Name of college : Maharani shree nandkumarba college
Name : Kantariya Riyansi kishorbhai
Year : F.Y B.A
Semester : 1st
Subject : English
Paper Name : Major 2
Date : 28th August 2025
Professor : Shivani mam
Home assignment
The Canonization
- By john Donne
Introduction
"The Canonization" is a poem written by the English metaphysical poet "John Donne". It was first published in 1633 in Donne’s posthumous (after death) collection 'Songs and Sonnets'.
The word “Canonization” means the process of declaring an ordinary person a saint in the Catholic Christian tradition. The title suggests that the poet and his beloved will be remembered as “saints of love.” Their love will be seen as sacred and eternal, admired by people everywhere.
In this poem, the poet asks critics or complainers to stop interfering with his love life. He wants people to leave him and his beloved alone, so they can continue to love each other without disturbance.
About the Poet
John Donne, the poet of The Canonization, was an English poet, scholar, and soldier. He is considered the most important metaphysical poet. Critics highly valued his contribution because he introduced a new style of poetry at a time when most people were simply following traditions.
Donne is often called the originator and father of the "Metaphysical School of Poetry". His poems are famous for their wit, complex ideas, and unusual comparisons. Some of his most well-known works include 'Holy Sonnets', 'A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, Death Be Not Proud', 'The Fled', 'The Sun Rising', 'The Good Morrow', and 'The Canonisation'
Summary of The Canonization
In stanza one, the lover is in an irritated mood. He speaks to the complainer and says that he should stay busy with proper work instead of interfering in the lives of the lover and his beloved. The lover tells the complainer that he can mock his bad health and gray hair, but he cannot criticize his love. He questions the complainer about why he does not improve his own life or earn money instead of disturbing them.
The second stanza has the deeper metaphysical meaning of the poem: “Alas, alas, who’s injured by my love? What merchant’s ships have my sighs drowned?” The lovers are not making wars or spreading diseases. They respect others’ property. The poet says that his love harms no one. His love is harmless, witty, and full of feelings. He says his lover’s beauty does not cause floods or storms. Spring does not disappear because of him. Nature goes on as usual, and their love does not disturb it. His warmth has not increased deaths from plague. His love is harmless.
The lover says that soldiers do their duty by fighting in wars, and lawyers do their duty by fighting cases in court. But his only duty is to love his partner. He does not care if people call him names because love has changed him. He says critics are like flies with very short lives. He believes life is short, just like a candle.
He compares himself to an Eagle and his lover to a Dove. They are different but complete each other. They love each other with all their hearts. According to the lover, their love is like the Phoenix. They are two bodies but one soul. Like the Phoenix, they die and rise again from their ashes.
The poet then says that if they cannot live by love, they can die by it. If their love is not remembered on graves, it will live in poetry. They will find their place in love poems. He says that he and his lover will be canonized by their love. He believes that love does not end with death. If it is true and strong, it continues after death. Even their ashes will remain united if kept together.
In the last stanza of The Canonization, John Donne shows the ideal example of their love. He says that they will be remembered as saints and will receive sainthood of love. He also says that other lovers will follow their pattern of love. People from different countries, towns, and courts will praise their love and try to follow it.
Conclusion
Thus, we can say that 'The Canonization" by John Donne describes a spiritual and elevated kind of love, which later becomes an ideal example for others who aspire to true love.
Class assignment
Analysis
In The Canonization, Donne presents a five-stanza argument to show the purity and power of his love for another. Each stanza begins and ends with the word “love.” The fourth and eighth lines of each stanza also end with a word that rhymes with “Love” (the rhyme pattern is abbacccaa). This connects the whole poem to a central theme.
The title makes the reader expect a poem about saints and holy practices. But the opening lines sound more like words spoken on stage: “For God’s sake hold your tongue.” This seems almost disrespectful compared to the sacred title. By the end of the poem, the reader understands that “canonization” means the poet’s love will become part of the canon of true love. It will be a model by which others judge their own love. Donne uses exaggeration, but it helps the reader see the spiritual and metaphysical meaning in the poem. He presents divine love as the only perfect and realistic model.
In the first stanza, the poet says his critic is mistaken. He asks if the critic has nothing more important to do than attack another’s love. The critic could just as easily mock Donne’s illness or his “five gray hairs.” Instead, the critic should find a job, go to school, or work in a profession, but leave the poet alone. The “king’s stamp’d face” is compared to the critic’s words, and the poet says the critic can focus on the world as long as he lets the poet love in peace.
The second stanza shows a “live and let live” attitude: “who’s injured by my love?” The lovers are not starting wars, fighting in court, harming trade, or spreading disease. They respect other people’s property. Their tears do not harm anyone. Their love is only their own. They risk their chances together, and for the rest of the world they are as small as flies or candles that will quickly burn out.
In the middle of the poem, Donne raises love to a higher level. He compares himself to an eagle and his beloved to a dove. The eagle flies high in the sky, while the dove rises to heaven. He also compares them to the Phoenix, the bird that burns in fire and then comes back to life. This shows that even if their passion destroys them, they will be reborn through their love.
In this rebirth, their relationship becomes a paradox. Two individuals unite to become one. In this way they “prove/Mysterious by this love.” This reflects the Christian idea of marriage, like the union of Jesus and the church. The new union is not male or female but both, “to one neutral thing both sexes fit.” This is like the story in Plato’s Symposium, where humans once had both sexes in one body before being split, each person left to seek their other half.
In the fourth stanza, the poet looks at the lasting impact of his love. His love with his beloved will be remembered in legend. The words “verse” and “chronicle” show that their love will be canonized forever.
Their love is almost like Scripture, which is written in verses and recorded in books called Chronicles. Even if their love is not quite at that level, people will still sing songs and write sonnets to remember their romance.
On one hand, their love is self-contained and perfect, like a “well-wrought urn.” (This phrase became famous later when poet John Keats wrote Ode on a Grecian Urn and critic Cleanth Brooks described each poem as a carefully made urn, complete in itself.) On the other hand, the ashes in this urn symbolize spreading the story of perfect love throughout the world.
In the final stanza, the poet shows his confidence that one day he and his beloved will be justified before the critic. He believes that the world will “invoke” them, just as Catholics pray to saints. In this vision, their love will become legendary and they will gain sainthood. Their love will serve as a model for the whole world: “Countries, towns, courts beg from above / A pattern of your love.” From the lovers’ perspective, the entire world is present as they look into each other’s eyes. This sets the standard of love that others will follow.
Themes
Canonization
Canonization means raising someone to the status of a saint or holy person. In this poem, the poet argues that he and his beloved should also be canonized because of their love. Even if they are not made saints by religion, their love will be canonized in poetry and remembered by future generations.
Love
Another theme is love itself. The Canonization is one of John Donne’s greatest love poems. The love described is platonic and legendary, a kind of pure love that people will remember and admire. Donne says that love has always been a subject for poets, and even if it does not have a place in tombs, it will live forever in verses.
Tombs
A minor theme of the poem is tombs. Traditionally, people built tombs for holy men. As a metaphysical poet, Donne argues that his and his beloved’s love also deserves to be honored in this way.
Essay
What is Literature ?
Literature is the art of using words to express ideas, emotions, and experiences. It includes all the written and spoken works that reflect human thoughts, culture, and imagination. Literature is not only about books; it is about the creative way people use language to share their stories, beliefs, and knowledge.
The word “literature” comes from the Latin word littera, which means “letters.” In simple terms, it means anything written with letters. But in a deeper sense, literature is more than just writing. It is a mirror of life. Through poems, novels, plays, essays, and stories, literature shows us how people think, feel, and live in different times and places.
Literature can be divided into two types: imaginative and informative. Imaginative literature includes poetry, drama, and fiction, where the writer uses creativity and imagination to tell a story or express feelings. Informative literature includes essays, biographies, and histories, where the main aim is to give knowledge or information. Both types are important because one entertains and inspires us, while the other teaches and informs us.
One of the most important qualities of literature is that it speaks to human emotions. A good piece of literature touches the heart and mind of the reader. For example, poetry can express love, sorrow, joy, or hope in just a few lines. Drama shows human struggles and relationships on stage. Novels allow us to experience lives different from our own. Essays give us deep thoughts about society, philosophy, and life.
Literature is also valuable because it preserves culture and history. Ancient stories, epics, and religious texts tell us about the values, traditions, and wisdom of past generations. Modern literature reflects today’s problems, ideas, and changes in society. In this way, literature connects the past, present, and future.
In conclusion, literature is not just words on paper; it is the soul of human expression. It gives knowledge, entertainment, and inspiration. It teaches us to understand life and people better. Literature helps us to see beauty in words, meaning in experiences, and truth in imagination. It is truly a treasure that continues to guide and enrich human life.
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