“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” is a poem by John Donne in which the speaker directly addresses his lover to say farewell and to encourage her not to mourn his absence. In the first stanza, the speaker describes
how virtuous men die: fearlessly. He tells his love that she must be this fearless when he leaves her.
What's the main conceit in valediction forbidding mourning?
“A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” ends with one of Donne's most famous metaphysical conceits, in which he argues for the lovers
‘ closeness by comparing their two souls to the feet of a drawing compass
—a simile that would not typically occur to a poet writing about his love!
What does the speaker tell death in the first 2 lines of the poem?
From “Holy Sonnet 10” 1)What does the speaker tell Death in the first two lines of the poem? … The
speaker suggests that Death is a slave because he doesn't act on his own free will
. Instead, he is controlled (manipulated) by other things such as fate, chance, kings, anddesperate men.
How many stanzas are in A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning?
The
nine stanzas
of this Valediction are quite simple compared to many of Donne's poems, which utilize strange metrical patterns overlaid jarringly on regular rhyme schemes. Here, each four-line stanza is quite unadorned, with an ABAB rhyme scheme and an iambic tetrameter meter.
What's the main conceit in valediction forbidding mourning quizlet?
As virtuous men passe mildly away, And whisper to their soules, to goe. In the opening lines Donne uses a conceit for which to describe the theme of the poem,
the separation of two lovers as being calm and painless due to the strength of their love
.
What does the speaker say is his reason for leaving?
Terms in this set (3)
What does the speaker do in the first stanza? reassure his beloved in the first stanza that his reason for leaving is not that he is tired of her. What does he mean his departure is liked? He means
his departure is like an imagined death
.
Does death have any meaning in the poem?
In the poem,
Death is personified as a malevolent figure devoid of any real power
. The poet asserts that, although Death has been called ‘Mighty and dreadful,' it has no real claim to its frightening reputation. After all, Death cannot really kill anyone, as the state of being dead mirrors a state of sleep and rest.
HOW DOES THE justify his temporary separation from his lover?
The poet justifies his temporary separation from his lover in “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning”
by asserting that the love they share is not a common or purely physical love
. Instead, their two souls function as one.
What is the main message of the speaker to his wife in A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning?
The poem concerns what happens when two lovers have to part, and explains the spiritual unification that makes this particular parting essentially unimportant. The speaker argues
that separation should not matter to him and his lover because genuine love transcends physical distance
. A valediction is a farewell.
What is a metaphysical conceit?
The metaphysical conceit, associated with the Metaphysical poets of the 17th century, is
a more intricate and intellectual device
. It usually sets up an analogy between one entity's spiritual qualities and an object in the physical world and sometimes controls the whole structure of the poem….
Why does the speaker urge his wife to part from him quietly?
Why does the speaker urge his wife to part from him quietly?
It would spoil the sacredness of their love to display their feelings publicly
. … a special, intense quality of love.
What is the tone of the poem A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning?
Throughout Donne's poem “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” the speaker attempts to comfort his beloved who is upset about their impending separation. The complex imagery helps convey this tone of
consolation
, as the speaker assures his beloved that their separation is only physical; it is not spiritual.
What are the literary devices used in the poem A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning?
The poetic devices of
assonance and alliteration
are used in these lines taken from John Donne's famous metaphysical poem ‘A Valediction Forbidding Mourning'. The assonance of short ‘u' vowel sounds in each word of the first line gives the meaning of stupidity (dullness) of ordinary lovers.
What does as stiff twin compasses are two mean?
John Donne's compass conceit
In his poem, ‘A Valediction Forbidding Mourning', John Donne (1572–1631) uses the simile of ‘stiff twin compasses' to
describe two lovers who are physically parted, but united in their souls.
Which of the following is a paradox from A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning?
In the sixth stanza, Donne begins a paradox, noting that
his and his wife's souls are one though they be two; therefore, their souls will always be together even though they are apart
.
What two items does the conceit in these lines from A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning compare?
Why would Donne use this CONCEIT to compare the lovers to the legs of a compass? “If they be two,
they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two; Thy soul the fixed foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th'other do
.” Even though the legs of a compass can move apart, they are always connected.
