Another facet of the poem that merits mention is the personal religious beliefs of the author himself. Having been born to a devout Roman Catholic couple, John Donne faced religious challenges growing up. His adherence to the Roman Catholic interpretation of Christianity was constantly challenged by the more dominant Anglican Church that also had more followers in England. But instead of weakening his view of Christianity and its divinity, Donne’s involvement with the Catholic doctrine only got strengthened. Even in Death Be Not Proud, one could see this element of loyalty and devotion to his personal religious faith. To this extent, the poem can be said to arise from personal religious experiences of the author. But its appeal is unmitigated by this fact due to the lack of didacticism and self-righteousness in the tone of the poem (Donne, 2002).
Works Cited:
Donne, John. “Death, be not proud.” Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry and Drama, Ed. Robert Diyanni. 6th Ed. New York, NY:McGraw-Hill, 2007.1110.
“Donne, John. Death, be not proud,” Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition 2002 by Salem Press, Inc.
Gunther John. ‘Death Be Not Proud: A Memoir”, Masterplots II: Juvenile and Young Adult Biography Series 1993 by Salem Press, Inc. MagillOnLiterature Plus. Pellissippi State Technical Community College. Web.24 Mar. 2010.
“Holy Sonnet 10.” Poetry for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski and Mary K.Ruby. Vol.2. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 102-114. Poetry for Students. Pellissippi State Technical Community College. Web. 24 Mar. 2010.