C o m m e n t a r y o n T h e S u n R i s i n g b y J o h n D o n n e

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Commentary on “The Sun Rising” by John Donne                                                

        The poem “The Sun Rising” by John Donne covers different clashing themes such as love and hate, and wisdom and ignorance. The poem is a dramatic monologue portraying a metaphysical hyperbole in which the speaker and his lover are the only ones who matter in the world, or at least in “their” world. As the sun is portrayed as almost an invader, Donne makes use of effective descriptions and similes to depict the unimportance of the sun in the speaker’s everyday life, yet finally taking pity of the sun towards the end of the work.

        The poem is structured in three ten lined stanzas which follow a clear rhyming scheme: ABBACDCDEE. Also, alterations in meter occur and they successfully intrigue the reader by breaking the natural flow of the work, reinforcing his recurring colloquial feel. As an example, lines 1, 5 and 6 portray iambic tetrameter; lines 3,4, 7,8,9 and 10 are in common pentameter, and line 2 is in dimeter.

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        The poem is written in first person narrator form and the saucy tone is quickly set in the first line: the expression “Busy old fool, unruly Sun” depicts a chiding discomfort which the speaker feels towards the sun, later developed into pity (line 2, “Why dost thou thus”) and anger (line 5, “Saucy pedantic wretch”). As emotions start building up in the speaker, the first stanza is used to remind the sun of his duties (wake up school boys (line 6), tell court-huntsmen that the king will ride (line 7), and call country ants to harvest ...

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