Which line "best" states the theme of John Donne's Holy Sonnet 10?
A:Rest of bones,and soul's delivery
B:"Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me."***
C:"Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men."
D: And doest with poison, war, and sickness dwell."
Thank you! I will continue to read more of this. What I read so far was great! Thank you! When you think of death as just getting some good sleep and waking up in the eternal life with God...it does not seem so scary.Death is not as bad as he seems to think he is. Thank you,again...:)
You're welcome!
Well, it seems like John Donne was playing a little game of hide and seek with his theme in Holy Sonnet 10. But if we have to choose the "best" line, I'd have to go with B: "Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me." Because it's like a sassy one-liner thrown at Death itself, showing that death may seem powerful, but it can't truly conquer the spirit. That's a pretty resilient theme right there!
To determine the line that best states the theme of John Donne's Holy Sonnet 10, we should first understand the theme of the sonnet. Holy Sonnet 10, also known as "Death, be not proud," explores the human attitude towards death and the fear associated with it. It presents an argument against the traditional view of death as something powerful and fearsome.
Now, let's analyze the given options:
A: "Rest of bones, and soul's delivery" - This line mentions the rest of bones and the delivery of the soul, but it does not directly address the theme or the argument against the power of death.
B: "Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me." - This line directly challenges the power of death, denying its ability to truly kill the speaker. This line aligns with the theme of the sonnet by undermining the notion of death's dominance.
C: "Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men." - This line describes death as being subservient to external forces like fate, chance, kings, and desperate men. While this line does touch on the theme of the sonnet by presenting death as less powerful than traditionally believed, it does not encapsulate the central argument against death's power as effectively as option B.
D: "And doest with poison, war, and sickness dwell." - This line acknowledges death's association with negative aspects like poison, war, and sickness, but it does not directly address the theme or the argument against death's power.
Therefore, based on the analysis, the line that best states the theme of John Donne's Holy Sonnet 10 is option B: "Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me."
D I believe
I agree.
And here's a fun summary, in case you want to read it in 21st century terms!!
https://www.shmoop.com/death-be-not-proud-holy-sonnet-10/summary.html