John Donne

Donne's Holy Sonnet "Death Be Not Proud" reflects his religious beliefs. Donne grew up in a Catholic home but because of this he was denied a degree at the schools he went to and could not attain a well paying job. It was for these reasons he probably joined the English Church. No matter which church he truly felt connected to it is reasonable to believe through his poem that he felt sure there was a Heaven and that he would be going there. His poem suggests that there is no need to fear death - a common though amongst Christians. If you know there is eternal life in Heaven there is no reason to fear dying. The first lines of this poem are among the most remembered out of the collection of Holy Sonnets. Donne speaks to death telling it not to be proud because it's really not as scary as everyone thinks. He compares death to taking a nap and says that such a nap can simply come from taking drugs. Once a person awakes from this sleep, he says, death will die. Donne's poem is obviously a sonnet and has a mixed up rhyme scheme. It begins with the usual ABBA pattern but ends without it.