Page 30 - 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?

The speaker is asking for God to batter and beat him, to break, blow, and burn him, and to
rape him in order to make him a better person.

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

The poem has several comparisons: the speaker compares himself to a “usurp’d town,” a
maiden bound to the enemy, and a prisoner. The comparisons create an image of God as
an overwhelming, terror-filling conqueror.

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

The repetition of the ‘u’ sound in “usurp’d” and “due” is an example of assonance.

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

The speaker loves God and willingly works hard to be worthy of His goodness. However,
he is also aware that he is “weak or untrue.” He feels imprisoned by God, since he “never
shall be free,” but is simultaneously “enthrall[ed],”stating “you ravish me.”

T-12