Poetry Response

Britton Woodall

Jernigan

English AP

22 February 20011

Batter Up

            “Batter My Heart” by John Donne expresses a man’s relationship with God. He writes the sonnet in Shakespearean method with a rhyme scheme ABBA ABBA CDCD EE. Donne begins his poem with the command, “Batter my heart, three-personed God.” That desire stands contrary to the desires of most people. Most would say “bless my heart” or “raise me up,” but John grabs the readers attention with an unexpected statement.

He continues to describe how overpowering the three-personed God by utilizing strong verbs and metaphors such as “knock, breathe, shine” and “break, blow, burn.” He uses metaphors such as “an usurped town.” All illustrate a man completely at the whims of a powerful God.

However, despite the lack of power he describes himself having he says, “Yet dearly I love you and would be loved fain.” Over many years, love has lost much of it’s meaning due people over using it, but Donne understands its full meaning. He understands that love entails trust. He, by using the word love, among other things says that he trusts God to do whatever he has to do to bring him to himself.

In the same stanza he describes his brokenness by saying, “but I am betrothed to your enemy.” This sets up the twist at the end which all Shakespearean sonnets have. With the final stanza he says, “[I] never shall be free, now never chaste, except you ravish me.” He creatively shows his passion for God through the feelings of an affair. It creates an interesting perspective to see the God of holiness and desire an affair with him because he remains married to sin.

Britton Woodall
Jernigan
English AP
7 February 2011
Rich Prick
In the poem “My Last Duchess” Robert Browning writes the poem from the point of view of a wealthy individual, possibly a Ferrara or the Ferrara. (Whatever that may be). The wealthy man most likely speaks to a guest in his house during a social gathering.
As the two walk down the hall of the Ferrara’s home, the Ferrara points out a picture on his wall. He begins to explain who the picture depicts. He tells his guest it is of his last wife who no longer lives. He tells the guest with very little remorse or sadness. He speaks more about the painter who painted it than the woman herself. Already the reader sees the man speaking as a cold soul.
He continues talking about the painting and he finally begins to mention the girl and with it he says “she had a glad heart too soon made glad, Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er she looked on, and her looks went everywhere.” All seem good qualities to have, but the man does not appreciate them because she was having an affair. Now the plot starts to come unraveled. He had her killed because she was cheating. However, the manner in which he did so lacks class.
Rather than confront her and talk to her about what he suspected and how he felt he just acted and killed her. To talk to her would be “stooping” and “[he chooses] never to stoop.” In his pride he kills his wife and keeps her picture in his hallway. Unashamedly he shows the picture to his guest then they return to the party.

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