THIS IS DARK TIME MY LOVE DEATH BE NOT PROUD

 The theme of death is used is used the grim
and challenging nature of life during the
period of political turmoil and oppression.
There is the metaphorical deaths of freedom,
justice, and a sense of security.
 The persona comments on the impact on
individuals and communities as he reflects on
the hardship for his country. He considers it
to be dark time
 Alliteration, ‘brown beetles.’ Communicates
the landscape is with soldiers/
personification- the flowers are mourning in
dark times of death and sorrow; death is
personified as a stranger/ oxymoron/
rhetorical question/ repetition/ imagery
 Donne has presented death as a
powerless figure. He denies the
authority of death with logical
reasoning, saying the death
does not kill people. Instead, it
liberates their souls and directs
them to eternal life. He does
not consider it man’s invincible
conqueror. Instead, he calls it a
poor fellow without having free
will. The arrival of death is also
compared with a short rest and
sleep that recuperates a person
for the upcoming journey. The
poet’s denial to the
conventional approach of death

REPETITION gives the reader a new

interpretation.

Stanza 1 &
 The powerlessness of death.
The poem comprises the poet’s
emotions, mocking the position
of death and arguing that death

stanza 2 “This is unworthy of fear or awe.

According to him, death gives
birth to our souls. Therefore, it

is the dark
should not consider itself
mighty, or superior as ‘death’ is
not invincible. The poet also
considers death an immense

time my pleasure similar to sleep and

rest. For him, the drugs can
also provide the same

love,”:
experience. The poem
foreshadows the realistic
presentation of death and also
firmly believes in eternal

The repetition life after death.

of this phrase  Personification: Personificatio

n means to attribute human
features to non-human things.
Donne has personified death
highlights that throughout the poem, stating it
should not be proud. Being
proud is a human quality.

there is Hence, death is given a human

quality of having feelings and
emotions.
 Metaphor: There are

something three metaphors in this poem.

The first is used in the opening
line “Death, be not proud.”

seriously Here death is compared to a

proud man. The second is used
in the ninth line, “Thou art
slave to fate.” In the last line in

amiss. The an extended metaphor where

death is compared to the non-
existent or unrealistic object.

persona is  Alliteration: Alliteration is

the repetition of the
consonant sounds in the same
same

telling his
lines of the poetry such as the
use of /th/ in
“And better than thy stroke;
why swell’st thou then” and /m/

‘love’ that this sound in “Much pleasure; then

from thee much more must
flow.”

is a sad and
 Metonymy: Metonymy is a
type of metaphor in which an
object is used to describe
something closely related to it.

terrible time. In this poem, “poppy” and

“charm” are used to produce
gentle sleep or death.

2.
 Assonance: Assonance is the
repetition of the vowel sounds
in the same line of poetry such
as the sound of /a/ in “Thou art

ALLITERATI slave to fate, chance, kings, and

desperate men,” and the sound
of /e/ in “And soonest our best

ON
men with thee do go.”
 Irony: Irony means a statement
that may mean something
different from, or the opposite
 of, what is written. Irony often

“brown expresses something other than

their literal intention, often in a
humorous. For example:

beetles…
“Death, thou shalt die


shining sun”
these examples
draw the
reader’s’
visual
attention
to the
sentence. The
sentence
implies that
everything that
is good and
positive is
hidden away,
or gone. This
alliteration sets
a sad tone at
the very
beginning of
this
poem.
3.PATHETIC
FALLACY
Pathetic
Fallacy is used
to highlight
the mood or
atmosphere
present in a
poem.
In this poem,
the poet's
image of
flowers
bowing their
heads in
sorrow helps
to
solidify the
sorrowful
mood/atmosph
ere of the
poem.
Flowers are
usually
associated
with feelings
of happiness
and
cheerfulness.
Therefore, if
the flowers –
ambassadors
of joy – are
sad, then it
highlights how
really sad the
times have
become.
REPETITION
Stanza 1 &
stanza 2 “This
is the dark
time my
love,”:
The repetition
of this phrase
highlights that
there is
something
seriously
amiss. The
persona is
telling his
‘love’ that this
is a sad and
terrible time.
2.
ALLITERATI
ON
“brown
beetles…
shining sun”
these examples
draw the
reader’s’
visual
attention
to the
sentence. The
sentence
implies that
everything that
is good and
positive is
hidden away,
or gone. This
alliteration sets
a sad tone at
the very
beginning of
this
poem.
3.PATHETIC
FALLACY
Pathetic
Fallacy is used
to highlight
the mood or
atmosphere
present in a
poem.
In this poem,
the poet's
image of
flowers
bowing their
heads in
sorrow helps
to
solidify the
sorrowful
mood/atmosph
ere of the
poem.
Flowers are
usually
associated
with feelings
of happiness
and
cheerfulness.
Therefore, if
the flowers –
ambassadors
of joy – are
sad, then it
highlights how
really sad the
times have
become.
REPETITION
Stanza 1 &
stanza 2 “This
is the dark
time my
love,”:
The repetition
of this phrase
highlights that
there is
something
seriously
amiss. The
persona is
telling his
‘love’ that this
is a sad and
terrible time.
2.
ALLITERATI
ON
“brown
beetles…
shining sun”
these examples
draw the
reader’s’
visual
attention
to the
sentence. The
sentence
implies that
everything that
is good and
positive is
hidden away,
or gone. This
alliteration sets
a sad tone at
the very
beginning of
this
poem.
3.PATHETIC
FALLACY
Pathetic
Fallacy is used
to highlight
the mood or
atmosphere
present in a
poem.
In this poem,
the poet's
image of
flowers
bowing their
heads in
sorrow helps
to
solidify the
sorrowful
mood/atmosph
ere of the
poem.
Flowers are
usually
associated
with feelings
of happiness
and
cheerfulness.
Therefore, if
the flowers –
ambassadors
of joy – are
sad, then it
highlights how
really sad the
times have
become.
REPETITION
Stanza 1 &
stanza 2 “This
is the dark
time my
love,”:
The repetition
of this phrase
highlights that
there is
something
seriously
amiss. The
persona is
telling his
‘love’ that this
is a sad and
terrible time.
2.
ALLITERATI
ON
“brown
beetles…
shining sun”
these examples
draw the
reader’s’
visual
attention
to the
sentence. The
sentence
implies that
everything that
is good and
positive is
hidden away,
or gone. This
alliteration sets
a sad tone at
the very
beginning of
this
poem.
3.PATHETIC
FALLACY
Pathetic
Fallacy is used
to highlight
the mood or
atmosphere
present in a
poem.
In this poem,
the poet's
image of
flowers
bowing their
heads in
sorrow helps
to
solidify the
sorrowful
mood/atmosph
ere of the
poem.
Flowers are
usually
associated
with feelings
of happiness
and
cheerfulness.
Therefore, if
the flowers –
ambassadors
of joy – are
sad, then it
highlights how
really sad the
times have
become.
REPETITION
Stanza 1 &
stanza 2 “This
is the dark
time my
love,”:
The repetition
of this phrase
highlights that
there is
something
seriously
amiss. The
persona is
telling his
‘love’ that this
is a sad and
terrible time.
2.
ALLITERATI
ON
“brown
beetles…
shining sun”
these examples
draw the
reader’s’
visual
attention
to the
sentence. The
sentence
implies that
everything that
is good and
positive is
hidden away,
or gone. This
alliteration sets
a sad tone at
the very
beginning of
this
poem.
3.PATHETIC
FALLACY
Pathetic
Fallacy is used
to highlight
the mood or
atmosphere
present in a
poem.
In this poem,
the poet's
image of
flowers
bowing their
heads in
sorrow helps
to
solidify the
sorrowful
mood/atmosph
ere of the
poem.
Flowers are
usually
associated
with feelings
of happiness
and
cheerfulness.
Therefore, if
the flowers –
ambassadors
of joy – are
sad, then it
highlights how
really sad the
times have
become.

DULCE ET DECORUM EST THE WOMAN….

Loss and grief for her son who seeks

This statement literally means it is sweet and employment and finds it difficult/
honourable to die for one’s country. The persona/ challenging.
poet clearly does NOT believe this to be the case. The woman faced many challenges and
this is linked to the metaphoric death
The poem focuses on the death of one soldier after of dreams, opportunities and ambition.
being gassed by mustard gas and the traumatic The woman knows that death is
nature of such an event. inevitable for her son based on his
Death portrayed is not noble or heroic but instead lifestyle and even prepares for it.
filled with agony and the harsh realities of warfare. She is already mourning his death.
Death is portrayed as physical and psychological There is the allusion to the death of
suffering/ gruesome/ horrific. jesus.
It highlights the harsh truths on the horrors of war
and the loss of life The woman is confrontational/ angered
and saddened
 Imagery/ descriptive language/
personification/ repetition/simile/ metaphor/  Imagery/ allusion/ simile
personification metaphor/ contrast