A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning: Poetry Log 2: Week 2: Semester 2: IB English 2

In the poem, "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning," John Donne uses diction to create a calming and reassuring tone. This poem can be interpreted as the speaker reassuring his lover that they will always be together, even when the speaker dies.

Donne uses the repetition of the numbers "one" and "two" to emphasize the fact that the speaker and his lover believe they are one soul but also accept the reality that they are separate in body. Although they are separate physically, the speaker believes he and his lover are complementary like two "stiff twin compasses" or two feet. They are able to work separately but work best when together. Donne also repeats words such as "love" and uses love together with joy to create a calming, happy atmosphere when he refers to his lover, showing his enthusiam for their love for each other. The speaker believes that the love he and his lover share is "so much refin'd" and that they are connected through the mind and soul so they will not miss each other's physical properties. This reassures his lover that, although they may be far apart physically or spiritually, they will still be together in their minds and they will still be connected with their souls. 

Donne also uses certain phrases to further reassure his lover that their love will last forever and also reiterate their relationship. The speaker states, "Such wilt thou be to me who must...obliquely run," when referring to the relationship between the feet. This sort of relationship means that the lover will follow the speaker where ever he goes; including heaven. In a further attempt to comfort his lover, Donne begins and ends the poem in a euphemism for death. In the first stanza, Donne says "virtuous men pass mildy away" and ends the poem with the lines "Thy firmness makes my circle just, And makes me end, where I begun." The use of circle provides imagery of the speaker's life cycle and the fact that he will go back to non-existence as he once was before he was born. This makes it sound more natural and also reassuring that the lover completed the speaker's life cycle, helping him move on.

Donne uses imagery, diction, and euphemisms to address the fact that the speaker is dying but he accepts his fate and wishes for his lover to be comforted and also wish him well.

The Good-Morrow Commentary

In "The Good-Morrow," John Donne establishes a compassionate mood to demonstrate his love for his lover through his use of diction. This includes his use of repetition, catalog, personification, and connotation throughout the poem. 

Donne uses repetition in the second stanza for emphasis. He repeats the word "worlds" four times to emphasize the idea at the time that every person is a part of their own world and that his world and his lover's world are separate but they found each other's world and therefore belong together. Donne also uses "love" twice in a sentence in the second stanza to put emphasis on their love for each other and that they are consumed by their love for one another. He contrasts "one little room" to "everywhere" to further emphasize that love gives everything a more meaningful existence. 

The diction Donne uses in the first stanza give insight to his life before his lover. The words "weaned" and "childishly" make Donne seem as if he were  immature before he met his lover. Donne's use of the word "sucked" shows that he was lustful before he met his lover and now she has matured him and he appreciates her for that. He also personifies souls in the second stanza as he states "good-morrow to our waking souls" which contributes to the compassionate mood.

Donne develops the theme of love rather than lust as he shows his compassion and love for his lover. He believes that he belongs with his lover because she is his other half. Donne believes they are "mixed equally" and therefore shows his deep feelings of love for his lover. Donne's use of language helps establish this compassionate mood.