In the poem “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning”, by John Donne, it is about a man who is saying goodbye to his lover as he is about to leave. Donne is trying to make his departure easier for his lover so he writes her a poem. He uses many different literary elements to enrich his poem and make it more compelling to the reader. He uses onomatopoeia, syntax, euphemism, and similes to inform the reader about his love. This helps the speaker compare his love to life like features to show how deeply he is in love.
Donne first tells his lover that he will not be gone forever. He explains how “virtuous men pass mildly’ away.” What Donne is saying is that his lover has to be able to accept the fact that he is leaving. Just like someone has to accept death. In most cases people do not make the choice to die. It is something that happens to everyone and there is nothing to do to stop it. So overall, Donne is telling his lover that his exit is going to happen.
Donne later explains to his lover how people are worried about the earth’s rotation. He uses this connection to show how his lover does not have to worry. Donne informs his lover how, “Trepidation of the spheres/ Though greater far, is innocent.” In other words Donne is saying that his lover fears him going away, but she shouldn’t because he will return. What this means is that her worrying is pointless. She fears something that is naturally occurring. Her fear of him leaving is not worth worrying about because he will return.
Donne compares his love to gold in the 6th stanza. He states that their love is not “a breach, but an expansion.” The meaning of this is that their love will never fall apart, only expand. He is saying that no matter how far they are away from each other, they will always be together. Donne compares this to gold because when it is stretched it expands, it will not break. So he compares his love to this because their love will never break.
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