Batter My Heart- John Donne Rachel Hanks

The Poem Batter my heart, three person’d God; for, you As yet but knock, breathe, shine and seek to mend; That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend Your force, to break, blow, burn and make me new. I, like an ursurpt town, to another due, Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end Reason your viceroy in me, me should defend, But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue. Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain, But I am betroth’d unto your enemy: Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again, Take me to you, imprison me, for I Except you enthral me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

Background Likely written about 1609 Lucy of Bedford Catholic practice of meditation

Meditation St. Ignatius Loyola – Prayer – Preludes Imagination related to subject Petition – Points Reflections on the history of sin – Colloquy A type of conversation, spoken either casually or as a servant to a master, with God – Our father

Iambic pentameter and rhyme scheme Original notations of blending vowel sounds included

Analysis Batter my heart, three person’d God; for you as yet but knock, breathe, shine and seek to mend – Batter – Allusion – Sound – Contrast – Iambic pentameter – Stylistically like a Shakespearean sonnet

That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new. – Alliteration – Break in stress of meter – Continuation of conceit

I, like an usurpt town, to another due, Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end, – Oh – Conceit – Diction

Reason your viceroy in me, me should defend, But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue. – viceroy

Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain, But am betroth’d unto your enemy: – Change in metaphysical conceit – Fain

Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again, Take me to you, imprison me, for I – Contrast – Conceit – Pronouns

Except you enthral me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me – Paradox – Rhyming couplet – Enthral

Bibliography Carey, John. Donne the Major Works including Songs Sonnets and Sermons. Oxford: Oxford publishing inc The book AMANDA didn’t bring back…… ;) 7/john-donne-batter-my-heart-his-sonnet/ 7/john-donne-batter-my-heart-his-sonnet/ i.v.html i.v.html