Batter My Heart- John Donne

Rachel Hanks

The PoemBatter my heart, three person’d God; for, youAs yet but knock, breathe, shine and seek to mend;That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow me, and bendYour force, to break, blow, burn and make me new.I, like an ursurpt town, to another due, Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no endReason your viceroy in me, me should defend,But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue.Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain, But I am betroth’d unto your enemy:Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,Take me to you, imprison me, for IExcept you enthral me, never shall be free,Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

Background

• Likely written about 1609• Lucy of Bedford• Catholic practice of meditation

Meditation

• St. Ignatius Loyola– Prayer– Preludes

• Imagination related to subject• Petition

– Points• Reflections on the history of sin

– Colloquy• A type of conversation, spoken either casually or as a servant

to a master, with God

– Our father

• Iambic pentameter and rhyme scheme

• Original notations of blending vowel sounds included

Analysis

• Batter my heart, three person’d God; for you as yet but knock, breathe, shine and seek to mend– Batter – Allusion– Sound – Contrast– Iambic pentameter– Stylistically like a Shakespearean sonnet

• That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.– Alliteration– Break in stress of meter– Continuation of conceit

• I, like an usurpt town, to another due, Labour to admit you, but Oh, to no end,– Oh– Conceit– Diction

• Reason your viceroy in me, me should defend, But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue.– viceroy

• Yet dearly I love you, and would be loved fain, But am betroth’d unto your enemy:– Change in metaphysical conceit– Fain

• Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again, Take me to you, imprison me, for I – Contrast– Conceit– Pronouns

• Except you enthral me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me– Paradox– Rhyming couplet– Enthral

Bibliography

• Carey, John. Donne the Major Works including Songs Sonnets and Sermons. Oxford: Oxford publishing inc. 1990

• The book AMANDA didn’t bring back…… ;)• http://poemshape.wordpress.com/2009/05/1

7/john-donne-batter-my-heart-his-sonnet/• http://www.ccel.org/ccel/ignatius/exercises.xii

.v.html