Plog #2-Song

Song by John Donne

Sweetest love, I do not go,For weariness of thee,Nor in hope the world can showA fitter love for me;But since that IMust die at last, 'tis bestTo use myself in jestThus by feign'd deaths to die.Yesternight the sun went hence,And yet is here today;He hath no desire nor sense,Nor half so short a way:Then fear not me,But believe that I shall makeSpeedier journeys, since I takeMore wings and spurs than he.O how feeble is man's power,That if good fortune fall,Cannot add another hour,Nor a lost hour recall!But come bad chance,And we join to'it our strength,And we teach it art and length,Itself o'er us to'advance.When thou sigh'st, thou sigh'st not wind,But sigh'st my soul away;When thou weep'st, unkindly kind,My life's blood doth decay.It cannot beThat thou lov'st me, as thou say'st,If in thine my life thou waste,That art the best of me.Let not thy divining heartForethink me any ill;Destiny may take thy part,And may thy fears fulfil;But think that weAre but turn'd aside to sleep;They who one another keepAlive, ne'er parted be.

Alright, so let's see my "Plog":

- In the poem "Song" by John donne, he uses a combination on various literary techniques to emphasize the idea that women are untrue. He uses the rhyme scheme "ABABCCDDD" to give the poem the satirical sense it has. The diction he uses also reflects the speaker's ambiguoug wording, which highlights the condescending tone of the whole poem.
- When Donne uses the rhyme scheme "ABABCCDDD" he does this to mock love songs by making the poem have a singy-songey flow to it. By doing this he highlights the speaker's negative beliefs regarding women. He makes the poem have a lovely flow, however, it is not stating anything lovely at all. At the beginnings of several lines, Donne uses demanding terms that make the lines sarcastic, by saying things like "Go, and catch a faling star" and "teach me to hear mermaids singing". This shows how he carries on a condescending tone, due to the fact that the speaker does not want the reader to in fact do these things, but to emphasize that just like it is impossible to do these things, it is impossible to find a truthful and faithful woman.
- Donne chooses to use diction to highlight the ambiguous nature of women, in how they might be beautiful, yet they actually are unfaithful and untruthful. When the speaker says "Or who cleft the devil's foot", cleft can mean to hurt, be in allegiance with, or split; which are completely different things that can throw the poem in different directions. He also says "And last, til you write your letter", last in this case can mean endure, or "latest". The letter referred to can also stand for a love letter or will.
- Overall, all the literary techniques mentioned contribute to the overlying condescending tone and theme that women are not to be trusted by men. The impossible demands and hyperbole of how long it will take to find a true woman, if there even were one, "Ride ten thousand days and nights, till age show white hairs on thee" all emphasize the overlying theme and purpose of the poem, which is for the speaker to persuade men that women cannot be trusted.