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Example research essay topic: Herbert Milton And Donne As Religious Poets - 2,710 words

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Herbert, Milton and Donne as Religious Poets The genre of poetry had probably appeared as soon as people learnt to verbally express their emotions. It would be reasonable to suggest that poetry had been evolving simultaneously with verbal language. As human race celebrated the moment of its appearance on earth their verbal skills were rather limited and the whole spectrum of emotions has been mainly transmitted through the nonverbal devices of communication, such as gestures, mimics, body movements, etc. However, as people progressed in their learning and their behavior proceeded from more simple to more advanced, people started to utilize abstract models in their thinking process and their language skills became more sophisticated and allowing for a wider use in any type of situation.

In the middle ages the theme of religious sensibility was very popular among the poets. George Herbert did not attempt to claim poetic discourse with his God. He just claims poetic discourse with his God. Of course many of his poems were meant to be sung as hymns for Herbert was also a musician. It is unfair to say though, that he tied himself into knots in his attempt to claim poetic discourse with his God.

Herbert is a master of his art, who uses his poems to question the nature of his relationship to God, as a celebration of Gods grace in times of personal trial and in his celebration of the churches. He does this in a very unique way of often using conceits with fairly simple diction. If we read Herbert's poems primarily as a record of Herbert love of God and try to find in it the story of a spiritual progress, we miss read it. Herbert is a sincerely simple poet perhaps he should have confined himself to writing hymns instead of tying himself into knots in an attempt to claim profound poetic discourse with his God, scholars claim. This can be discussed, however.

If we think that he should have confined himself to writing hymns, we have miss read it. If we think that he ties himself into knots in his poetry, we have not begun to comprehend his conceits and the metaphoric knots he ties and weaves. We need to therefore reread A wreath. Coming after the melodious songs and sonnets of the Elizabethans, the verification of metaphysical poets is sometimes rough and even harsh. Metaphysical poets deliberately reject the formal metrical smoothness and preconceive poetic patterns of the past in order to allow the requirements of each particular poem to dictate its own stanza form and rhyme scheme. It is not only Herbert, but Donne, Vaughan and Traherne who placed great importance on the part played by the pattern of the poem on the printed page in conveying its total meaning.

The Alter and Easter Wings are two of Herbert's poem that employ lines of varying lengths and graphically gives a picture of an alter and wings respectively. Grierson puts it this way bend and crack the metrical pattern to the rhetoric of direct and vehement utterance. Herbert portrays a peculiar strength in his poetry. His poems are remarkable for clarity of design and precision in expression. His editor Dr Hutchinson puts it this way has its object well defined.

All his poems Ive studied so far moves to a true conclusion. The Collar and Jordan 2 are two very fine examples of poetry which are satisfying to the mind and ear, which, when it arrives, is felt to have been foreseen from the beginning. The Collar is a poem of his most energetic expression of the rebellion of self-will against the disciplines of his vocation. The reader of this poem clearly gets a picture of the violence of the speakers struggle to break free from the constraints.

The rapid impetuous urgency of speech seems to defy the prescribed pattern of verse as of behaviour until poetic order is finally imposed upon the skilfully disordered rhythm and rhyme scheme. His clarity of design and precision in expression is very powerful in redemption. In this poem he dramatists the story of his search, culminating in Christs redemption of man on the cross. He translates in terms of tenant and landlord, lease and land purchase. These terms are closest to the people of his time, and even our own recognisable everyday experience the metaphor of the legal transaction.

Joan Bennett in Five Metaphysical Poets likens the plain matter-of-fact of Herbert's narration to the tone of man exchanging views in the market place. John Milton's poetry is another example of portraying religious sensibility. Although John Milton was raised in London, his father was raised in Oxfordshire. So Milton had a city background as well as a rural one. Not only did he have the knowledge of two different cultures he was brought up in the difference of religious beliefs. His father, John Milton Senior, was raised by a devout Roman Catholic.

However, later in life, John Milton Sr. switched his beliefs to the Protestant Religion. John Milton Jr. knew first hand the bitter differences that divided his fellow countrymen. Later, he would also join the cause of the Puritanical society. Protestantism is a faith in which it is believed that salvation depends not on human effort or merit but only on the freely given grace of god.

Good works are not disdained but regarded as the result of Gods grace working in the life of the believer. John Milton and other Puritans believed that the Catholic faith put too much emphasis on the need for believers to gain merits. To Protestants this seemed to make the redemptive sacrifice of Christ unnecessary and to leave human beings, all of whom are necessarily sinners, in doubt of their Christianity. John Milton grew up in the great epoch of Literature of John Donne, Shakespeare, John Webster, and Ben Johnson.

These great literary authors greatly influenced John Milton's career. As a young boy, Milton showed a great talent in writing, especially poetry. He treated his gifts seriously, he looked at his life and his career as something dedicated to God and the service of his country. Milton felt that he was called to serve God from the pulpit and through poetry. Milton felt that a poet himself to be a true poem, that is a composition and pattern of the best and honourable st things, not presuming to sing high praises of heroic men or famous cities unless he have in himself the experience and the practice of all that which he is praiseworthy. John Milton's work is marked by cosmic themes and lofty religious idealism.

John Milton's work can be broken in to three major periods. The first is compiled of his early poems. Such as On the Morning of Christs Nativity, On time, as well as many others, and his elegy Lycidas. His second period, from 1640 to 1660, was devoted chiefly to the writing of the prose tracts that established his as the ablest pamphleteer of his time. In these pamphlets Milton attacked the institution of bishops and argued in favor of extending the spirit of the English Reformation.

He also wrote pamphlets that divorce should be granted for incompatibility, and pleas for a freedom of the press, and the justification of the execution of Charles the First. In Milton's third writing period, he wrote his greatest masterpiece, which is one of the greatest poems in world literature, Paradise Lost. Although, Satan was looked upon as a romantic hero by critics and the general public, this was not Milton's intention. Satan was looked at as a romantic hero because he rebelled against a higher power, and even though he lost, he would still rather rule in Hell then serve in heaven, and forgiveness is impossible for him because disdain forbids him to repent. Adam and Eve can find forgiveness because, having sinned, they can admit their fault and reconcile their wills to that of God in striving to overcome it, but Satan never gets to that of God in striving to overcome it, but Satan never gets beyond a bitter indictment of God for having wronged him. Milton's announced aim was to justify the ways of God to men.

The only way Milton could achieve this was showing that man, not God, is responsible for the worlds evil. Milton also believed that righteousness and evil have no real meaning unless man is free to choose between them. Milton's next project was paradise regained. This tells of human salvation through Christ, and of his temptation. Milton's poetic drama, Samson Agonistes, was published in 1671 alongside Paradise Regained.

It is a drama modeled on classical Greek tragedy, but with biblical subject matter. The plot of the work employed the story of Samson from the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. Milton did this in hopes of inspiring the defeated English Puritans with the courage to triumph through sacrifice. In Lycidas, however the person suffering defeat is one that is mourning a friend. Just like in Samson Agonistes the speaker can't believe this has have to his friend. The speaker wants to know, "Where were ye nymphs when the remorseless deep, Closed o'er the head of your loved Lycidas?" (50 - 51 Lycidas).

We see that Milton likes to question why when dealing with defeat in his works. The third example of the seventeenth-century religious poetry is the legacy of John Donne. In his poetry John Donne uses a lot of images to relate to biblical themes. He uses similar views the Jesus had in the New Testament. In some parables that are in the new testament that relate to some of Donne's poetry. Some of the images that both Donne and the parables had are very similar to each other, especially the similarities between life and death situations dealing with everyday life.

John Donne has a series of poems called the Holy Sonnets. In these poems Donne speaks of various topics ranging from the tragedies of death and its impacts on the people it has. To the images and comparisons to God and how we should live are lives. In, Holy Sonnet 14, Donne uses the image of Death to be welcomed when in a dieing situation. Or in that case, he tries to explain Death in a more manageable way for people to deal with. He does this to lighten the mood of a person in a dieing situation.

This is related to Jesus when he said not to fear the next world in the New Testament. The same goes for the comparison of Jesus to Donne. Jesus, in his time of death welcomed it and accepted it. He welcomed his own death similar to Donne's Holy Sonnet 14. Donne being a holy man probably used the bible as a teaching reference to get his point across to his follow man back in his time. He also could have used the parable teachings as a guide lined system to base his Holy Sonnet series on.

The series does have the title of Holy. Dealing with the catholic religion. In Holy Sonnet 10, Donne uses the symbol of death and how it is dark and represents evil. He also explains how Death can be a positive point in his poetry and how to deal with it, which is the same thing Jesus had done with the story about the devil coming to the Earth and tenting people as an evil deed. Were these two differ is some of there comparisons of there teachings and who there audiences are. Donne uses symbols such as working things in society such as an iron maker in Holy Sonnet 10.

He also compares God to a suppose or a married other who you have to live with and be compatible with. Jesus compared God to nature in his teachings. Like tress or seeds that needed to development inside of you. Jesus also dealt with everyday situations which is similar to what Donne did in most of his works.

But they still compare with things that people can relate to and better understand. They probably did this so people would feel more comfortable with dealing in these certain situations. They also did this so people would understand there own faith better. That's what comes to my mind when reading both there works.

Donne's works are mainly said about his everyday life. So he probably wrote this poetry when he thought his life was coming to an end. Or he felt he needed to get this out to the public in a different manner then coming right out and telling them. A poetry critic who disagrees with Donne's poetry said that he wrote his Sonnet poems to get forgiveness from God.

And that he was preparing for his own death. Or even he wrote it to be at peace with God. My they about this is that the critic disliked Donne's work and wanted to make him out as being bad. He wrote this poetry to express and to get his point of his faith out in the real world so that others would understand his belief of his faith better. In Holy Sonnet X John Donne explains his faith. Death, commonly viewed as an all-powerful force against life, is otherwise described in John Donne's Holy Sonnet 10.

Donne just mainly wanted to get his point across about his faith and liked people to know about himself. My opinion is that Donne wanted to expand his faith to other people the same way Jesus wanted to do when he started preaching at his local temples and wanted to spread his faith. They just used different styles to get there points across to people. Both of them came up at different times in the world. So they had to present there material in a different manner so that it could be accepted better. But like all new ideas it took a while till it could finally be accepted in Society.

There works were put down at first but later considered to be great. Jesus were accepted allot more then Donne's were. That's probably why he has a religion and Donne doesnt. But Jesus had the original idea of it. Where people loved Jesus there were those who hated him too. That's why he was put to death.

That could have been the same for Donne with his writings. Just not as extreme as Jesus situation. When Donne explains about death he often writes about his experiences with it. Throughout existence, there have been many theories regarding exactly what role Death plays in the lives of those who experience it. Some think Death is the ultimate controller of all living things, while others believe it is nothing more than the act of dying once your time has come. Donne, on the other hand, has his own philosophy.

The entire Sonnet, Donne speaks directly to Death. He personifies what to man has always been a spirit and has never been touched, seen or furthermore killed He gives Death life, and therefore makes it mortal, exposing it to pain, torment and eventually, defeat. In lines one and two Donne says Death, be not proud, though some have called thee, Mighty and dreadful thou art not so. By referring to Death as a person, he makes it easier for the reader to bring Death down to a level of a weakness and venerability, allowing us to examine it to see what Death really is. Word count: 2569 Bibliography: Milton, John, "Lycidas" pgs 1738 - 1743, "Paradise Lost" pgs 1755 - 1904, and "Samson Agonistes" pgs 1905 - 1945. The Longman Anthology of British Literature Volume 1; Addison Wesley Longman Inc. 1998 Milton, John (1608 - 1674); Colliers Encyclopedia CD-ROM Robert M.

Adams; 02 - 28 - 1996 (Colliers) Herbert, George. George Herbert: Selected by W. H. Auden. comp. W.

H. Auden. Poet to Poet Series. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1973. Herbert, George. George Herbert: The Complete English Poems.

Ed. John Tobin. London: Penguin Books, 1991. Brown, Meg Lota, Donne and the Politics of Conscience in Early Modern England.

E. J. Brill, 1997. Grierson, H. J. C. , "Donne's Love Poetry", in Helen Gardner, ed. , John Donne: a Collection of Critical Essays.

Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1962.


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Research essay sample on Herbert Milton And Donne As Religious Poets

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