We are living in an age of constant and unignorable sexuality. Men and women with perfect bodies are plastered over billboards and magazines and all other media outlets. It is hard to imagine a world that is not as oversexualized as ours. Despite the prevalence of sex in media and society, there is still a notion that we should be coy about our sexual endeavours, especially if you are a woman, which is completely contradictory to the messages we are bombarded with on a daily basis. However, within the last few years, there has been a remarkable women’s liberation movement to celebrate sexuality, free the nipple, and embrace our beautiful bodies instead of being ashamed by them. This is a movement that John Donne without a doubt would have
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Donne uses verbs like “off with”, “unpin” and “unlace” to show that piece by piece, his mistress is freeing herself of society’s judgements until her naked body is finally unbound. The many layers she has on shows how restricted the world has made her feel, and how it has lead her to covering up her body with several articles of clothing. But with each piece she peels off, she becomes closer and closer to reaching total empowerment and freedom. When she is finally undressed, Donne praises her body, only enhancing the argument that it is right for her to be free. He …show more content…
Line 32 states, “To enter in these bonds, is to be free”, shows his belief that not only his mistress but all women will be fully emancipated once they realize how powerful they can be when they are confident and proud of their bodies, and that sex does not have to be something that is only satisfying for the male. John Donne’s last two lines of the poem states “To teach thee, I am naked first; why then / What needst thou have more covering than a man” (Donne, 48-49). In this Donne recognizes the double standard on the way men and women express sexuality, and asks us to question why that barrier for women stands. Sexuality is a very complex social construct that has both hindered and advanced women throughout time. In John Donne’s To His Mistress Going to Bed, Donne encourages women to liberate themselves by embracing their bodies and pursuing whatever sexual encounters they desire, and to not let the scrutiny of society hold them back from loving who they
Donne uses verbs like “off with”, “unpin” and “unlace” to show that piece by piece, his mistress is freeing herself of society’s judgements until her naked body is finally unbound. The many layers she has on shows how restricted the world has made her feel, and how it has lead her to covering up her body with several articles of clothing. But with each piece she peels off, she becomes closer and closer to reaching total empowerment and freedom. When she is finally undressed, Donne praises her body, only enhancing the argument that it is right for her to be free. He …show more content…
Line 32 states, “To enter in these bonds, is to be free”, shows his belief that not only his mistress but all women will be fully emancipated once they realize how powerful they can be when they are confident and proud of their bodies, and that sex does not have to be something that is only satisfying for the male. John Donne’s last two lines of the poem states “To teach thee, I am naked first; why then / What needst thou have more covering than a man” (Donne, 48-49). In this Donne recognizes the double standard on the way men and women express sexuality, and asks us to question why that barrier for women stands. Sexuality is a very complex social construct that has both hindered and advanced women throughout time. In John Donne’s To His Mistress Going to Bed, Donne encourages women to liberate themselves by embracing their bodies and pursuing whatever sexual encounters they desire, and to not let the scrutiny of society hold them back from loving who they