Death of John Gunther Be Not Proud/Authors' Death, Be Not Proud, a poem by John Donne that was published in 1633 in the first edition of Songs and Sonnets. The author's identity was concealed by the publisher.
Gunther is the pen name of George B. McClellan Jr., who used it from 1943 to 1955 while he was working on a PhD at Columbia University. His doctoral dissertation was on John Donne.
Donne was an English metaphysical poet and priest who has been called "the father of modern poetry." He has been described as "the most popular poet before Shakespeare."
McClellan returned to journalism after graduating from Columbia, where he had studied under Paul Weiss. In 1960, he became managing editor of the New York Herald Tribune and later assistant managing editor. Two years later, he was appointed acting city editor until Edward Kosner was named to the position. After four months, McClellan was promoted to city editor.
He stayed at the paper until his death in a car crash in 1963 at the age of 42. He was married with two children.
In his will, McClellan requested that his official biography be written but that the copyright be held by the newspaper until 2043.
"Death Be Not Proud," by John Donne, is an argument against the power of death. Addressing Death as a person, the speaker advises him not to be arrogant about his authority. Death Should Not Be Proud.
by John Donne | |
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Portrait of John Donne | |
Written | between February and August 1609 |
First published in | Songs and Sonnets (1633) |
Country | Kingdom of England |
The fundamental topic of John Donne's poem "Death Be Not Proud" is death's impotence. Death, according to Donne, is only a gateway to endless life, and as such, it is not as "great and horrible" as some may assume. The speaker in the poem seeks to allay his friends' fears about death by pointing out that it is merely a step on the path to eternal happiness.
Donne uses irony to convey this message. He begins the poem by proclaiming that death is terrible and then goes on to say that it is not so bad after all. This paradoxical statement creates a tone of humility in the face of death, which is contrary to what many people believe about the afterlife.
Furthermore, Donne uses vivid imagery and strong language to make his point. For example, he compares death to war, slavery, and imprisonment because these things are all negative experiences that most people fear even though they must be faced in order to live one's life fully.
Overall, "Death Be Not Proud" is a thoughtful and inspiring work that encourages people to look beyond the surface effects of reality and discover the true nature of existence through faith alone.
"Death, do not be proud," a typical logic poem: Donne portrays death as a helpless person. He uses logic to argue against death's authority, claiming that death does not murder individuals. It instead frees their spirits and leads them to eternal existence. Death, he believes, gives birth to our souls. Our bodies simply decay until they are reduced to dust.
Donne's poem is based on Paul's letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 15). In it, Paul argues that since we will all die, we should not feel proud about how our lives have turned out. Instead, we should live each day as if it were our last because one day we will be dead and gone forever.
Our lives are brief compared to eternity. We don't know when we will die or where we will go after we leave this life. So we should never let our feelings of pride get in the way of living every day like it means something.
Not only does death not give us pride, but also love. Love is not just a feeling but an action of the will. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that everyone who believes in him would not perish but have everlasting life.