Eleventh Set of Questions for EN 211

Above is a picture of a new statue of poet John Donne in the garden of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.  He served as the dean of this cathedral after he was persuaded to become an Anglican priest.  The statue below is of Donne's death effigy.  It was the only statue in the cathedral to survive the Great Fire of London.  Donne also preached his last sermon while wearing his shroud.

Good evening :)

I'm glad that we were able to spend time with two of Edward Taylor's poems ("Upon Wedlock, and the Death of Children" and "Meditation 8") as well as with John Donne's Holy Sonnet 14

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173362

George Herbert's "Altar Wings" and "Love (III)":

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/herbert/temple/Altar.html

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16121

and Robert Herrick's "To the Virgins..."
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15923

According to the author of Herrick's biography, the women mentioned in his poems were fictional!

Here are links to Michael Wigglesworth's "The Day of Doom," an exceedingly long poem but a best seller in Puritan America:

http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/doom001.htm

http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/doom026.htm

http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/doom051.htm

http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/doom076.htm

http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/doom101.htm

http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/doom126.htm

http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/doom151.htm

http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/doom176.htm

http://www.puritansermons.com/poetry/doom201.htm

Please don't feel that you have to read the whole poem.  Just skim over to get a taste!

It may help you as you read Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," one of the most celebrated sermons from the Colonial era.  Interestingly, Edwards preached his sermon in 1741, after the Puritan era had ended.  Edwards, by the way, was the grandfather of Aaron Burr.  Burr served as Thomas Jefferson's vice-president and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel.

Here are a few questions for you:

-- Compare and contrast American poets (Mrs. Bradstreet, Rev. Taylor) with their British contemporaries.  What is similar about their poetry?  What is different?

-- Compare/contrast Mrs. Bradstreet's poetry with Rev. Taylor's.

-- If you are Christian, what is it like to read religious poetry from the 1600s?

-- If you are not Christian, what is it like to read religious poetry from the 1600s?

-- Compare and contrast "The Day of Doom" with the Book of Revelations.

-- Compare and contrast "The Day of Doom" with current stories about the end of the world.  (Think of movies, TV shows, and novels.)

-- How does Michael Wigglesworth's perspective on religion differ from Edward Taylor (or John Donne. George Herbert, or Robert Herrick)'s?

-- Discuss Wigglesworth's rhyme scheme and imagery.

-- Discuss Rev. Taylor's use of Christian imagery.  How does he depict Holy Communion?

How does he depict his relationship with God?  Or humans' relationship with God?

-- How has language changed since Rev. Taylor's day?

-- Rev. Taylor's poetry was not published during his lifetime.  In fact, he did not allow his descendants to publish it until long after his death.  How do his poems reflect the fact that he was not writing for publication as Wigglesworth was?

-- Compare and contrast Jonathan Edwards' sermon with sermons that you yourself have heard.

-- What does Sinners add to your understanding of Colonial America and the Puritan mindset?

-- What seems to be Rev. Edwards' belief system and view of religion?

-- Compare and contrast Rev. Edwards' sermon with Rev. Taylor's poems or the poems by English clergymen.  Here is a link to one of John Donne's sermons:

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/donne/deaths_duel.i.html

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/11/john-donne-virtual-reality-sermon

-- Discuss differences between public and private writing.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say.  Watch our blog for your midterm prompts and study guides.

Dr. Szlyk