Analysis of "Death, Be Not Proud" by John Donne (Blog #10)

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,

And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well

And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Woah, heavy stuff man.

I think the speaker is standing up to death, facing their fears and misfortunes caused by death. They kind of talk down upon death, the same way an ordinary guy stands up to a bully in one of those cheesy Disney channel movies. "Death, be no proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so." The speaker defies the "power" of death ("nor yet canst thou kill me"). The speaker then goes on to say that the greatest people on earth will go with Death and that Death only follows the orders and ordeals of fate, kings, and men. Death uses many tools to collect his souls (poison, war, sickness). However, when the dead awake in heaven as immortal souls, Death will truly die and have no purpose.

John Donne uses beautiful diction and personification to bring this piece to life (literally, and quite ironic!). Starting with diction, Donne carefully crafted the sentences to create something that conveys so much more meaning than what appears to meet the eye. With address to Death directly and clear moments of defiance, the poem represents a confrontation from a subordinate to a superior. "Death shall be no more," strongly emphasizes the importance of the poem and its purpose of defiance. And the personification of Death (turning into a person) brings it to life (HAHA!). Death becomes more than a means to an end, it becomes a person who any sad or angry victim can publicly and physically blame.

Oh, if it were only that easy. If Death could be stopped by diction and defiance and dignity. As mere mortals, we are at Death's grip and mercy. For me, it is easier to cope with the possibility of death if I just believe that this time on Earth is our only time, so I should make best of it. Immortality, the after life, freak me out! I'm comforted by the fact that You Only Live Once. Like the poem "To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time", I believe that it's important to value and respect the time we have at hand.