Holy Sonnet #10

The speaker proclaims that Death is nothing more than a powerless, serene slave that everyone will experience. John Donne personifies death as mortal and something that should not be feared or dreaded. The poem basically discusses victory over death. Death is not as strong as people make it out to be. People are only afraid of death because it is something that is hard to comprehend and accept. Nothing is immortal and neither are you. In the first quatrain Death is being exposed as powerless. Some people have called Death “Mighty and dreadful” but the speaker expresses that is not true about death. The speaker puts Death in its place by saying “for thou art not so”. Death doesn’t accept the fact that he doesn’t have power over us. The speaker makes death realize that he has not overthrown anyone, and that even though people die it was not due to any power held by death. While addressing the poem to Death, the speaker uses a very commanding tone towards death. The speaker verbalizes their pity on Death “poor death” showing that he belittles death. The speaker declares that Death cannot overthrow anyone. If Death was so powerful it would have been removed everyone from this earth, including the speaker. Death does not have power; death is only the end result of life. In the second quatrain Death is seen as a serene moment that everyone experiences. The speaker compares Death to rest and sleep which is a picture of Death itself. Rest and sleep are just like death in appearance. We enjoy sleep and rest more than from you because you always unexpected at us. Death takes away the best of our people and we just picture them sleeping but their bones stay here and their souls go to heaven. One day we all will have to travel to the

journey of Death and experience Death ourselves. Even the best of us don’t fear you they will get to rest and sleep. Death allows our body to finally find rest. In the third quatrain the speaker describes Death as being slave to