Holy Sonnet #10

Characteristics of the Metaphysical PoetsOne was wit. Dr. Samuel Johnson gave this group, or ‘school,’ its name, and provided this

definition for its wit. The Metaphysical Poets had: "...a kind of discordia concours; [meaning] a combination of dissimilar images, or discovery of [spiritual] resemblances in things apparently unlike." These poets wanted to contribute their view of the importance of spiritual connections between things in new ways, using new turns of phrase. Their topics were the “more important than physical”, or “better than physical” things in the world. Their favorites were love, time, death, man’s relationship to the world around him. Some were influenced by a philosophy called Neo-Platonism, reviving Plato’s idea that the things (or relationships between things) you see in this world resemble the perfect ideal way things should be that exists somewhere in the Universe.

1. What are at least two metaphysical elements found in the poem?2. In “Holy Sonnet 10,” what conclusion can you draw about the

speaker’s opinion of death and the way it affects people? Support your opinion with references to the poem.

3. Identify a passage from “Holy Sonnet 10” that contains a paradox about death.

4. Write a paraphrase of Holy Sonnet #10, BUT…don’t do it in a line by line fashion. Paraphrase each individual clause (the parts between commas) instead. Begin paraphrasing, only stopping your paraphrase when you reach punctuation – not just the end of a line of poetry. The way a sonnet has to be written, if you focus ONLY on what is contained in a single line, there is much meaning that might be lost when the clause keeps going on the next line.

Parts taken from "Unit Resources." Prentice Hall Literature Georgia. Prentice Hall, n.d. Web. 15 Feb.

2011. <georgialiterature.com/pdf/Gr12_UnitResources.pdf>.