a valediction: forbidding mourning

A VALEDICTION: FORBIDDING MOURNING

JOHN DONNE

METAPHYSICAL POETRYLIFE OF JOHN DONNE DESCRIPTION OF POEMCONCEITSSYMBOLSSIMILETHEMESLANGUAGE USECLASSROOM IMPLEMENTATIONCONCLUSION

MAP OF OUR SPEECH

Metaphysical: using words with their ordinary meaning but describing something by means of an image or symbol.

Conceit: an extended metaphor

surprising ways

JOHN DONNE

METAPHYSICAL POETRYDeath and religion

ıntellectual descriptions of emotions

A pre-occupation with love

Unusual and often startling comparisons

Simple diction

Images taken from everyday life

• Abraham Cowley

•Richard Crashaw

•Andrew Marvell

CONCEIT:

1. Contemporary language = arrogance

2. At the time term was coined , it meant:

“concept”

•BAROQUEEncompass styles of architecture and art as well as litrature

Baroque writers influenced

“A Valedcition: Forbidding

Mourning stye”

Copernicus’s Theory

• SCIENCE AND

THE AGE OF DISCOVERY

Galileo:

mathematical compass

London in 1572

Married with Ann

From 1611 to 1612 A Valediction:

ForbiddingMourning

a famous English poet, satirist, lawyer

His first poem book: Satires

Songs and sonnets

LIFE OF JOHN DONNE

Personal Life

John Donne fell in love with the Egerton's (employer’s) niece Anne More They married in 1601. Since the marriage was against the wish of Egerton and Anne More’s father, Donne had to go to Fleet Prison for a brief time. Donne went to France while Ann was pregnant.

Ann died on August 15, 1617John Donne never married again.

Donne : A representative of metaphysical poet

realistic and sensual style, love poetry and religious poems to Latin

translations, epigrams, songs, satires and sermons

WORKS OF JOHN DONNE

His writings: ironic & cynical elements, regarding love and human motives. His notable works: a valediction: Forbidding Mourning Flea

The Sun Rising The Ecstacy

Death

Donne;

suffered from stomach cancer. died on March 31, 1631 was buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral A memorial statue of him was erected at the Cathedral

DESCRIPTION OF THE POEM

"A Valediction Forbidding Mourning,"

farewell speech Donne wants her to

wait attentively for his arrival back

not cry storms of tears So, no mourning

goodbye to a significant wife

DESCRIPTION OF POEM

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning shining example of the mature,

spiritual relationship that Donne had with his wife.

STANZA #1

AS virtuous men pass mildly away,      And whisper to their souls to go,  Whilst some of their sad friends do say,     "Now his breath goes," and some say, "No." 

STANZA #2

So let us melt, and make no noise,                                            No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ; 'Twere profanation of our joys      To tell the laity our love.   

STANZA #3

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ;     Men reckon what it did, and meant ;                              But trepidation of the spheres,      Though greater far, is innocent. 

STANZA #4

Dull sublunary lovers' love      —Whose soul is sense—cannot admit  Of absence, 'cause it doth remove                                         The thing which elemented it. 

STANZA #5But we by a love so much refined,     That ourselves know not what it is,  Inter-assurèd of the mind,      Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss. 

STANZA #6

Our two souls therefore, which are one,      Though I must go, endure not yet  A breach, but an expansion,      Like gold to aery thinness beat. 

STANZA #7If they be two, they are two so                                            As stiff twin compasses are two ;  Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show      To move, but doth, if th' other do. 

STANZA #8

And though it in the centre sit,      Yet, when the other far doth roam,                                It leans, and hearkens after it,      And grows erect, as that comes home. 

STANZA #9

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,     Like th' other foot, obliquely run ; Thy firmness makes my circle just,                                        And makes me end where I begun.

CONCEITS

Dying of virtuous men

good men make good deaths

the mark of a good death

Trepidation of The Spheres’ Earthquakes • Damaging - harmful

trepidation of the spheres’( movement of the planets)

natural & harmless) 

Sacred love

Sacred love = laity (line 8)

Weep at parting

profane our love

Donne & Ann real lovers

Sublunary loversOrdinary lovers

physical presence, physical attraction

Gold

ductile malleable =

no real separation

The fixed leg (the woman)

the other leg (the man)

create a circle

geometrical compasses

In time,

the second foot returns to the centre.

Donne'll come home again

SYMBOLS

1.Melt: physically and spiritually mixed together.

2.The sphere: perfection which represents the union of souls in a relationship. Representing their natural ,harmless love.

3.The circle: It means perfection,Representing the Union soulsCurves reconnecting 4. The compasses: combination of two lovers; closely related to each other.Togetherness of themThey are united

SIMILE

.Gold comparing the expansion of their souls to the expansion of beaten gold. stanza :6 A breach, but an expansion,      Like gold to aery thinness beat

Introduction of a simile

• 1st half of the simile is presented• Comparing the death of virtuous men

to something

Completion of Simile

• Comparing the death of virtuous men to his wife’s separation.(stanza 2)

• Virtuous men die peacefully and silently

THEMES

DEATH

"virtuous men pass[ing] mildly away.“ (line 1) death as a metaphor for his impending departure on a journey

LOVE

"dull sublunary lovers' love," (line 13)"refined" love that Donne and Ann (line 17)“sacred love”

RELIGIOUS FAITH

Piety (Pious men)Eternal lifeSecurity in his relationship with Ann

SCIENCE

Compassmoving of th' earth ( line 9) earthquakes, strike fear into the hearts of men"like gold to airy thinness beat,“ (line 24)refers to precious metal and its physical properties

IMAGERIES

Marriage ring

Path of planets

Alchemical symbol for gold

Path descried by a compass

THE CIRCLE

Death of virtous menmild

Describe how should they separate “Mildly away”“melt” (line 5)“make no noise”“whisper”

Religious imagery“laity” (line 8)Love= spiritiual nature

Senses (line 20) Refined/ purified

Our love is so refined, so otherworldly, that it can still survive without the closeness of eyes,

lips, and hands.

LANGUAGE USE

AS virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say,"Now his breath goes," and some say, "No."

So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ;'Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love.

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ;Men reckon what it did, and meant ;But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent.

Dull sublunary lovers' love —Whose soul is sense—cannot admit Of absence, 'cause it doth remove The thing which elemented it.

But we by a love so much refined,That ourselves know not what it is, Inter-assurèd of the mind, Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss.

Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet A breach, but an expansion, Like gold to aery thinness beat.

If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two ; Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th' other do.

And though it in the centre sit, Yet, when the other far doth roam,It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home.

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,Like th' other foot, obliquely run ;Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun.

9 stanzas structure 4 lines in each stanzas

As virtuous men pass mildly away, AAnd whisper to their souls to go, BWhilst some of their sad friends do say, A"Now his breath goes," and some say, "No.“ B

So let us melt, and make no noise, C

No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ; D'Twere profanation of our joys C To tell the laity our love. D

RHYMES

RHYMES 10 syllables for line

Quatrains are not

usual for Donne.

Short stanzas

AS virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say,"Now his breath goes," and some say, "No."

So let us melt, and make no noise, No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move ;'Twere profanation of our joys To tell the laity our love.

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears ;Men reckon what it did, and meant ;But trepidation of the spheres, Though greater far, is innocent.

Dull sublunary lovers' love —Whose soul is sense—cannot admit Of absence, 'cause it doth remove The thing which elemented it.

But we by a love so much refined,That ourselves know not what it is, Inter-assurèd of the mind, Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss.

Our two souls therefore, which are one, Though I must go, endure not yet A breach, but an expansion, Like gold to aery thinness beat.

If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two ; Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th' other do.

And though it in the centre sit, Yet, when the other far doth roam,It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home.

Such wilt thou be to me, who must,Like th' other foot, obliquely run ;Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end where I begun.

As a compass travels 360 degrees, there are 36 lines

with 10 syllables. In Ptolemaic cosmology, it was believed that after 36,000 years, the planets would return to their original

places of the moment of creation.

Alliteration

Whilst some of their sad friends do say (line 3) Dull sublunary lovers' love (line 13) (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit (line 14) That our selves know not what it is, (line 18) Our two souls therefore, which are one (line 21) Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show Thy firmness makes my circle just, / And makes me end where I begun (lines 35-36)

CLASSROOM IMPLEMENTATION

FIRST ENCOUNTERS MAINTAINING

MOMENTUMEXPLOITING HIGHLIGHTS

ENDING

HOW TO USE?

A) FIRST ENCOUNTERS USING THE THEME

Choose a main theme from

the poem and explore it in the class.

Think that you are at the

place of Ann, how would you feel

when your husband goes to a trip?

A) FIRST ENCOUNTERS BIOGRAPHICAL MONTAGE

Some photos, objects -anything which is relevant to the author's life

are collected by the teacher. The class speculates about the meaning

of items in montage as a whole class either in groups.

A) FIRST ENCOUNTERS

SEALING THE TIME CAPSULE

Having read the first stanza students are asked to write a range of predictions about the poem

B) MAINTAINING MOMENTUM CHOOSING A MORAL

A list of morals are given to students and they will choose one and support their thoughts. Students can add their own moral

For example; loyalty

B) MAINTAINING MOMENTUM CONTINUING PREDICTIONS

After reading the first stanzas of the poem students are asked to complete a series of statements in writing

Students predict about whether Donne returns to his wife or not

C) EXPLOITING HIGHLIGHTS• Cries for Help

ask sts to write a letter for Ann to a helper (ex: an agony aunt)

D) ENDINGS UNSEALING THE TIME CAPSULE

Now it is time to open the time capsule that they have write at the beginning of the poem

‘‘Out of sight out of mind’’

?

DON NOT FORGET REAL LOVE –PERFECT LOVE-

EXPANDS LIKE A GOLD!

MERVE KERVAN

ÖZLEM ÖZAL

ÖZLEM ERCENİK

THANKS FOR LISTENING