I really like how John Donne contrasts spiritual love vs. physical love, in A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning. When I first read the poem, it was a little over my head but now I understand the message he was trying to get across. Donne uses a series of metaphors to produce the idea of him and his lover's separation. He says their souls are one and compares it to gold, meaning gold can be stretched by beating it, just like their love can be stretched to withstand the time apart from one another.
The Canonization is written as if someone opposed his love. He stands up for his love and emotions throughout the poem. He doesn't care what the opposing person thinks or says, as long as he can still love. To him, love is the most important thing in his life.
Jenn Headley
2 comments:
I agree that the way Donne writes is a really good especially when comparing physical/spiritual love. I think the best part about the first poem is when he uses the idea of a compass. His lover being the center and him being the leg and as long as the center holds firm he will eventually come back to where he had been when he'd left (love). I believe that in itself is fantastic and shows some of the great qualities Donne had as a writer.
To fully understand all of the metaphors he uses in his poem I did have to read the poems a bunch of times, I liked how the first poem talked about how their souls were one, or if they were two. Like Vince and Jenn said, Donne can really grasp the concept of the physical and spiritual love. I personally liked the second poem better because it really feels like he is speaking directly to a specific person and how he genuinely expressed his love not caring about what other people thought about him or what he was feeling.
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