1) Critical appreciation of the poem the sun rising.
"The Sun Rising" by John Donne is a remarkable example of metaphysical poetry, blending
intellectual wit, bold imagery, and an intimate exploration of love. Written in three stanzas, the
poem features the speaker addressing the sun with a mixture of playful annoyance and
affectionate contemplation, reflecting the complexities of human emotions.
The poem opens with the speaker chastising the sun for its intrusive presence, interrupting the
private world of the lovers. Donne’s use of apostrophe, directly addressing the sun, sets a
conversational and slightly defiant tone. He employs hyperbolic language and rhetorical
questions to belittle the sun’s authority, suggesting that the lovers’ world is self-sufficient and
superior to the external world regulated by time.
In the second stanza, the speaker contrasts the transient nature of worldly pursuits with the
timelessness of love. He boldly claims that the lovers’ bed is the center of the universe, and that
all other activities—whether related to kings or commoners—are insignificant in comparison.
This extravagant assertion underscores the intensity and exclusivity of their love.
Donne’s metaphysical conceits shine through in his imaginative comparisons. The lovers’ room
is described as a microcosm, encapsulating the whole world. The speaker asserts that the
lovers can redefine reality, making the sun’s traditional role redundant. This intellectual
playfulness is characteristic of Donne’s style, merging philosophical concepts with personal
experience.
The final stanza sees a shift from defiance to acceptance, as the speaker acknowledges the
sun’s power but redefines it on his own terms. He invites the sun to shine exclusively on them,
suggesting that their love is the source of true enlightenment. The concluding lines, where the
speaker declares that the lovers are “all states, and all princes, I,” elevate their union to a
universal significance.
Donne’s use of wit and irony, coupled with his exploration of love’s transcendent power, makes
"The Sun Rising" a profound meditation on the nature of human relationships. The poem’s
imaginative conceits and bold assertions challenge conventional notions of love and reality,
exemplifying the innovative spirit of metaphysical poetry. Through this blend of intellect and
emotion, Donne captures the intricate and transformative experience of true love.
2) Consider Donne's The Sun Rising as a love poem.
"The Sun Rising" by John Donne stands as an extraordinary example of a love poem that
transcends conventional expressions of affection, merging emotional intimacy with intellectual
wit. At its core, the poem celebrates the profound connection between lovers, presenting their
union as the central and most significant aspect of existence.
Donne employs a dramatic monologue to directly address the sun, casting it as an intruder in
the lovers' private world. This approach immediately establishes a sense of intimacy, drawing
the reader into the speaker's deeply personal space. The opening lines, where the speaker
chides the sun for disrupting their love, set a playful yet assertive tone, showcasing the intensity
of their bond.
The poem's exploration of love is both grand and minute. In the second stanza, the speaker
claims that their love creates its own universe, independent of the external world. This
hyperbolic assertion underscores the lovers' perception of their relationship as all-encompassing
and self-sufficient. Donne’s metaphysical conceits—the imaginative and intellectually
provocative comparisons—highlight the depth and uniqueness of their love. By asserting that
their small bedroom holds the entirety of the world, Donne elevates the personal experience of
love to a universal scale.
Donne also juxtaposes the physical and the spiritual dimensions of love. The lovers’ bed
becomes a microcosm, reflecting a perfect harmony that transcends earthly concerns. The
speaker's command to the sun to "shine here to us, and thou art everywhere" illustrates how
their love renders them the center of the universe, a place where time and space are irrelevant.
The poem's language, rich with vivid imagery and intellectual playfulness, mirrors the
complexities of the lovers' relationship. The final stanza, where the speaker invites the sun to
warm them, reveals a tender acceptance of the sun’s presence, transforming it from an intruder
to a witness of their enduring love.
In essence, "The Sun Rising" is a profound meditation on the power and sanctity of true love.
Donne's masterful blending of passionate emotion with cerebral wit and elaborate metaphors
captures the transformative nature of love, making the poem a timeless celebration of human
intimacy. Through this poetic fusion, Donne portrays love not merely as an emotion but as a
force that redefines reality and elevates the human experience.
3) Analyze Donne's use of conceits in The Sun Rising.
Ans. 'Conceit' is the term for figures of speech which establish a striking parallel, usually
elaborated, between two very dissimilar things or situations. Two types of conceit are often
distinguished: The Petrarchan conceit is a type of figure effectively used in love poems by
Petrarch. It became hackneyed in the hands of Petrarch's imitators among the Elizabethan
sonneteers. The figure consists of detailed and often exaggerated comparisons applied to
disdainful mistress, as cold and cruel as she is
beautiful, and to the distresses and despair of her worshipful lover. Sir Thomas Wyatt
compares the lover's state to a ship labouring in a storm.
The metaphysical conceit is a characteristic figure in the work of John Donne and his
seventeenth century followers. Dr. Johnson describes it as wit which is "a kind of discordia
concors, a combination of dissimilar images, or discovery of occult resemblances in things
apparently unlike... The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together." The
metaphysical poets exploit all knowledge-commonplace or esoteric, practical, theological or
philosophical, true or fabulous-for the vehicle- of these figures and their comparisons, whether
succinct or extended, were often nove and witty and startingly effective.
The Sun Rising well illustrates Donne's use of conceit. Conceit may be roughly defined as an
incongruous and striking comparisons between two apparently dissimilar things or situations, or
as far-fetched similes or metaphors or as the yoking together of the most heterogeneous ideas
by violence. Dr. Johnson defines conceit as a kind of discordia concors, a combination of
dissimilar images or discovery of occult
resemblances in things apparently unlike. In "Saucy pedantic wretch" we have the discovery of
occult resemblances in things apparently unlike and incongruous-in the sun and a pedantic
wretch. "......Both the Indies of spice and mine" provides us with a good example of the
metaphysical conceit. Here the lady love is compared to the East and West Indies. This
comparison is not only incongruous, but also far-fetched. In "She is all states, and all princes, I"
we have a striking and incongruous comparison between two apparently dissimilar things,
namely 'states' and the ladylove on the one hand, and 'princes' and the lover on the other. In the
last line of the first stanza there is a good instance of conceit. Here is a far-fetched
metaphor-time is compared to a pauper wearing tattered clothings.
