Compare And Contrast Spirits Of The Dead And Death Be Not Proud

Paragraph 1 – John Donne’s ‘Death be not proud’ and Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘Spirits of the dead’
Death is an inevitable part of life, and this is illustrated in John Donne’s Death be not proud and in Edgar Allen Poe’s Spirits of the dead. This central theme of death, though described in these poems, are addressed in juxtaposing ways. Death be not proud is an attack on death, a mocking and satirical angle, whereas Spirits of the dead emphasises the inevitability of death in a sombre, resentful tone. Donne’s personification and apostrophisation of death indicate to the reader that although Death, as a character is real, however, the actuality is that Death is but a concept, ‘Death be not proud, though some have called thee; Mighty and dreadful, for, …show more content…
Both poets have contrasting views on love, and the actions, and desires that accompany such an emotion. Love’s Alchemy uses comparison and parallels to show the speaker’s opinion on love, comparing it to the old art of alchemy and the quest for eternal life. The speaker deems that this in an impossible feat, and anyone who should even attempt such a thing is nothing but misguided and naïve ‘Oh, ‘tis imposture all’. Poe has a more positive attitude to this endless yearning. He addresses that as a young man, love and romance are simple, effortless, joyful things, ‘Romance, who loves to nod and sing; With drowsy head and folded wing,’ however, this is not to last. As one ages and learns more about the world and themselves, they may not find time for love as they once did, making romance fall apart. Poe uses the imagery of birds to convey this message, a paroquet and condor specifically. The image of the paroquet in the first stanza is accompanied by colourful, joyful, and peaceful images, ones of ‘green leaves’, ‘shadowy lakes’, and ‘the wild wood’ indicating the naivety of the child mentioned and their eternal optimism on life and love. The second stanza takes a dark turn at the introduction of the condor. A condor is a bird of prey, constantly vigilant, always hovering. It is this image that indicates the negative emotions related to the final stanza, it shows the looming of pessimism on the adult mind, how there is never any time to relax and that ’I have no time for idle cares,’. Love’s Alchemy addresses this same issue, but not in the same context. The speaker believes that attempting to find and understand love is a pointless waste of time, ‘So, lovers dream a rich and long delight; But get a winter-seeming summer’s night.’ This clever use of an oxymoron indicated just how