Batter My Heart by John Donne | Analysis

Here, Studienet provides perfect help for analysing the sonnet "Batter My Heart" by John Donne. In this study guide, we deal with all relevant elements to include in an analysis of the poem: structure, speaker, rhyme and rhythm, language, style, and much more - we also help you relate the poem to other works of fiction. You can read the poem in the textbook Fields of Vision 1 (p. D1).

Presentation of the poem

Title: “Batter My Heart”
Author: John Donne
Date of Publication: 1633
Genre: Poetry

John Donne (1573-1631) is considered one of the greatest English poets. His life was divided between poetry and being a Catholic cleric. “Batter My Heart” is grouped with eighteen other sonnets known as the Holy Sonnets or Divine Meditations and fall within the genre of metaphysical poetry.

Extract

Below, we provide you with a small excerpt from the study guide:

Summary

The speaker appeals to the Holy Trinity asking God to attack his heart as an army would besiege a town. He wants God not to be gentle, but take over him aggressively with force and make him a new person. The speaker wants to dedicate himself to God, but reason and an enemy (perhaps the Devil or the temptations of sin) prevent him from fully accepting God. This is why he wants God to deliver him from the connection with this enemy by imprisoning him, and making him God’s slave in a state of rapture.