What is the meaning of the poem Batter my heart?

It literally means to “let in,” as if God can be let in to the speaker’s soul. Instead, the speaker begs God to force his way into the speaker’s soul. That’s why the poem begins, “Batter my heart.” It’s as if the speaker’s heart is a fortress, and God must invade that fortress.

What is the meaning of Batter my heart three Personed God?

The speaker asks the “three-personed God” to “batter” his heart, for as yet God only knocks politely, breathes, shines, and seeks to mend. The speaker says that to rise and stand, he needs God to overthrow him and bend his force to break, blow, and burn him, and to make him new.

What is the mood of Batter my heart?

However there is considerable variation of tone: it is not all strident. 1.6 has more a tone of longing; 1.9 is much softer, a declaration of love. The drama is never rant. There is a curious tension between importunity and reverence.

Is Batter my heart a Holy Sonnet?

‘Batter my Heart,’ also known as ‘Holy Sonnet 14,’ is one of Donne’s best religious poems. It is directed at God and asks him to take hold of the speaker. Holy Sonnets focus on religious matters, and, particularly, on themes such as mortality, divine love, and divine judgment.

What is the tone of Batter my heart?

Although the poem’s solemn tone captures Donne’s sorrow, it also expresses his faith and trust in God. The poet centers on his dire situation along with the hope he seeks from God. In this poem, Donne uses religious themes, unique poetic devices, and creative imagery to touch and enlighten the reader’s heart.

Is Batter my heart an English or Italian sonnet?

“Batter my heart, three-personed God” is a sonnet, a short lyric poem of fourteen lines. John Donne combines both forms in his Holy Sonnet sequence; his octave uses the abbaabba rhyme scheme of the Italian sonnet, while his sestet rhymes cdcdee, the rhyme scheme of the English sonnet.

How does the poet wants to purify himself in the poem Batter my heart?

He urges God to ravish his body and make him chaste. The poet prays to God in his threefold capacity as the father, the son, and the Holy Ghost to batter his heart and reshape it. God has knocked at him, blown his breath through his bellows and lighted the fire of his love and mercy to purify him and reshape him.

Is Batter my heart a love poem?

This poem is part of a series of nineteen poems, which are most commonly referred as Divine Meditations, Divine Sonnets, or Holy Sonnets. ‘Batter my Heart’ was published two years after Donne’s death. The main themes of the poem are love, religion, and violence.

Did John Donne write “Batter my Heart”?

Critics feel fairly certain that one group of John Donne’s Holy Sonnets was published in 1633, a collection that included “Batter My Heart,” sometimes listed as “Batter My Heart, Three Person’d God.”

What is the opening line of John Donne’s battery my Heart?

‘Batter my heart, three-person’d God’: a typically blunt and direct opening for a John Donne poem, from a poet who is renowned for his bluff, attention-grabbing opening lines.

What does “Batter my Heart three person’D God” mean?

From the opening line, “Batter my heart, three person’d God,” the reader understands the speaker does not seek a Christian God who is gentle or compassionate.

How many words are in “Batter my Heart Three-Person’d God (Holy Sonnet 14)?

Unlock all 245 words of this analysis of Polyptoton in “Batter My Heart, Three-Person’d God (Holy Sonnet 14),” and get the poetic device analyses for every poem we cover. Plus so much more… Already a LitCharts A + member? Sign in! See where this poetic device appears in the poem.