11/12 John Donne (#11b)

Holy Sonnet 14
John Donne's poem, "Holy Sonnet 14," describes the spiritual relationship between God and a human. This relationship is shown using the analogy of a woman, her husband, and how they react to hard times. The symbol of the woman being "betrothed unto your enemy" and wanting her husband to "imprison" her since she still loves him is similar to a Christian following God (2543). A Christian longs to fellowship with God even though they are trapped in a sinful body and are prone to do things against God's law. Donne uses the words "batter," "enthrall," and "ravish" as imagery to show the love of the human towards God. The image of God using his force to "break, blow, burn, and make [the human] new" demonstrates God making a sinner whole spiritually and redeeming them from their sinful life. The human knows that unless God intervenes and captures their attention fully, they "shall never be free" from sin (2543). This relationship is also shown in the figurative language of "an usurped town to another due" (2543). Man was designed to be the property of God but sin and evil came and took away that relationship in a way.

Flea Bait
The poem, "The Flea" describes a love between two lovers and how a flea symbolizes their marriage. The poem, "The Bait," also describes two lovers, but uses a fish to symbolize their relationship.