Metaphysical naturalism

In “The Flea,” John Donne uses a metaphysical conceit through the imagery of a flea to portray sexual desires and romance. In the very first line of the poem, the speaker brings up the flea by telling the woman to “Mark but this flea,” which makes it sound like he wants the woman to only pay attention to the flea and nothing else (line 1). In the third line, the imagery the flea is further expanded upon when the speaker begins making the flea sound like a sexual object, such as when he says, “It…

A Feminist Perspective of Metaphysical Conceit, Action, and Defense of a Woman’s Virtue in John Donne’s Song In his poem Song, John Donne uses metaphysical conceits, persuades his readers, and defends his negative view a woman’s virtue. A woman’s virtue is proven her moral standards in society. Song was written during the Renaissance era, a time in which men used Petrarchan values to place emphasis on their appreciation of women. John Donne’s poem rejects the Petrarchan ideology, and forces…

“The Flea” by John Donne and “To His Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell are two poems classified as carpe diem. Carpe diem is Latin phrase for “Seize the day”. Both speakers use the ideals of carpe diem to persuade the auditor to live in the moment. They do this by saying that the auditor is young and beautiful and that they are meant to be. Although both speakers try their best to persuade the auditor to have sex with them, the speaker in “To his coy mistress” impresses the auditor the best. In…

In this poem, Donne reveals that the man’s empowerment is what enables him to act on his desire. Donne writes “off with that girdle,” “off with that happy busk,” “off with those shoes.” The repetition of the phrase “off with” signifies the man’s dominance over the woman; he is not asking her to do something he is directing the woman. When Donne writes commands like “unpin” and “unlace” when the woman approaches and tells her to “license my roving hands” it is apparent that this dominance he…

Donne and Herbert, both religious poets often radical, clever, and unconventional, and thus not surprising both have been considered leaders of a “metaphysical” school of poetry. Their similarities result from a time where everyone was a religious something. The protestant faith brings about an attitude of humility towards God in both poets. Both poets discuss their relations with God through the use of poetic form. Subsequently, writing roughly round the same time and theologically (both were…

A Declaration of Life After Death The exceptional poetry of John Donne has produced both delight and astonishment in readers for over four centuries. Having composed a vast number of metaphysical poems throughout his lifetime, Donne’s ultimate purpose in writing was to create a high level of engagement, astounding his readers through the pairing of numerous unlike topics and ideas. Holy Sonnet 10 (“Death, be not proud”) is no exception to this objective. In this poem, Donne pronounces Death’s…

stiff twin compasses are two; Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if the other do. John Freccero states that: “The poem reversed a traditional figure and gave to the neo-Petrarchan dialectic of presence and absence a new metaphysical meaning. As…

George Santayana (1863-1952) [Madrid, Harvard, Rome]. A poet and essayist as well as a philosopher, George is an outstanding representative of Critical Realism, a form of naturalism. The objects of knowledge occupy either of two statuses; they may be existing substances or subsisting essences, though it is impossible to prove the independent existence of either type of object. Santayana stated that we believe in the objectivity of substance on the basis of animal faith. The ultimate substance…

two distinct accomplishments: the witty, sensual love poetry of his early career and the serious, devout religious writing of his later career as the Dean of St. Paul 's. Donne 's poetry was influential enough to be considered the basis of the metaphysical school of poetry, as characterized by later writers such as Richard Crashaw, Abraham Cowley, and George Herbert. Although religious study and spiritual seeking were significant parts of Donne 's writing life, his best-known works are his love…

Fresh Bait by Sherryl Clark is a short story regards a High School teacher that journeys to the Australians Outback in an attempt to find the killer of a university student called Melanie. Melanie was hitchhiking when she was killed by an unknown killer. The young man journeys to the Australians Outback to find the killer. The main protagonist in Fresh Bait is young man. Through the story the young man’s name and gender is never revealed. However I assumed that the main character was a man…