Fear Of Persecution Research Paper

Fear can be immobilizing. While some fears are irrational such as the fear of heights or stairs, some fears that manifest are not so irrational. The fear of persecution is one of the latter. From the birth of our human existence to present day persecution has existed. Some are persecuted because of the color, some because of their lack of social station, but what we, a humans, truly thrive on for our source of persecution is religion. People have massacred for it for and later been massacred themselves in the name of religion. These were all very real feelings in the Restoration period. Although these fears, debilitating as they may be, cripple some, others rise above the shadow of their fear to achieve great and wondrous creations. This is …show more content…
He was born in 1572 to devoutly Catholic parents. His father was of "respectable linage" and his mother came from a "distinguished family" and was a direct descendant of Sir Thomas More, a famous Catholic martyr. Donne's success as a poet would have been assured if not for the religious unrest which existed in England at the time. During this time in England Catholics were persecuted mercilessly and a young Donne lost both his uncle and his brother to the machinations of religion power. As an adult, he then experienced the personal touch of such persecution when he was denied degrees from both of the institutions where he studied because of his Catholic faith. This did not dissuade him although he did trade in his Catholic faith for the Church of England after the death of his brother. He went on to study at Thavies Inn legal school and Lincoln's Inn and even sailed on several English expeditions. In 1597 he began his role as secretary for Lord Thomas Egerton, chief secretary of the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal (Norton). This should have been the start of a remarkable career but after his secret marriage to Lord Egerton's niece he was dismissed from employment. For the next twelve years he struggled to provide for his "enormous" family and reluctantly he accepted King James offer to join the Church of England as a preacher. Not long after the appointment Donne lost his wife to illness. Because of his experiences his writings became reflections of the moments in his life and "they cannot be kept wholly separate from...his writing, for which they at least provide a living context" (Smith). The works of his younger years were softer, full of light sprinkled with bits of rebellion while his later sermons spoke of darker subjects such as suicide and death. It is in his earlier works that we can truly appreciate his quick wit, biting intellect, and humorous criticisms. The best example of all his