John Donne | Holy Sonnet 14 & Donne's Psychological Intensity | Close Reading & Analysis 

John Donne ( 1572-1631) he was English poet , scholar, soldier and secretary born in recusant family who later became clerk in Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made dean of St. Paul cathedral in London . He is considered preeminent representative of metaphysical poets . His poetical works are noted for their metaphorical and sensual style and includes sonnets, love poems , religious poems , Latin translations , epigrams, elegies, songs and satires . He is also known for his sermons. I hope I can learn a lot from your knowledge. Good luck to you your loved ones.

I like that parallelism of lines 2 & 4 that you pointed out. The words (in 4) don’t exactly contrast their respective counterparts but certainly intensify.

Enjoying listening to you read. Please do more.

Your close readings are always a pleasure to watch and learn from. The sexual reading of the final lines reminds me of the poetry of Saint John of the Cross!

Adam, Thank you for another high-quality close reading video lesson. Too short though. Your viewers demand more! While reading Donne's poem with you this morning I couldn't help but think of two things. First, that quote from David Hume where he talks of reason being only the slave of passion ("Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,/ But is captivated, and proves weak or untrue.") More apropos, perhaps, given that Hume wasn't exactly a religious person and Holly Sonnet 14 is a religious poem, I also thought of Psalm 141 where David, too weak to do so himself, implores the help of God to save him from evil: "Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity and let me not eat of their dainties. Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities." As always, looking forward to next week's video lesson.

Brilliant close reading and analysis. Thank you!!

Thank you mr Adam for your wonderful cultural literary channel. I gathered main theme of sonnet and poet biography briefly here it’s first of all definition of sonnet is fourteen lines poem written in ambic pentameter, employing one of several rhymes schemes, adhering to tightly structured thematic organization. Name sonnet is taken from Italian sonetto which means little sound or song . John Donne wrote 19 holy sonnets, which make up majority of his poems addressing sacred themes. John addresses religious themes of majority, divine judgment, humble penance while reflecting deeply personal anxieties. In sonnet 14 in this particular poem speaker has lost touch with god and prays desperately for god to return . Furthermore, speaker believes faith can only return through forceful means god has force his way back into speaker heart .

Oh wow, I just stumbled on this channel. I've always wanted to understand the great poems on a deeper level. In the past, I felt that I wasn't "getting it." Either there was a reference or some sort of metaphorical associative language that acted as a barrier to having an deep connection to so much of romantic and modern poetry. Where should I start on your channel, Mr. Walker?

very good analysis

I love your close reading and this channel is great. However it would be great to have some context around the poem, even if brief. The mental outlook of poets and writers of Donne's age is not that familiar to the average person interested in poetry even though it might be understood by the English Literature graduate or post graduate. Just a few sentences around the background, context and meaning of the poem would greatly enhance our understanding and make the close reading even more interesting, plus certainly appeal to a wider audience without offending the expert already familiar with Donne's work.

Good evening, Adam. I'm a new follower of you. Can you analyse some of Sylvia Plath's poetry, please

Could you do a close reading of any Emily Dickinson poem ?

Thank you Adam, though I wonder if perhaps you'll get some blowback here from a perceived misogyny and an obvious patriarchy.

I'm a fan from Brazil 👏🫶🏻