Read the following excerpt from "Death, be not proud" by John Donne:
Thou'art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy'or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
What is the role of the paradox in these lines?
A.
To reveal a contradiction between violence and affection
B.
To give non-human things, such as death, human characteristics
C.
To show that even seemingly eternal things are temporary
D.
To associate death with various horrors that humans must endure
C.
To show that even seemingly eternal things are temporary
C. To show that even seemingly eternal things are temporary
The correct answer is B. To give non-human things, such as death, human characteristics.
In this excerpt, the paradoxical statements are used to personify death and give it human characteristics. The paradox begins with the line "Thou'art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men," which presents death as being subject to external forces, just like a human slave. This personification continues with the statement "And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell," which suggests that death resides in places associated with human suffering.
The paradoxical nature of the lines arises from the juxtaposition of these human characteristics with the impersonal and often feared concept of death. The paradox serves to humanize death, making it more relatable and allowing the poet to challenge its power.