John Donne

I find John Donne to be a very interesting person who was very smart and had an attitude about him that he wanted to do his own thing. This is exemplified by his imprisonment by Sir Thomas Egerton for his seccret love with his Egerton's daughter. I think that Donne was one of those people who gave anything he did 100 percent of his effort even if he didn't think that he would be good at it. This work ethic was shown in his development as a preacher. At first Donne wasn't sure if he would be good at it but over time he developed his style and become one of the best preachers ever known. He was also fond of reading anything and gaining any information possible. This also shows his hard work ethic. The two poems are hard to understand the first time you read them. I think that the first one about forbiding mourning is more easily understood than the second one which is written with a lot of symbolism that hides the message. If you read it more than oncce though and analyze it closer it will make more sense. I can see why Donne was such a popular preacher. His subjects addressed issues that were not normal for that period of time. His poem about forbbidding mourning suggests that we should celebrate a life since it is starting to live its eternal life. This was a rather rennassance based idea and that's what people wanted since he was writing right after rennasance and just at the beggining of the reformation. Overall I don't like these poems as much as the things they carried but it does give a glimpse into the thinking of that time period. If anyone can elaborate on meaning of any the two poems but especially the second one that would be great.