Poems of John Donne Essay

In contrast to The Flea, Donne uses metaphors in The disoriented Heart in order to show his line up bitterness towards love. As J. B. Leishman tells us At unmatched time, then, he really thought that there was such a thing as avowedly love and faithfulness in woman, that them was something in the chivalrous faithfulness of Spenser and the sonneteers. Then he was deceived, was for a time inflamed with hatred and bitterness. This is understandably shown in The Broken Heart as he uses the metaphor of broken glass as he says at one first blow did shiver it as glasse.This reflects the idea of heart and soulbreak as he compares this to the shattering of glass. He goes on to explain how though they be not unite And now as broken glass show A hundred lesser faces He is explaining how his heart deal reflect different lovers, insofar it is still broken. This shows that Donne is using metaphor in order to clearly explain his true emotions and not besides to startle his audience. He explains how ragges of heart commode like, whish and adore, But after one such love, can love no moreThis tells us that Donne can never love again now that his heart has already been broken. The metaphor of glass and rags clearly explains that once a heart is broken though it can be fixed it will never be the same. This tells us that Donne uses metaphors in order to express his true emotions and not just to startle his audience. Critic R. G Cox states that At its best the metaphysical toilet table communicates a unified experience what matters is the sense of imaginative pressure and intensity. I believe this view is clearly illustrated by Donnes use of the flea as a conceit.Through this conceit Donne clearly expresses his opinion of his bawds chastity and not only startles the reader but sets up a witty and entertain argument.This is also illustrated in the metaphors used in The Broken Heart as Donne expresses his true emotions about his sorrow with imaginative pressure and in tensity. 1,869 words.1 A. H Welsh John Donne The Critical Heritage Vol. 2 Book by Professor A. J. Smith, Catherine Phillips Routledge, 1996 2Knowles & Moon (2006) introducing metaphor, (pp 2-6), Abington Rouledge 3R. G Cox, Poems of John Donne.