Essay Questions

Who was John Donne and why did the writer compose and elegy in his honor?

John Donne was a poet, priest, and a lawyer who lived in England during the 16th and 17th century. John Donne was born into a Catholic family in a time when bearing this label could cost a person his life. Because of this, John Donne was taught in private by other family members who were writers as well. At some time, John Donne was even questioned by the state because of his affiliation with the Catholic Church. In his early adulthood, John Donne became interested in politics and he even became elected as a member of the Parliament. During that time, he also starting writing, being supported by his patrons, often other political figures interested in his writings. The King of that time advised John to become a clergy man which he did eventually. Because of his oratory talent, he quickly became appreciated and more than 100 of his sermons survived to this day. The reason why the author wrote an elegy to John Donne is because he was one of the first to write metaphysic poetry. Donne’s probably most known poem is ‘’The Flea’’ and it describes a sexual act through the image of a flea biting two people. Thomas Carew was a metaphysical writer as well and thus it is only natural that he chose to write an elegy in the honor of the man who started the literary movement he was a part of.

How is John Donne presented in the elegy?

First of all, John Donne is compared with a father and the metaphysic poetry with the woman he is married with. This comparison is important because it shows just how important John Donne was in the eyes of his fellow metaphysical poets who saw John Donne as the founder of the movement. Next, he is presented as a great preacher and the narrator goes as far as to say that the religious services will no longer have the same impact as they did until then. This shows that Donne’s talent stretched across poetry and that he also employed his literary talents when he wrote sermons which became famous during his time because of the impact they had on those who listened to him.

Who were Anacreon and Pindar, and why are they mentioned in the poem?

Anacreon was a Greek lyrical player who lived during 5th century before Christ. He is one of the names in the nine canonical Greek writers and his pieces became extremely popular in England during the 16th century and the century before. Pindar was another great writer included in the cannon and the reason why the narrator mentions the two writers is because in the time when the poem was written, there was an idea promoted, namely how a person could become successful as a writer if he or she tried to reproduce the writing style of the ancient Greek writers. This however created literary pieces that were almost the same, with a few variations to differentiate them. The metaphysical poets tried to put an emphasis on creativity, not on imitation and by mentioning these two writers the narrator tried to transmit just this.