Essay: John Donne's poetic forms are remarkable for embodying extraordinary thoughts in ordinary situations. Discuss this view in relation to two poems.
Advice: Highlight the key words in the title which are: extraordinary thoughts in ordinary situations. The poetic forms referred to are poems; however, it would be quite appropriate to discuss the structure or form of the poems chosen if it were appropriate to your argument. The choice of poems is crucial - two not more - and avoid the obvious like "The Flea". The examiner will be grateful for a change and is likely to be more open to new ideas. Avoid repeating the title to start; it makes for a lame introduction. Avoid repeating the title at regular intervals throughout the essay; it looks as though you are clutching at straws Sample introduction: As a cleric, as well as a poet, one might expect Donne to introduce religious or spiritual themes and images into his work. As an innovator, Donne determined to use "the language of men" and avoid the lyrical tone and pastoral themes of his predecessors. If these two statements seem conflicting it is because much of Donne's poetry uses the juxtaposition of contrasting, even conflicting, ideas to achieve their effect. While Donne certainly wrote about the 'ordinary' situations of love, parting, death, these situations generated the diverse, 'extraordinary' ideas thet led Ben Jonson to sneeringly label his work "metaphysical". In "The Canonization", for instance, Donne fuses the idea of sainthood with the conflicting notion of physical love. The tone of the opening is worldly, angry, defiant: "For Godsake hold your tongue, and let me love," one wonders to whom this blasphemous outburst is addressed. The impression created by the first stanza is of a lover who has, perhaps, married inappropriately, as some considered Donne to have done, angrily rebuffing his critics. A more conciliatory approach is set through the hyperbolic questions of stanza two. [Find two examples and link with at least two other examples in other poems.] Useful poems to use for this essay: list the features / images you might comment on alongside each title. The Canonization
Twickenham Garden
A Valediction: forbidding Mourning
A Nocturnal upon St Lucie's Day…
The Sun Rising
John Donne model intro/PP/2000