(no subject)
Life As We Know It
Shelly Gale
Two pieces of writing brought together by polar thoughts on the same subject. The tones and attitudes expressed in Donne’s “Meditation 17” and Simon’s “I am a Rock” are very different. They both speak of the human emotions that pertain to the original quote “No man is an island”. The themes of these two pieces also speak on the authors opposing viewpoints.
An author’s tone or attitude is one of the most important elements in their writing. John Donne sets up his writing with a solemnity about it. He makes it very solid and structured with a great deal of metaphors. Even though Donne’s work is solemn it is still positive. Donne’s belief in a god brings him through death, affliction and tribulation and uses these elements to bring him closer to his god. Donne is able to have a strong statement even if you do not agree with him and he is convincing in his arguments. Simon’s work, on the other hand, is exceedingly jaded. His attitude towards life is one of protection. He speaks of blocking himself from the world in an attempt to keep him from being injured. Simon’s words seem to be as strong as Donne’s yet his own words betray his true feelings. He states, “If I never loved, I never would have cried”. In his words are a pain that brings forth a fake strength. He states that his feelings died and he doesn’t care to revive them, leading one to believe that he has given up, unlike Donne who has full faith in the world.
The themes of Meditation are ones of death and trials and how these things bring you strength. The theme that all things can benefit human kind and that every loss is a great loss are heavily present in this piece. The theme that a god can save all things if you work to grow and turn to him is another theme. Simon’s themes are ones of self-reliance. He states that he is a rock, an island, that nothing touches him and he touches no one. Yet he is a contradiction in himself. How does one protect themselves with books and poetry when they are not connected with humanity? Books and poetry come from the human race; they are the essence of human emotions. He also states that he is “safe within his womb” which brings up the other point that he was born of a woman. He cannot be completely cut away from humanity because humanity is his past. No one can escape from their past no matter how hard they try because we are all affected by the events in our lives. This is evident when Simon says “of the feelings that have died” because he is saying that they were once alive. He was not always a “rock” or and “island” something made him change to become one, something in the world affected his life thus linking him forever with humanity.
“Meditation” and “I am a Rock” are very different pieces of work and yet they capitalize on the emotions that we have all felt before. Everyone has felt that there is something out there that we can rely on and everyone has felt that they stand-alone. Even though one might not agree with what these two authors are saying everyone has felt this way, which makes these pieces relevant to today. To borrow a few words, we all are a bundle of contradictions.
Shelly Gale
Two pieces of writing brought together by polar thoughts on the same subject. The tones and attitudes expressed in Donne’s “Meditation 17” and Simon’s “I am a Rock” are very different. They both speak of the human emotions that pertain to the original quote “No man is an island”. The themes of these two pieces also speak on the authors opposing viewpoints.
An author’s tone or attitude is one of the most important elements in their writing. John Donne sets up his writing with a solemnity about it. He makes it very solid and structured with a great deal of metaphors. Even though Donne’s work is solemn it is still positive. Donne’s belief in a god brings him through death, affliction and tribulation and uses these elements to bring him closer to his god. Donne is able to have a strong statement even if you do not agree with him and he is convincing in his arguments. Simon’s work, on the other hand, is exceedingly jaded. His attitude towards life is one of protection. He speaks of blocking himself from the world in an attempt to keep him from being injured. Simon’s words seem to be as strong as Donne’s yet his own words betray his true feelings. He states, “If I never loved, I never would have cried”. In his words are a pain that brings forth a fake strength. He states that his feelings died and he doesn’t care to revive them, leading one to believe that he has given up, unlike Donne who has full faith in the world.
The themes of Meditation are ones of death and trials and how these things bring you strength. The theme that all things can benefit human kind and that every loss is a great loss are heavily present in this piece. The theme that a god can save all things if you work to grow and turn to him is another theme. Simon’s themes are ones of self-reliance. He states that he is a rock, an island, that nothing touches him and he touches no one. Yet he is a contradiction in himself. How does one protect themselves with books and poetry when they are not connected with humanity? Books and poetry come from the human race; they are the essence of human emotions. He also states that he is “safe within his womb” which brings up the other point that he was born of a woman. He cannot be completely cut away from humanity because humanity is his past. No one can escape from their past no matter how hard they try because we are all affected by the events in our lives. This is evident when Simon says “of the feelings that have died” because he is saying that they were once alive. He was not always a “rock” or and “island” something made him change to become one, something in the world affected his life thus linking him forever with humanity.
“Meditation” and “I am a Rock” are very different pieces of work and yet they capitalize on the emotions that we have all felt before. Everyone has felt that there is something out there that we can rely on and everyone has felt that they stand-alone. Even though one might not agree with what these two authors are saying everyone has felt this way, which makes these pieces relevant to today. To borrow a few words, we all are a bundle of contradictions.