Page 126 - 100 Best Loved Poems - Teaching Unit

“Holy Sonnet XIV”
by John Donne, pages 10-11

Vocabulary
usurp’d – taken through force or rebellion
viceroy – governor; ruling power
labour – work, energy
betroth’d – promised to marry
enthrall – captivate
chaste – innocent, pure

1. What is the irony in the speaker’s request?

2. What metaphors and similes are used by the speaker in the poem? What effect/purpose do
they have on the poem’s tone?

3. The fifth line of the poem contains what poetic sound device?

4. What are the contradictory feelings that exist within the speaker of this poem?

S-12