COURAGEUnlike most Donne takes a stand against Death itself. It's ballsy. We appreciate his courage! The best way to reduce a tyrant like Death is to continually throw punches at it. In fact, Donne never slows down in his pursuit against Death. Each line is new punch that brings Death to its knees! What the poem teaches us is that our fear of Death is simply ridiculous. After reading this poem, Donne has instilled in us all, a sense of courage when we confront death.
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Born in a Catholic household, Donne's poetry is reflective of his religious background. Donne himself is a metaphysical poet. What this means is that Donne utilizes conceits, or extended metaphors in order to further explain religious concepts. In the context of "Death, be not proud," Donne uses metaphysics to explain the Afterlife. Donne is NOT mocking religion with the conceit of Death. Rather, he is fortifying religious ideals.
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MORTALITYThe point of this poem is to end the human perception of death as we know it. In a sense, Donne tries and succeeds at easing our nerves around Death. When we think of Death, we see the end. We see our mortality. Donne takes this idea and shreds it into pieces. Yes, Donne admits that life on Earth ends but the life that comes afterwards is eternal. Death is not the ending, but rather a transition.
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