The on Monsieurs Departure and the A Valediction: of Weeping poems by Donne and Queen Elizabeth - Essay Example

Literature devices comparisons of two parting grief poems The On Monsieur’s Departure was a poem influenced by The Queen regnant Elizabeth I of England within which queen used her wit as a literal genius in the presentation of emotions. On the other hand, the A Valediction: of Weeping was a poem written by Donne John is also a parting grief poem with the use of hyperboles and images to make conflicting comparisons. The poem drew influence from the idea of the separation of two lovers that serves as the meaning for the term valediction. The poet makes use of metaphysical conceit, irony, and paradox as a way of influencing the message hidden on the poem. On the contrary, the On Monsieur’s Departure poem by Elizabeth I was one that illustrated the poet’s rhetorical ingenuity as it narrates on the suffering of love. In essence, the poet’s usage of first person narration implies that the poem was a personal experience of the poet. In this regard, this essay will delve on the similarities and differences between the On Monsieur’s Departure and the A Valediction: of Weeping poems. The comparisons will vary from the audiences addressed by the two poets, the metaphors, paradox and similes used by both poets to make a statement so the values of love. Differences between the two poems Donne uses literal devices within his poem that include irony and paradox to develop metaphysical conceit. Some of the spherical images used by Donne include globes, water, and coins within which coins depict worthiness. On the other hand, water refers to tears and the separation eminent in the poem (18). Further, he uses the sea and water to imply the aspect of separation through the voyage that he intends to go on in which their relationship might fall. A fall in this case may be reflective of unfaithfulness because of distance that would lead to adultery. Essentially, this could be one of the reasons that the poet felt sad to the extent of shedding tears hence creating a figurative impression. Normally, both the sea and tears have salty aspects; the poet used them to portray the bitter feeling that would come with the separation and provoked unfaithfulness. Further, Donne makes comparisons between two non-relational objects like love and tears serves as a unique literal style as they reflect spherical conceit. He states ‘in the first stanza ‘my tears before your face….for your face coins them…’the use of coins and tears in the same breadth portrays the worthiness of the one that the poem addresses (3). This is visible when the poet implies that he had to leave his dear wife in order for him to fend for his family and obtain actual coins while he illustrates that the image of her in his tears turns into coins. The tears in this case are symbolic and metaphorical, and the same time its uses vary within the poem. The use of spherical image is that tears do not compensate for the departure of the poet. They serve as elements of figurative and literal significance as the poet uses them to express his intense grief. Additionally, the tears used by the poet portray the importance of the subject addressed by the poet. The poet also makes of striking comparison as he relates the tears shed to the process of minting coins depicting that the tears were forceful. On the first stanza, Donne uses circular images to depict the intensity of the tears that the poet sheds. He asserts ‘for thus they are pregnant because of thee’ to portray that the subject of the poem was the reason for the shedding of the tears by the poet (5). Other circular images used by the poet are the fruits, the globe to mean the entire world and emblems that describe tears and the face of the poem’s subject. ‘They are fruits of intense grief, emblems of more, when tears fall….’ (6). On the contrary, the speakers tone in the poem is a begging tone as the poet attempts to convince the subject not to cry. Donne also uses figures in a clever manner by also incorporating rhymes depicting that the poem drew its construction from the use of symbols and rhyming sounds. This style of writing is one that many poets apply in the development of their poetry. For instance, he writes ‘let me pour forth… they are something worth’ in the first stanza in which human grief is visible (1). The use of rhyming words also gives the poem an easy flow as it keeps the reader glued to the content. On the other hand, On Monsieur’s Departure poem by Elizabeth I was a poem that had its own incorporation of literature devices a way of communicating the poet’s emotions. The poet applies irony in the development of her poem as she portrays the contradicting emotions experienced by the poet. The poet’s tone here is an imperative one as she negates the weak appearance perceived by society. Therefore, the society that she ruled became the people addressed by the poem meaning that her tone was a serious one. Further, the poet introduces a simile in her second stanza, line seven that asserts that what she cared for is like her shadow from the sun. She sees her desired love but cannot reach for it in a manner that a shadow behaves depicting that her love existed, but the attainment of the same was hard. In essence, the poet uses first person narration all through the first stanza to illustrate her deep and conflicting feelings She writes, ‘ I grieve but cannot show my dissatisfaction; I love but I act as though I hate…..another self I turned’ (Elizabeth 1 & 2). The poem was an excellent presentation of emotions takes the reader through the emotional journey of the poet. In essence, the first stanza illustrates the poet’s denial for the erroneous feelings experienced while the tome of the second stanza exemplifies the poet’s misery and regret for the situation faced. On the third stanza, the poet’s tone changes into one that shows content and acceptance of the poet’s situation. The poet also uses short declarative sentences as lines to her stanzas although this poem appears clumsy because of the Poulter’s measure style of writing that was acceptable in that era. On the contrary, the poet’s fascination with nature is also visible in the poem as the poet uses natural metaphors and imagery like melting snow to mean the poets tenderness and the sun shadow to depict the level of connection between the poet’s emotions and her (14). Similarities of the two poems One of the striking similarities of the two poems was that both of them had influence from to love in which one of the parties in the relationship felt aggrieved by the cruelty of the world. Both poems used rhyming sounds at the end of some lines in their stanzas, and they both had three stanzas each. For instance, Donne writes, ‘Fruits of more a lot grief they are, emblems of more ; When tears fall, that thou falls ….So you and I are nothing then, when on divers shores’(Donne 7) while Queen Elizabeth I writes ‘I love and yet am forced to seem to hate, I do, yet cannot not say as I meant, I am stark mute but inside to prate. I am and not, I freezing and yet burned.’(Elizabeth 4 & 5) Conclusion The on Monsieur’s Departure and the A Valediction: of Weeping poems by Donne and Queen Elizabeth had striking differences but also similarities. However, both poems expressed intense grief that attracts readers into sharing in their grief as they both used words in a manner that communicated their emotions effectively. They both had an almost similar tone of writing and style of the use of rhyming sounds. On the contrary, the differences between the poems varied from those addressed by the poems to the subject of the poems. Nevertheless, the poems were both understandable as the words used were not artistic and neither were they intended for a complex audience. Lastly, both poems conveyed their messages in a relatively similar manner as they both made use of literal devices like similes, metaphors, among others in order to emphasize their emotions. Works Cited Queen Elizabeth I. On Monsieur’s Departure. Donne, J. A Valediction: of Weeping. Read More