Commentary on Answering The Prayer: John Donne's Holy Sonnet 10 Essay

Answering the Prayer:

An Explication of John Donnes Holy Sonnet 14

John Donnes Holy Sonnet 14, is a poem about a man who is begging for redemption by asking God to overtake his soul. The speaker writes in a first person point-of-view that directly implies that this poem was written in the context of a prayer, which is reinforced by the title. The tone of this poem begins with a sense of praise, which progressively grows to desperation, and ends with a sense of heavy pleading. The speaker reveals through word choices, metaphors, and numerous paradoxes that he is a sinner, and realizes that the only way he can be redeemed is for God to violently imprison him from temptation.

The first four lines of the poem states the speakers desire to have an encounter with God in order to renew his faith. The speaker begins by asking the holy trinitythe father, the son, and the Holy Spiritto physically attack his heart, Batter my heart, three-person'd God. As opposed to what God has done before, for you / As yet but knock; breathe, shine, and seek to mend. The word choice batter has a very violent denotation, showing the reader early on the speakers tone of undeserving forgiveness. Lines 3-4 continue much like lines 1-2, with the speaker asking God to treat him violently. The word choices of break, blow, and burn have such violent and intense connotations that they really demand the readers attention. Theyre also a metaphor to knock, breathe, and shine. The purpose of why he is asking God to do this to him becomes transparent in, That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend / Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new. The theme, as the speaker puts it, is to rise and stand and become new.

The violent tone is subdued to one of pity and remorse in lines 5-8, when the speaker illustrates his desire to defend his faith. The speaker uses a simile to describe himself as a captured or usurpd town in which God has to break into in order to get to him. The captured town could be seen a symbol for the speakers heart, which brings some clarification to why he choose the word batter in the first line. Yet, no matter how much pain and suffering he has to endure to have God come in and save him, Labour to admit you, he is still unsuccessful, but O, to no end. The speakers tone then turns into a sense entitlement, Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend. The back-to-back "me" and the "should" in this line demonstrate that it's all about the speaker's self-interest, giving the reader an impression of a spoiled little kid. Its also a paradox because the whole idea guiding this line is that God gave the speaker reason to defend himself from evil. But now the speaker's reason seems to have turned on God, so he is having trouble showing his faith in God.

The speaker furthers the development of his desired relationship with God in lines 9-12, by shifting to a much more candid and straightforward tone. Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain, the speaker states that he loves god, and would not nothing more than to be loved by him. But the speaker illustrates through another metaphor that he is, betrothed unto your enemy. Unlike lines 5-8, where the speaker blamed Reason for losing touch with God, he seems to have come to terms with his situation, using an engagement with the enemy as his justification. The speaker then goes on to ask God to Divorce him from his enemy, and to break that knot again. The word again subtly suggests that this has been a frequent occurrence for the speaker. This may be why he used the paradox, Take me to you, imprison me, because the only real way he can be set free from evil is by physical restraint.

The violent tone continues in the last two lines of the poem through a series of paradoxes. Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, the speaker wants better access to God, and having been unsuccessful in the past, demands that God reveal himself forcefully and powerfully. Yet, the last line of the poem suggests that unless God fills him with delight, he will inevitable fall back into evil. These last two lines present profound paradoxes that dont accurately illustrate what the speaker exactly wants from God.

In conclusion, John Donnes Holy Sonnet 14, is effective in expressing the internal conflict that we all experience. Our lives are surrounded with temptations that could easily engage us in evil. We are capable of choice and reason in every decision we make or path we follow. Yet, sometimes reason can only lead us so far. A renewal of faith and dedication are key instruments in rising, standing, and becoming new. The speaker used suffering and violence to find his way back on the right path. But the irony of it all is that, along with temptation, faith also surrounds us.