IEB Poetry 2023 : 'The Sun Rising' by John Donne

Summary

This video script serves as a revision guide for John Donne's poem 'The Sun Rising,' in preparation for IEB curriculum exams. It explores Donne's life, his conversion to Anglicanism, and his influential role as a metaphysical poet. The script delves into the poem's structure, its use of apostrophe and metaphysical conceits, and the lovers' defiance of the sun's dominance. It also touches on the historical context of Donne's time and the tradition of dawn-parting love poems, leaving viewers to ponder the poem's deeper meanings and the speaker's relationship with his lover.

Takeaways

• 📚 John Donne's life was marked by living through the reigns of three monarchs and his struggle as a Catholic in Protestant England.
• 🎓 Despite attending Oxford and Cambridge, Donne could not receive a degree due to religious persecution against Catholics.
• 📖 Donne's diverse career included roles as a soldier, lawyer, diplomat, and member of Parliament, which influenced his poetry.
• 🌟 Donne's conversion to Anglicanism led to his appointment as Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, where he became a renowned preacher.
• 📝 Metaphysical poetry, which Donne was a part of, is characterized by its use of wit, paradoxes, and secular and religious imagery.
• 💬 The conversational style of metaphysical poetry contrasts with the rigid structure of Elizabethan-era writing.
• 🧠 Metaphysical conceits are arguments that use illogical logic to make a philosophical point, often through wordplay and paradox.
• 🌞 'The Sun Rising' is an example of an apostrophe, where the speaker addresses a non-human entity, in this case, the Sun.
• 👥 The poem uses the Sun as a symbol of time and challenges its power over the lovers' experience, asserting the primacy of their love.
• 🌈 The poem's structure and rhyme scheme reflect the metaphysical poets' rejection of strict Elizabethan forms.
• 🌅 The final stanza suggests a redefinition of the world's center, placing the lovers at the heart of the universe, rather than the Sun.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the video?

The main purpose of the video is to provide a revision for John Donne's poem 'The Sun Rising' as preparation for the final examinations of the IEB curriculum, specifically for Cullen's current metric class.

Who was John Donne and what challenges did he face in his life?

John Donne was a bright young man who lived through the reigns of three monarchs: Queen Elizabeth I, King James, and King Charles I. He faced challenges as a Catholic in a time when Catholics were persecuted in England, which prevented him from obtaining a degree from Oxford or Cambridge despite his studies there.

What were some of the jobs John Donne held throughout his life?

John Donne held a number of jobs including soldier, lawyer, diplomat, and even a member of Parliament during the reign of King James.

What religious change did John Donne undergo during the reign of King James?

During the reign of King James, John Donne swapped his Catholic beliefs for those of the Anglican Church, which led to his appointment as dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

How is John Donne's poetry characterized?

John Donne's poetry is characterized by both religious and secular imagery, drawn from his diverse life experiences. It is known for its conversational style, using the diction and rhythms of normal speech patterns of the time.

What is metaphysical poetry and how does it relate to John Donne's work?

Metaphysical poetry is characterized by its subject matter related to the nature of reality, often using outrageous logic, wit, and clever paradoxes or puns. John Donne's work was admired and used as a model by a group of poets known as the metaphysical poets.

What is a metaphysical conceit and how is it used in Donne's poem 'The Flea'?

A metaphysical conceit is an idea that takes dissimilar images to make a philosophical point. In Donne's poem 'The Flea', the speaker uses the bite of a flea to construct an argument against a woman's resistance to his romantic advances.

What is the structure and rhyme scheme of the poem 'The Sun Rising'?

The poem 'The Sun Rising' consists of three stanzas with 10 lines each. The rhyme scheme can be tricky, but it reflects the metaphysical poets' preference for less rigid structures compared to their Elizabethan predecessors.

How does the speaker in 'The Sun Rising' address the sun and what is the significance of this?

The speaker addresses the sun using apostrophe, a literary device where a non-human item is directly addressed. The sun is referred to with disdain, as a 'busy old fool' and a 'saucy pedantic wretch', challenging its role as the dictator of time for the lovers.

What is the theme of love presented in 'The Sun Rising'?

The theme of love in 'The Sun Rising' is one of defiance against time and societal norms. The lovers believe they are free to love as they wish, without being bound by the sun's rising and setting or by man-made constructs of time.

How does the speaker in 'The Sun Rising' use hyperbole and alliteration to convey the message?

The speaker uses hyperbole to exaggerate the importance of the lovers' union, suggesting they are the center of the universe, and alliteration to evoke a gentle task of warming the world, thus flipping the roles and making the sun seem less significant.

What is the tradition of love poems or songs referred to in the script called and how might it relate to 'The Sun Rising'?

The tradition referred to is called 'Aubades', love poems or songs sung by lovers who have to separate at dawn, often indicating illicit affairs. The script suggests that readers can decide whether 'The Sun Rising' could be considered an Aubade.

Outlines

00:00

📚 John Dunn's Life and Metaphysical Poetry

This paragraph introduces John Dunn's life story, his education at Oxford and Cambridge, and the challenges he faced as a Catholic in Protestant England. It discusses his diverse career and his conversion to Anglicanism, which led to his appointment as Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral. The paragraph also explains the characteristics of metaphysical poetry, including its conversational style, use of paradoxes and puns, and the concept of a 'metaphysical conceit.' The video script prepares viewers for an analysis of Dunn's poem 'The Sun Rising,' highlighting the poem's structure and rhyme scheme, and the historical context of English pronunciation affecting the poem's half rhymes.

05:00

🌞 The Sun's Interruption and the Power of Love

The second paragraph delves into the poem's apostrophe, where the speaker addresses the sun, accusing it of being disrespectful by interrupting the lovers' time together. The sun is personified as a busy, old fool and a saucy, pedantic wretch. The speaker challenges the sun's authority over time, asserting that love is not bound by seasons or the sun's movements. The paragraph discusses the social positions of those the sun should instead wake up, such as schoolboys, apprentices, huntsmen, and peasants, emphasizing the lovers' belief in their independence from societal norms and time constraints.

10:02

🌟 The Sun's Dimming and the Superiority of the Lover's Beauty

In this paragraph, the speaker continues to challenge the sun, questioning its power and sacredness. The use of rhetorical questions and cheeky taunts is highlighted, as the speaker demonstrates how easily he can defy the sun by simply closing his eyes, creating his own eclipse. The speaker then invites the sun to observe the lovers, suggesting that the natural beauty of the world pales in comparison to his lover's beauty. The paragraph discusses the conceit of the poem, where the lovers are presented as more precious than spices, gold, and even kings, emphasizing the transformative power of love to turn the ordinary into something extraordinary.

15:04

🌍 The World Contracted to a Room; The Sun's New Role

The final paragraph of the script discusses the third stanza of the poem, where the speaker suggests that the world has been contracted to the size of their room, making it easier for the sun to warm the world. The speaker uses hyperbole and alliteration to convey the message that the lovers are the new center of the universe, with the sun now seen as a mere human who has interrupted them. The paragraph also touches on the tradition of love poems sung by lovers parting at dawn, known as 'oads,' and invites viewers to consider whether Dunn's poem fits this tradition. The script concludes with a note on the emotional shifts throughout the poem and well-wishes for the viewers' exams.

Keywords

💡Metaphysical Poetry

Metaphysical poetry is a style of writing characterized by its use of wit, paradox, and intellectual exploration of complex ideas. It is often seen as a reaction against the rigidity of Elizabethan poetry. In the video, this term is central as it defines the style of John Donne's poetry, which is conversational yet provocative, using clever paradoxes to convey philosophical points, as seen in the poem 'The Sun Rising'.

💡Apostrophe

Apostrophe in poetry is a figure of speech where the speaker directly addresses an absent person, a non-human object, or an abstract idea. In the context of the video, the poem 'The Sun Rising' uses apostrophe by addressing the sun as if it were a person capable of interrupting the lovers' privacy.

💡Conceit

A conceit is a witty or paradoxical idea that expresses a larger meaning or truth. In metaphysical poetry, including Donne's work, conceits are used to create a link between seemingly disparate images or ideas. The video explains that the poem 'The Sun Rising' contains a metaphysical conceit, where the sun's rising is used to argue against the lovers' need to adhere to societal norms and time.

💡Catholic

Catholic refers to a member of the Roman Catholic Church. In the video, John Donne's life story is mentioned, and it is noted that he was a Catholic during a time of persecution for Catholics in England. This religious affiliation influenced his life and education, as he could study at Oxford and Cambridge but could not receive a degree due to his faith.

💡Anglican Church

The Anglican Church, also known as the Church of England, is a separate Christian tradition that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. In the script, it is mentioned that Donne switched his Catholic beliefs for those of the Anglican Church during the reign of King James, which led to his appointment as dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

💡Rhyme Scheme

Rhyme scheme refers to the pattern of end rhymes in a poem. The video discusses the rhyme scheme of 'The Sun Rising,' noting that it can be tricky but is easier to understand when considering the poet's intention to break away from the strict structures of Elizabethan poetry.

💡Half Rhymes

Half rhymes, also known as slant or partial rhymes, occur when words sound similar but do not rhyme completely. The video mentions that English pronunciation has changed over time, which can account for the half rhymes found in Donne's poem, where words like 'this' and 'thus' would have sounded more similar in his time.

💡Paradox

A paradox is a statement that despite sounding reasonable leads to a conclusion that seems senselessly or logically unacceptable. In the context of the video, metaphysical poetry, including Donne's, often uses paradoxes to create a provocative and intellectually stimulating effect, as seen in the illogical logic of the poem 'The Sun Rising'.

💡Alliteration

Alliteration is a literary device where the initial consonant sounds of two or more neighboring words in a sentence repeat. The video points out the use of alliteration in the poem, which serves to evoke a gentle task of warming the world, adding a musical quality to the speaker's words.

💡Ode

An ode is a type of lyrical poem that addresses a specific subject, typically expressing deep emotions or thoughts. While not explicitly defined in the video, the term is relevant as the script discusses the tradition of love poems or songs sung by lovers who have to separate at dawn, which Donne's poem could be interpreted as a part of.

💡Alchemy

Alchemy is an ancient philosophical and protoscientific tradition that aimed to transform base metals into noble ones, such as gold. In the video, the term is used metaphorically to describe how the lovers in 'The Sun Rising' have transformed their ordinary surroundings into something precious and valuable through their love.

Highlights

John Dunne's poem 'The Sun Rising' is a revision for the IEB curriculum, particularly for a metric class.

Donne's life spanned across three monarchs: Queen Elizabeth I, King James, and King Charles I.

As a Catholic, Donne was barred from obtaining a degree despite studying at Oxford and Cambridge.

Donne held various roles, including soldier, lawyer, diplomat, and Member of Parliament.

He became Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral and a notable preacher under King James.

Donne's poetry is marked by religious and secular imagery, influenced by his diverse life experiences.

Metaphysical poetry, including Donne's, is characterized by its conversational style and use of paradoxes and puns.

Metaphysical conceits are philosophical points made through dissimilar images.

The poem 'The Flea' exemplifies Donne's use of metaphysical conceits.

The film 'Wit' by Margaret Edson explores metaphysical poetry and John Donne's work.

The poem 'The Sun Rising' is structured in three stanzas with a complex rhyme scheme.

The poem uses apostrophe to address the Sun, treating it as a non-human entity.

The speaker in the poem challenges the Sun, asserting the lovers' independence from its influence.

The poem employs hyperbole and alliteration to emphasize the lovers' supremacy over the Sun.

Donne's use of wit and illogical logic is a hallmark of metaphysical poetry.

The poem suggests a tradition of love songs sung at dawn, often associated with illicit affairs.

The poem concludes with a conciliatory tone, suggesting a reevaluation of the Sun's role.

Good luck wishes for the final examinations are extended to the viewers.

Transcripts

this video is revision for John Dunn's

poem the sun rising as preparation for

the final examinations of the ieb

curriculum but specifically this video

is for Cullen in my current metrick

class John dun's life story is

fascinating his lifespan saw three

monarchs Queen Elizabeth I King James

and King Charles

i d was a bright young man he gained

entry to both Oxford and Cambridge

universities however he was a Catholic

in a time when Catholics were persecuted

in England and this meant that he could

study at these prestigious universities

but he couldn't get a degree from either

of them dun studied a wide variety of

subjects including Theology and he held

a number of jobs including those of

soldier lawyer Diplomat and even a

member of Parliament

during the reign of King James this is

the King James of the King James version

of the Bible dun swapped his Catholic

beliefs for those of the Anglican

Church he was appointed as dean of St

Paul's Cathedral in London where he

became a noted speaker and attracted

large crowds to listen to his

sermons now his poetry is characterized

by both religious and secular imagery

dra from his diverse life

experiences in fact his writing was so

admired that his work was used as a

model by a group of poets who became

known as the metaphysical

poets what exactly is metaphysical

poetry the subject matter is usually to

do with the nature of

reality it was a reaction against the

rigid writings and poetry of the

Elizabeth an era you'll note that dun's

writing is quite

conversational using the diction and

rhythms of normal speech patterns of the

time this conversational easy style

appears to be at odds with the

content the writing is deliberately

provocative it uses outrageous logic and

wit usually by means of clever paradoxes

and puns the content is often written in

the form of an argument

one of the best known examples of this

is dun's poem The flee in which the

speaker uses the bite of a flea to

construct an argument against a woman's

resistance to his romantic

advances this formulation of thought or

argument is what is known as a

metaphysical

conceit these conceits are simply ideas

that take dissimilar images to make a

philosophical

point pause the video here to read these

lines from the poem and I'm sure you'll

agree that it is illogically

logical when we study these poems it's

initially challenging as readers often

struggle to see the link the connection

between the images and the points made

by the

poet if you're intrigued by this manner

of writing I encourage you to watch the

film version of the pulit a prizewinning

play wit by Margaret Edson starring Emma

Thompson Thompson plays the role of an

English Professor who specializes in the

works of John Dunn and the play covers

her battle against terminal cancer and

her final understanding of the conceit

the wit in D sonnet death be not proud

and the semi colon in the title is

deliberate as a reference to the

discussion surrounding the use of

punctuation in the final line of that

sonnet right let's get into the poem

itself always look at a poem's structure

on the page before you start analyzing

it you'll immediately see here that the

poem consists of three stanzas with 10

lines in each

stanza the rhyme scheme can be quite

tricky too but knowing that metaphysical

poets like Dunn didn't want to write in

the strict the rigid structure of their

Elizabethan predecessors makes it a

little bit

easier also bear in mind that English

pronunciation has changed over the

centuries and words like this and thus

were quite similar to the ear in Dan's

time and this would account for the half

Rhymes that we encounter in this

poem the poem is an example of

apostrophe no not a reference to the

punctuation mark in this context

apostrophe occurs when a non-human item

is addressed by the speaker here the

speaker is addressing the

sun when the poem was written the sun

was regarded as the Monarch the king of

the sky the first line which directly

addresses the son appears to be

disrespectful even scornful

the speaker uses disparaging words busy

old fool in line one and Saucy pedantic

wretch in line

five says that the son has had the cheek

to interrupt the speaker and his lover

interrupting whatever they were doing in

other words the sun has dared to shine

Through the Windows disturbing the PE

where they are lying together in bed and

this is the question that's posed in

lines 1 2 3 and again in line four where

the speaker challenges the sun asking

whether the lovers must be dictated to

by the rising and setting of the sun

must lovers Seasons run according to the

Motions or movement of the Sun and

you'll see the diction is bold and

Direct in terms of meaning someone who

is Saucy is usually mischievous cheeky

often with a sexual

connotation if you're pedantic you're

overly concerned with rules and

regulations the speaker is accusing the

son of rising on time every morning

instead of allowing the lovers a few

extra

moments a wret is a person you wouldn't

listen to someone who's

contemptible the speaker then tells the

son to go and chide other people in

other words he instructs the son to wake

up other

people now take note of the social

position of these other folk they're all

in a position of

subordination school boys who are led to

school sound familiar

anyone apprentices who are sour or

unenthusiastic about their

work Huntsmen who have to accompany the

King on Horseback when he feels like

hunting Ing and Country ants rural

workers who have to harvest crops and

deliver them to

offices the speaker is telling the son

that the son isn't as important as he

thinks he is that he should rather serve

others just as school boys apprentices

Huntsmen and peasants serve

others the the last two lines of the

stanza underline the speaker's reasoning

he states that love is not beholden to

any

timetable it doesn't know any Seasons or

climates that

change it's not tied to a clock or a

calendar that would Mark the passing of

hours days or

months the use of the phrase Rags of

time further emphasizes the scorn that

the speaker directs to the sun Rags are

unwanted Tatty pieces of cloth they're

not useful for

anything these lovers have no need for

these man-made constructs of

time they feel that they are free to do

as they wish when they

wish the apostrophe continues in the

second stanza the speaker challenges the

son asking him whether he believes that

his sunbeams are sacred and

Powerful the use of the rhetorical

question is quite cheeky it's almost a

childish playground taunt you think

you're so strong don't

you in 913 the speaker uses wit to

illustrate how he can defy the Sun by

closing his eyes the sunlight is gone

just a wink will deny the son his power

do you see the clever use of the word

Eclipse when there's a solar eclipse the

Sun's light is dimmed by the shadow of

the Moon moving across our line of sight

between the Sun and the Earth the same

effect is achieved by the speaker when

he shuts his eyes he's able to block out

the

sunlight now this is typical of the

conceits of metaphysical poetry it's an

illogical

logic in line 14

the speaker alludes to the beauty and

attraction of his lover he says that he

would prefer to keep his eyes open as

closing them will mean that he won't be

able to see his

lady he continues with a taunting tone

saying that the lady is so beautiful

that even the sun would be blinded by

her

beauty you can see this in line 16 to 20

where the speaker is saying that the sun

can see the natural beauty around the

world but it won't compare with the

beauty of his lady love it's as though D

is saying that he and his lover can

outshine the

Sun from line 16 to 18 the conceit is

developed the son was told to leave but

now is invited to stare and observe the

lovers the speaker challenges the Sun

son to find anything more perfect more

beautiful than he and his lover he asks

the son to think of the precious things

that it has experienced such as both the

indas of spice and

mine this is a reference to the India of

the spice trade and to the gold mines in

the West Indies which accounts for the

reference to both

indias he is saying that everything

precious and scarce is right here in the

bedroom in lines 19 and 20 the speaker

states that everything and everyone that

is of importance is in fact lying in the

bed he and his lover are more precious

than spices and gold more important than

Kings this idea is continued in lines 21

and 22 in the third stanza the lady is

everything to the speaker more important

than all countries all royalty and all

leaders in lines 23 and 24 the speaker

suggests that these princes and leaders

play at being like the couple they

pretend they fake their happiness the

couple are the real deal they don't have

to mimic their happiness their wealth is

genuine they have been able to take

something ordinary and transform it into

something precious

this is the alchemy that is referred to

in line

24 in lines 25 to 28 the speaker

contends that the son should be as happy

as he is as he has contracted or

diminished the size of the world to one

room in fact to one

bed this will make it easier for the

Aged sun to fulfill its duties and warm

the world as the speakers in entire

world is present in this one room on

this

bed take note of the use of alliteration

here it evokes the gentle task of

warming the

world the form the center of the

universe it's as though this apostrophe

has flipped the roles the speaker and

his lover are the celestial bodies at

the center of the universe and the Sun

is just a human being who has

interrupted the

lovers remember that in dun's time

scientists and astronomers were still

arguing about the mechanics of the

universe and wondering what went around

what the sun has been relegated from its

position as a powerful Celestial body

it's now pied by the speaker as it is no

longer the center of the

world this metaphysical po makes great

use of hyperbole to convey its

message now in literature there's a

little known tradition of love poems or

songs that are sung by lovers who have

to separate at dawn in this tradition

the lovers are often adulterous having

illicit love affairs and the Rising Sun

is their sign that their night of fun is

over and these love songs are called

oads and you can decide whether you

think that this poem is an orad or not

is the speaker involved in an illicit

Affair what do you

think take note of the shifts in Emotion

throughout the poem it starts with

disdain in the beginning moves to a

challenge of the Sun and ends with a

sort of

conciliation that's another perem

revised I wish you all for your exams

good

luck