John Donne: Poems outline and Analysis

John Donne: Poems outline and Analysis


"The Bait"
The speaker asks the item of his fondness to return bear him—presumably to marry him and be his married woman. He then

discusses fish in pools Associate in Nursingd brooks as an indirect means of describing the attract of his beloved. The

watercourse are warm by her eyes, and also the passing fish are drawn to her, simply caught. If she enters the water, the fish

can follow her. whereas others could catch fish in slimed and hurtful ways in which, deceiving the fish, the beloved is her

“own bait,” honestly attracting others to her. The author concludes that any fish which will resist her charms is wiser than

himself.
Analysis
This verse {form|literary composition|literary work} shows Donne’s ability to require the quality pastoral form and apply it to

a conventional non secular trope. Whereas the normal pastoral would concentrate on a shepherd or another land-based soul,

“The Bait” takes as its motif a trained worker. rather than sheep and inexperienced fields, poet describes carbonated water

and fish. The literary work is formed of seven four-line stanzas, every of that follows Associate in Nursing aabb rhyme theme.
Donne characteristically begins the literary work with Associate in Nursing address to his beloved: can she bear him? If she

will, they will “some new pleasures prove” (line 2), suggesting non secular, intellectual, or sexual pleasures. By the tip of the

stanzas, he has modified the subject from sand and brooks to—of all things—fishing hooks.
This transition is therefore uncommon that the reader would possibly quickly see the non secular that means of the conceit:

the beloved is Savior, World Health Organization is that the fisher of men within the Christian Gospels. This affiliation helps

the reader see what's happening within the remainder of the literary work. within the second textual matter, the water are

“Warm'd by thy eyes, quite the sun” (line 5); so, God outshines the sun (in line fourteen his beloved is therefore bright she

darkens the sun and moon both). consequently, each fish are “enamour’d” of her (line 7) and abides together with her.
To take future step, the beloved enters the water and swims with the fish, parallel to Savior coming into the globe and

attracting followers. On the physical level, the fish represent men World Health Organization square measure taken by the

woman’s beauty and therefore go up to her, heedless of the captivity they're going to endure to her charms. Yet, Donne’s non

secular that means is tough to miss once the self-esteem has been unbarred.
Stanzas 5 and 6 compare the beloved’s ability to attract her prey with the difficulties alternative fishermen encounter via

their less excusable ways. they'll “freeze” and “cut their legs” in harsh conditions; worse, they'll act “treacherously” (line 19)

and use deception or cruelty to catch the fish (“strangling snare,” line 20, or the “curious traitors, sleeve-silk flies” used as bait

in line 23). The worldly analog to those false baits is also promiscuous or deceitful girls, World Health Organization cannot win

a man’s love by their own natural beauty and instead act with deception or tactical maneuver. The non secular analog is that

cluster of demagogues or false preachers World Health Organization deceive or create false guarantees so as to realize

followers.
In the final textual matter, the author concludes that the beloved “need’st no such deceit” (line 25). this is often as a result of

the natural goodness that inherently attracts men: “thou thyself art thine own bait” (line 26). Indeed, the author has already

been caught, scrutiny himself to 1 of the fish: “That fish, that's not catch’d thereby,/Alas! is wiser so much than I” (lines 27-

28). he's therefore loving of her that he willnot imagine anyone World Health Organization can escape her charms.
Yet, maybe there very may be a fish therefore wise it's not caught. is that this Associate in Nursing ironic dig at unchristian

philosophers World Health Organization believe they're too wise be drawn to Jesus? Or is that the author in secret hoping that

he may be wise enough to not get caught? One can be drawn to seem deeply into Donne’s life to undertake to uncover the

degree to that he genuinely determined to be a Christian divine versus succumbing to the pressure of his times.
Either way, as a metaphysical author, poet succeeds here in making a love literary work that doesn't deem passion or visible

sensualness to convey its purpose. He goes the alternative direction, speaking of slimed fish, ultimately act the purity of one’s

love for his beloved and, by extension, for God.

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