Death, Be Not Proud
Poetry
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John Donne
Death, Be Not Proud Themes
The Powerlessness of Death: In this poem, the speaker says that Death is not powerful or scary. People think death is powerful, but that’s not true. The speaker tells Death to stop being proud. Death is just like sleep, and sleep gives us rest. So death must also be peaceful, not frightening. The speaker says that after death, we go to heaven, where we live forever. That means death does not win....
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Death, Be Not Proud Summary
Death is not Scary
The speaker talks directly to Death. He tells Death not to be proud. Some people think Death is very strong and scary, but the speaker disagrees. He says Death is not really powerful or scary at all.
The speaker says that when Death thinks it kills people, it does not really kill them. People do not really die. And the speaker says Death cannot kill him either. The speaker says...
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Death, Be Not Proud Literary Device
Figures of Speech
Apostrophe
An apostrophe is speaking directly to someone who is not present or to something that cannot respond.
Example:
The speaker talks directly to Death like it is a person:
“Death, be not proud...”
But Death is not a person—it cannot talk. This is called an apostrophe.
“Death, be not proud...”
Personification
Personification is giving human qualities to something non-human....
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Death, Be Not Proud Quotations
“Death, be not proud,
The speaker is talking to Death. He says Death should not be proud. Because Death is not powerful or scary, rather, it is peaceful, like sleep.
“Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,”
John Donne further belittles Death with this line. He says Death is not free. It cannot act on its own. Death is dependent on things like fate, luck, kings’ order of execut...
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