KAKATIYA UNIVERSITY, WARNAGAL
ENGLISH FOR CAREERS
UG CBCS- SEMESTER 6- TEXTS
UNIT1: For Whom the Bell Tolls (poem)- John Donne
John Donne
(1572-1631) wrote many religious sermons, letters, verse satires, elegies and
love poems marked by wit, profundity, and subtlety of thought. Most of his work
was published only after his death. Today, he is considered the greatest of the
metaphysical poets' in English. (Metaphysical poetry blended emotion with
intellectual inventiveness, bringing together seemingly unconnected ideas in
such a way that the reader is forced to think deeply about the argument of the
poem.)
ABOUT THE POEM
When Donne was
seriously ill in 1623, he wrote a series of essays titled Devotions. One of
these, Meditation 17, has become famous for the excerpt below. Although the
lines are in prose, this excerpt is often published as a poem because of its
vivid poetic imagery. The essence of these lines is the interconnectedness of
humankind: the death of any person is a loss for every person. Therefore the
bell that tolls at the funeral of a stranger also commemorates a personal loss,
for a bit of our own self has died with the passing of the deceased. We belong
to a single human race. and every death is a reminder of our own mortality.
These lines are an argument against isolation, communalism and self-interest,
and instead make a case for unity. brotherhood and fellow-feeling.
POEM
No man is an
island entire of itself;
A part of the
main.
If a clod be
washed away by the sea,
Europe is the
less,
As well as if a
promontory were,
As well as if a
manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own
were.
Any man's death
diminishes me,
Because I am
involved in mankind.
And therefore
never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for
thee.
UNIT_1:FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS (poem) -John Donne
About the Poet: John Donne is leader of Metaphysical Poets in English. Metaphysical poets are highly educated. They show their subject (intellect) in their poems. They blend emotions with intellectual ideas and make the reader think deeply about the content of the poem. He wrote many poems, essays, letters, etc. Most of his works were published only after his death.
About the Poem: When Donne was seriously ill, he wrote a series of essays called Devotions. Meditation- 17 is one of these essays. Present poem is an extract of Meditation-17. Though it is an essay, it is considered as a poem because of its theme. The images used in the poem are very clear and beautiful. The lines of the poem reveal the connectivity of mankind.
This poem follows the standard sonnet form of Petrarchan or Shakespearean (sonnet is a 14 line poem). There is a drastic turn from the first eight lines (octave) to the next six lines (sestet).
Explanation: Man is social animal. He cannot live in isolation. In fact, no other species on this earth can live in isolation. It is impossible for us to live independently without depending on any one. The poet says “No man is an Island” that no man is entirely separate from the rest of the world. Every human being is part of a whole. He compares human beings and their connection with one another and with the rest of the world to the land masses that are part of a continent. Humans are interconnected with one another.
Poet used the following imagery and symbols: Human race -- Europe Continent Man -- Any piece of land Tides of sea /Church bell -- Death |
Donne says that the land in any form can be washed away by the sea. It can be, Europe continent, a piece of land (clod), a coastal area, the land of a landlord or of our own farm. The loss of this land is a loss to the mother Earth. Here, the poet compared the parts of earth to the human beings. The poet opines that the loss or death of a part is an injury to the whole.
He says that not only your loss is meaningful but also your friends. Everyone is injured when one person is dead. At the end, he says that each man’s death hurts him. Because, he is involved in mankind and he is a human being.
In the last three lines, the poet uses the imagery of the church bell tolling to symbolize the death. When it rings, he says to the listener, “Don’t ask for whom it tolls because, it tolls for you.” Whenever anyone dies, it is like everyone has dead.
We may think that the land which is washed away by the sea is not mine. In the same way, we may feel that the man who is dying is not my friend, or relative, or neighbor. But the death is inevitable for all of us.
Conclusion: Unity is strength. Any person’s death decreases the strength of the group. This is beautifully compared to a piece of land washed away by tides of ocean. Any species on this earth lives in groups. He worries about the behavior of humans who never worry about the death of their fellow men. We must know that we are part of human race, and one day the church bell will definitely ring for us too.
download PPT: no man is an island
Click here to listen to the poem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mfus7QCeWU
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