he believes he will overcome death.   conlusion   In the end, the poet once again says that death is a kind of sleep, after which the soul will wake up to live forever and becomes immortal. Then death has no power over us. In other words, the soul conquers death; it is the death which itself dies. Thus Donne degrades death and declares happily the impotence

conclusion   In the end, the poet once again says that death is a kind of sleep, after which the soul will wake up to live forever and becomes immortal. Then death has no power over us. In other words, the soul conquers death; it is the death which itself dies. Thus Donne degrades death and declares happily the impotence of death. It is, in no way, powerful and dreadful. So we should not fear death as it has no power over our souls.

Critical analysis of Death be not Proud notes PDF | ppup part 1 english honours notes and study material pdf


Question. A Critical analysis of Death not be Proud.  Ans. -  About the Poem  “Holy Sonnet 10,” often referred to as “Death, Be Not Proud,” was written by the English poet and Christian cleric John Donne in 1609 and first published in 1633.   The poem is a direct address to death, arguing that it is powerless because it acts merely as a “short sleep”

between earthly living and the eternal afterlife—in essence, death is nothing to fear.   The sonnet written mostly in iambic pentameter and is part of a series known as Donne's "Holy Sonnets"(or “Divine Meditations”/ “Divine Sonnets”). In keeping with these other poems, “Holy Sonnet 10” is a devotional lyric that looks at life’s biggest questions in the context of Donne’s religious beliefs.  About of the Author   The English writer and Anglican cleric John Donne is considered now to be the preeminent metaphysical poet of his time. He was born in 1572 to Roman

Catholic parents, when practicing that religion was illegal in England.   His work is distinguished by its emotional and sonic intensity and its capacity to plumb the paradoxes of faith, human and divine love, and the possibility of salvation.  THEMES IN THE POEM  DEATH IS POWERLESS  The speaker in the poem starts his conversation with Death by addressing it directly. It shows the power of man over Death. Though man is mortal, he is still

superior to Death. The poem depicts the picture of Death as powerless and weak. It negates the higher status of Death by comparing it to rest and sleep. Death does not make an end to life but it transfers souls to the eternal world. The powerlessness of Death is proved in the last lines of the poem when the speaker says that it is the Death itself that dies.  The speaker argues that although people are scared of Death and consider it mighty, no one really dies when they die. Through logical arguments, the speaker takes pity on Death and considers it weak. He confronts Death directly that Death cannot kill the speaker. He then composes the poem and conveys the message as a challenge. The speaker calls rest and sleep the other pictures of Death. He says that people feel pleasant after rest and sleep. Therefore, they must feel good after death as well by taking it as a short resting phase. Death only keeps the physical bodies of people in rest and carries their souls to the afterlife. Death is a resting phase between the temporary life on earth and the timeless and limitless afterworld.

To describe Death’s powerlessness more, the speaker calls Death a slave to earthly kings. Death is linked with fate, chances, kings, poison, wars, and sickness. It relies on worldly things for its existence. It needs partners because it cannot cease the lives of people alone. Death is not a master, but a slave. Death is even inferior to poppy and other charms. Although Death is terrible and omnipotent, it will still face its death. The inflated idea of its high and frightening stature is nothing but a misconception. Whichever way it is looked at, Death is inferior to everything. The speaker asks Death that after knowing all this, why and what it is proud of? Death is not something to be scared of. It has only one function of carrying souls to the place where they meant to be.

ETERNAL LIFE  Another theme of this poem is eternal life and its limitlessness. This theme becomes obvious in the last line of the poem. The speaker says that we will wake up from sleep in eternal life and there will be nodeath there. This poem confirms the existence of the afterlife which is eternal.  Also, death does not mean the end. It is a path to enter into a new life. Death is a rebirth. By deconstructing the dreadful idea of Death, John Donne rebels against Death and gives a new meaning to the traditional understanding of death. Death is a gift for us from God to give us immortal life in heaven.

After death, entrance to eternal life is freedom of souls. Therefore, death is a transitory stage to enter into an everlasting life with the promised lands of God where all shall rest in peace.  APPEARANCE VSDeath seems mighty and powerful, but it is not. Death brings stillness which seems permanent, but this is not the reality. Death is arrogant but it always depends on poison, war, illness or another mishap to do the job on its behalf. It always needs a crime partner. It is a slave to fate, chance, kings, and even hopeless men. Despite its fearful idea, poppy and other charms can also cause death like effects. According to the speaker’s Christian beliefs, on the final Day of Judgment, all dead people who ever lived will come back to life. There will be no more death and the powerful-looking Death will die itself.. REALITY

MORTALITY VS. IMMORTALITY  Death is due and every single body has to taste it. Everyone is bound to die and this causes fear of death in humans. People always look at death as an end. The speaker in the poem looks at death with a positive approach. Humans have immortal souls living in mortal bodies. Death takes humans from their mortal and temporary world to an immortal status  The fear of death rises from one’s attachment to one’s self, relations, material possessions, and ignorance about what will happen after death. Death is just punctuation in our long story of struggles. This far-sighted outlook towards death gives immense possibilities of making good of one’s life without any insecurity about death.

COURAGE  Another theme of this poem is courage. The speaker speaks with courage throughout the poem. He overcomes the fear of Death. He makes confident statements and challenges Death. It gives the lesson of facing adversity with grace and courage. It does not mean that through courage, one can avoid Death. It means that through courage, Death can never take control of one’s life. Encountering difficult times transforms people into something higher and meaningful.  SYMBOLS  SLEEP  In his argument against the power of Death, the speaker constantly refers to sleep and rest. He compares Death to sleep and rest. Sleep is the symbol of Death itself. When people are asleep, they are unconscious and have lost their interaction with the world and other people. While asleep, people seem like they are dead. For this reason, sleep is a relief for the mind and body that everybody needs.

The speaker uses the symbol of sleep for two main reasons. Firstly, if Death is like sleep, people should not be afraid of it anymore. In this way, people must look forward to Death without getting frightened of it. Secondly, sleep is not permanent; therefore, Death is also not the end of life. It is nothing more than a transitory stage from a temporary earthy world to the permanent afterworld. Sleep is the symbol of the harmlessness of Death.

BONES  The speaker considers Death a rest for bones. The bones represent the physical shape of the body. It also shows that these bones are meant to decay because humans are mortal. The whole poem teaches the division between body and soul. The bones represent the body which does not last for long. On the opposite side, the soul lives forever. People leave their bones behind before going to the eternal world.  SLAVERY

SLAVERY  The speaker degrades the fearsome image of Death in all ways. He says that Death is a slave to fate, chances, kings, and desperate men. The slavery symbolizes the powerlessness and fake pride of Death. Death always needs a partner to implicate death. It is always dependent on toxins, battles, and illness to kill someone.  LITERARY DEVICES  PERSONIFICATION  Personification means to attribute human qualities to nonhuman things. John Donne has presented a

personified picture of Death throughout the poem. It tells Death not to be proud and pride is a human quality.  METAPHOR  A metaphor is the comparison of two different things that have something in common. In the opening line, the speaker says, “Death, be not proud.” Here, Death is compared to an arrogant man. Secondly, metaphor is used in the ninth line where the speaker says, “Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men.”   Here, the speaker says that Death is not independent but it is a slave to fate, chance, kings, and hopeless

men. Fate controls everything that happens in one’s life, including death. Additionally, chance controls events by making them occur for no known reason. Kings also send people to wars or order their execution. Hopeless people take risks and commit suicide which ends in their death.   ALLITERATION  It is the repetition of the same consonant sound in the same line such as the sound of /th/ in “And better than thy stroke” and “why swell’st thou the.” The sound of /m/ is also repeated in “then from thee much more must flow.” In this way, /th/ sound is repeated in the first, third, sixth, and twelfth lines.

Also, /d/ and /k/ sound is repeated in the fourth line and /w/ sound is repeated in the thirteenth line.  APOSTROPHE  This poem is an argument with Death. The speaker has used an apostrophe to address Death throughout the poem. The first word of the first line used an apostrophe to set the context for the rest of the poem. The word “Death” makes it clear to whom the poem is addressed. In the same way, the speaker stops arguing with the same apostrophe in the last line. First, fourth, and fourteenth line turns death into its personified version.

ANAPHORA  Anaphora is the repetition of words at the start of successive clauses, phrases, and sentences. In the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth line, the word “And” is repeated.  ASSONANCE  It is the repetition of the same vowel words in the same line of a poem. For example, the sound of /a/ is repeated in “Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate man.” Also, the sound of /e/ is repeated in “And soonest our best men with thee do go.”

METONYMY  It is the representation of a thing by something closely related to it. In this poem, the words “poppy and charms” describe sleep and rest.  ALLUSION  This poem reflects the basic teachings of Christianity and its belief in the eternal world. In different versions of the Bible, the phrase “And Death shall be no more” is written as “and there shall be nor more death.”

APHORISM  In the seventh line, the speaker says, “our best men with thee do go.” It refers to the general truth of the sixteenth century that “only the good die young.”  SPEAKER OF THE POEM  The speaker of this poem is anonymous. Most critics think that it is the voice of Donne’s personal experiences. As the speaker is arguing and defeating Death, it represents the whole of humanity. The speaker presents himself as the defender of humanity as well.  SETTING OF THE POEM

APHORISM  In the seventh line, the speaker says, “our best men with thee do go.” It refers to the general truth of the sixteenth century that “only the good die young.”  SPEAKER OF THE POEM  The speaker of this poem is anonymous. Most critics think that it is the voice of Donne’s personal experiences. As the speaker is arguing and defeating Death, it represents the whole of humanity. The speaker presents himself as the defender of humanity as well.  SETTING OF THE POEM

The setting of the poem is not specific. There are some clues in the poem that link it to seventeenth-century Europe. The speaker says that Death is a slave to kings. It shows the role of monarchs in that era. War was common at that time. Also, the religious disturbance in Europe was associated with monarchies. The word “poppy” also represents the popular drug “opium” in seventeenth-century England.  TONE  The tone of the poem is dark, challenging, and mocking. It begins as a challenge to Death but in the later parts, the one-sided conversation humiliates Death.

conlusion   In the end, the poet once again says that death is a kind of sleep, after which the soul will wake up to live forever and becomes immortal. Then death has no power over us. In other words, the soul conquers death; it is the death which itself dies. Thus Donne degrades death and declares happily the impotence of death. It is, in no way, powerful and dreadful. So we should not fear death as it has no power over our souls.

Death be not proud theme pdf | ppup part 1 english honours notes and study material pdf


Question. Discuss The Theme of Death not be proud.  Ans. - About the Poem  “Holy Sonnet 10,” often referred to as “Death, Be Not Proud,” was written by the English poet and Christian cleric John Donne in 1609 and first published in 1633.   The poem is a direct address to death, arguing that it is powerless because it acts merely as a “short sleep” between earthly living and the eternal afterlife—in essence, death is nothing to fear.   The sonnet written mostly in iambic pentameter and is part of a series known as Donne's "Holy Sonnets"(or “Divine Meditations”/ “Divine Sonnets”). In keeping with these other poems, “Holy Sonnet 10”

is a devotional lyric that looks at life’s biggest questions in the context of Donne’s religious beliefs.  About of the Author   The English writer and Anglican cleric John Donne is considered now to be the preeminent metaphysical poet of his time. He was born in 1572 to Roman Catholic parents, when practicing that religion was illegal in England.   His work is distinguished by its emotional and sonic intensity and its capacity to plumb the paradoxes of faith, human and divine love, and the possibility of salvation.

THEMES IN THE POEM  DEATH IS POWERLESS  The speaker in the poem starts his conversation with Death by addressing it directly. It shows the power of man over Death. Though man is mortal, he is still superior to Death. The poem depicts the picture of Death as powerless and weak. It negates the higher status of Death by comparing it to rest and sleep. Death does not make an end to life but it transfers souls to the eternal world. The powerlessness of Death is proved in the last lines of the poem when the speaker says that it is the Death itself that dies.

The speaker argues that although people are scared of Death and consider it mighty, no one really dies when they die. Through logical arguments, the speaker takes pity on Death and considers it weak. He confronts Death directly that Death cannot kill the speaker. He then composes the poem and conveys the message as a challenge.  The speaker calls rest and sleep the other pictures of Death. He says that people feel pleasant after rest and sleep. Therefore, they must feel good after death as well by taking it as a short resting phase. Death only keeps the physical bodies of people in rest and carries their souls to the afterlife. Death is a resting phase between the temporary life on earth and the timeless and limitless afterworld.

To describe Death’s powerlessness more, the speaker calls Death a slave to earthly kings. Death is linked with fate, chances, kings, poison, wars, and sickness. It relies on worldly things for its existence. It needs partners because it cannot cease the lives of people alone. Death is not a master, but a slave. Death is even inferior to poppy and other charms.  Although Death is terrible and omnipotent, it will still face its death. The inflated idea of its high and frightening stature is nothing but a misconception. Whichever way it is looked at, Death is inferior to everything. The speaker asks Death that after knowing all this, why and what it is proud of? Death is not something to be scared of. It has only one function of carrying souls to the place where they meant to be. ETERNAL LIFE  Another theme of this poem is eternal life and its limitlessness. This theme becomes obvious in the last line of the poem. The speaker says that we will wake up from sleep in eternal life and there will be no death there. This poem confirms the existence of the afterlife which is eternal.

Also, death does not mean the end. It is a path to enter into a new life. Death is a rebirth. By deconstructing the dreadful idea of Death, John Donne rebels against Death and gives a new meaning to the traditional understanding of death. Death is a gift for us from God to give us immortal life in heaven. After death, entrance to eternal life is freedom of souls. Therefore, death is a transitory stage to enter into an everlasting life with the promised lands of God where all shall rest in peace.  APPEARANCE VS. REALITY  Death seems mighty and powerful, but it is not. Death brings stillness which seems permanent, but this is not the reality. Death is arrogant but it always depends on poison, war, illness or another mishap to do the job on its behalf. It always needs a crime partner. It is a slave to fate, chance, kings, and even hopeless men. Despite its fearful idea, poppy and other charms can also cause death like effects. According to the speaker’s Christian beliefs, on the

final Day of Judgment, all dead people who ever lived will come back to life. There will be no more death and the powerful-looking Death will die itself.  MORTALITY VS. IMMORTALITY  Death is due and every single body has to taste it. Everyone is bound to die and this causes fear of death in humans. People always look at death as an end. The speaker in the poem looks at death with a positive approach. Humans have immortal souls living in mortal bodies. Death takes humans from their mortal and temporary world to an immortal status  The fear of death rises from one’s attachment to one’s self, relations, material possessions, and

ignorance about what will happen after death. Death is just punctuation in our long story of struggles. This far-sighted outlook towards death gives immense possibilities of making good of one’s life without any insecurity about death.  COURAGE  Another theme of this poem is courage. The speaker speaks with courage throughout the poem. He overcomes the fear of Death. He makes confident statements and challenges Death. It gives the lesson of facing adversity with grace and courage. It does not mean that through courage, one can avoid Death. It means that through courage, Death can never take control of one’s life. Encountering difficult times

transforms people into something higher and meaningful.  conlusion   In the end, the poet once again says that death is a kind of sleep, after which the soul will wake up to live forever and becomes immortal. Then death has no power over us. In other words, the soul conquers death; it is the death which itself dies. Thus Donne degrades death and declares happily the impotence of death. It is, in no way, powerful and dreadful. So we should not fear death as it has no power over our souls.

Question. What was the moral or lesson of the Death not be proud?  Ans. - About the Poem  “Holy Sonnet 10,” often referred to as “Death, Be Not Proud,” was written by the English poet and Christian cleric John Donne in 1609 and first published in 1633.   The poem is a direct address to death, arguing that it is powerless because it acts merely as a “short sleep” between earthly living and the eternal afterlife—in essence, death is nothing to fear.

The Moral Lesson of Death be not Proud notes PDF


Question. What was the moral or lesson of the Death not be proud?  Ans. - About the Poem  “Holy Sonnet 10,” often referred to as “Death, Be Not Proud,” was written by the English poet and Christian cleric John Donne in 1609 and first published in 1633.   The poem is a direct address to death, arguing that it is powerless because it acts merely as a “short sleep” between earthly living and the eternal afterlife—in essence, death is nothing to fear.

The sonnet written mostly in iambic pentameter and is part of a series known as Donne's "Holy Sonnets"(or “Divine Meditations”/ “Divine Sonnets”). In keeping with these other poems, “Holy Sonnet 10” is a devotional lyric that looks at life’s biggest questions in the context of Donne’s religious beliefs.  About of the Author   The English writer and Anglican cleric John Donne is considered now to be the preeminent metaphysical poet of his time. He was born in 1572 to Roman Catholic parents, when practicing that religion was illegal in England.

His work is distinguished by its emotional and sonic intensity and its capacity to plumb the paradoxes of faith, human and divine love, and the possibility of salvation.  Moral or lesson of the Death not be proud  John Donne’s poem ‘Death Be Not Proud’ is a masterful argument against the power of Death. The theme, or the message, of the poem is that Death is not some all-powerful being that humans should fear. Instead, Death is actually a slave to the human race and has no power over our souls.  conlusion

History context of Death not be proud pdf


In the end, the poet once again says that death is a kind of sleep, after which the soul will wake up to live forever and becomes immortal. Then death has no power over us. In other words, the soul conquers death; it is the death which itself dies. Thus Donne degrades death and declares happily the impotence of death. It is, in no way, powerful and dreadful. So we should not fear death as it has no power over our souls. Question. HISTORICAL CONTEXT of Death not be proud.   Ans. - About the Poem  “Holy Sonnet 10,” often referred to as “Death, Be Not Proud,” was written by the English poet and Christian cleric John Donne in 1609 and first published in 1633.   The poem is a direct address to death, arguing that it is powerless because it acts merely as a “short sleep” between earthly living and the eternal afterlife—in essence, death is nothing to fear.   The sonnet written mostly in iambic pentameter and is part of a series known as Donne's "Holy Sonnets"(or “Divine Meditations”/ “Divine Sonnets”). In keeping with these other poems, “Holy Sonnet 10” is a devotional lyric that looks at life’s biggest questions in the context of Donne’s religious beliefs.

About of the Author   The English writer and Anglican cleric John Donne is considered now to be the preeminent metaphysical poet of his time. He was born in 1572 to Roman Catholic parents, when practicing that religion was illegal in England.   His work is distinguished by its emotional and sonic intensity and its capacity to plumb the paradoxes of faith, human and divine love, and the possibility of salvation.   HISTORICAL CONTEXT of Death not be proud

It is also important to know the historical context of the poem. In the seventeenth century, England was going through huge political and social transformation. Two centuries before this era, England went through the “dark ages” alongside the remainder of continental Europe.   There was a political disturbance, epidemic diseases, and an overall degeneration. The horrible Bubonic plague that hit England hard in the thirteenth century appeared again in 1603.   It was called “Black Death.” At least thirty-three thousand people died in the epidemic. It caused massive deaths and destruction to British society. This socio-political context was more tending to bring

about the revitalization of Christian norms and values which have seen a downfall within the “dark ages.”  At this tough time, the realism and optimism of John Donne’s poetry caught the attention of the seventeenth-century English public. Poems like “Death, be not Proud” got popular due to two main reasons.   Firstly, the universal subject of death and the Christian concept of eternal life was appealing for the chaos stricken English society. Secondly, using written words as a source of communication made it possible to convey a message to all the sections of society.  conclusion

In the end, the poet once again says that death is a kind of sleep, after which the soul will wake up to live forever and becomes immortal. Then death has no power over us. In other words, the soul conquers death; it is the death which itself dies. Thus Donne degrades death and declares happily the impotence of death. It is, in no way, powerful and dreadful. So we should not fear death as it has no power over our souls.

In the end, the poet once again says that death is a kind of sleep, after which the soul will wake up to live forever and becomes immortal. Then death has no power over us. In other words, the soul conquers death; it is the death which itself dies. Thus Donne degrades death and declares happily the impotence of death. It is, in no way, powerful and dreadful. So we should not fear death as it has no power over our souls.

Conclusion for Death be not Proud notes PDF

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