"A Valediction: of Weeping"

Term Paper # 95976

English > Analysis
Literature > Poetry

An analysis of John Donne's style of writing in his poem "A Valediction: of Weeping."

1,639 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses John Donne's poem, "A Valediction: of Weeping." The paper specifically discusses the way in which this poem manages to evoke the uncertainty and ambiguity of emotion. It discusses the theme of the poem and the language that Donne uses to portray the theme. The paper analyzes his style of writing and explains why it is effective.

From the Paper:

"Line 7 introduces some entirely new concepts. The male is calling his tears the "fruits" of his grief. His grief is the cause of his tears. But his tears are "emblems" of the love they shared before the grief. In line 8, Donne begins to reveal his true wishes. The male lover hopes that "when a tear falls", that which is reflected in the tear (his woman's face) falls as well. The tone of this statement is uncertain. It's possible that the lover is unveiling his conceit. He wants his woman to be as affected by this moment as he is, or at least affected by his emotion. Line 9 furthers this conceit by saying that after both his tear and his lover fall, they will become nothing. Excluding the vast number of subtleties, there are two major themes within the first stanza. The first is the request of the male lover to cry in the presence of his female lover before they part and the tears are meaningless. The second is the wish that his female lover will fall and be affected by his tears."

Sample of Sources Used:

Donne, John. "A Valediction: of Weeping." The Complete Poetry and Selected Prose of John Donne. Ed. Charles M. Coffin. New York: Modern Library, 2001.