Reading response: Death, be not proud

I loved the idea of this poem. Often, when the subject is death, the poet seeks to honor or respect it, and in that respect Donne is refreshingly original. I wonder if he wrote this out of pure defiance, or recent loss, or for some other reason. I also wonder if he was religious or not, because the poem can definitely be interpreted that way, especially in the line "... we wake eternally", which can arguably be in support of an afterlife.

I also liked this poem because it is I think it is an example of the power poetry wields. In a short space, with precise verse and careful delivery, Donne conveyed a great and deep idea, without having to resort to probably lengthy description and clarification in prose the same idea would demand. Delivered in this way, the idea is also not only conveyed, but also made memorable, which Burroway addresses as a vice of poetry in this weeks reading. Because of the style and beauty of the poem, the message stays longer and impresses more.

In this way, I also agree that poetry is like a painting. To describe a landscape, an observer can use descriptive prose, and can do so quite effectively, but it is nearly impossible to match the effectiveness of taking a snapshot of it, and this can be done with painting or with poetry; I suppose what I am trying to say is poetry is like a painting which is like a snapshot of a scene or idea or historical event, and there are many things you can analyze about a snapshot that can tell you as much, or more, than lengthy description.