"Death, be not proud" by John Donne - Oh this guy

"And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die." I'm catching on to this John Donne guy! He is a Christian poet whose themes constantly revolve around the victory of God over evil. This poem alludes to the Resurrection. Through Jesus' death and with God, we can overcome death. One of the questions asked if the speaker was strong in faith, or if he was trying to convince himself that there is nothing to fear in death. I believe that this man is strong in faith. I see him as proclaiming his faith to others, to help them be free from fear. This man is proclaiming the victory of God over death, for mankind may now live in eternity. But he also has a tone of gloating - one that will not win one eternal life. The last two lines seem like neener-neener lines. He seems too proud of his proposed victory over death. In a sense, I can see him questioning himself. All of us have doubt at some point or other, this very well may be his attempt at burying that doubt.

"Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead" by Andrew Hudgins - Title Choice

"One day I'll lift the telephone / and be told my father's dead. He's ready." I see this title as slightly misleading. It implies that elegies are only for those who are dead. THIS IS NOT TRUE! It can be any poem of mourning. Obviously, this father is not dead. Literally, anyways. Figuratively speaking, the speaker says that his father is as good as dead. His father is ready for death, for he is prepared for the afterlife. So, to in a way satirize his father, the son writes an elegy for him. Through the use of the elegy, I see him indirectly addressing his father. While his father is ready for death, the speaker is not. The speaker is trying to tell his father to stop talking about death so much, he isn't ready for his father to die.

"Delight in Disorder" by Robert Herrick - Personification

"A sweet disorder in the dress / Kindles in clothes a wantonness." This poem is loaded with personification! First, these lines give disorder the ability to kindle something. Then, "An erring lace...Enthralls the crimson stomacher." Obviously, laces cannot literally enthrall anything else. However, the personification of these nouns gives a better description of appearance than without such use of personification. When the author uses words such as kindles and enthralls, I see truly enhancing characteristics in the attire. I can understand what he is saying when he says that disorder can be more attractive than exactness. And due to his explanation, I agree with him! With "perfection," I tend to notice more errors and snobiness. Without personification, this poem would lack strong rhetoric.

"Edward" by Anonymous - Repetition

"And what will ye leave to your children and wife, / Edward, Edward, / And what will ye leave to your children and wife." The repitition of the first phrase of each stanza gives the poem a song-like feeling. To me, the poem has the feel of a nursery rhyme.  However, it is quite a depressing nursery rhyme. "And what will ye leave to your own mother dear...The cures of hell from me shall ye bear;" that is not the loving words of a son. The repetition of her question transforms it into a plea. She is hoping that her son will choose the good over the evil, but he does not. The repitition almost mocked the mother. It made her seem like the loving mother at home, singing nursery rhymes to her young child. Yet, the old child does not want this anymore and curses her for it. Such love...

"Lonely Hearts" by Wendy Cope - Pattern

"Do you live in North London? Is it you?" This poem has the most obvious pattern of repetition of all this week. And I believe it has the most profound effect on the poem. First it starts as an innocent lovely question wondering if YOU may be the one who is just right for the speaker. But then, it begins to shift. The question remains the same; however, the context becomes creepier making the question seem violating. To me, her descriptions of herself seem like gloating, and she probably is not exactly as how she describes. I feel violated when she asks me to write to her without even knowing who she really is. But the question keeps her innocence. She seems pitiful and in need of love. While I could never write to her, I at least feel sympathy towards her lonely situation.