The Simularitesof Two Worlds Essay, Research Paper
Stewart 1
The Similarities of Two Worlds
Do we have such poetry in our age, as John Donne and the
Seventeenth-Century Metaphysical Poets? Yes, but we tend to limit
ourselves to the very best works of a very few figures. When poetry is
much more than what chosen artists portray. It is a challenge to look
squarely and see beyond the obvious features of things. Sometimes real
poetry is hidden beneath a rock, such as the work of Earl Simmons also
known as D.M.X. Earl Simmons has an emotional climax of a trip through
the subconscious of young people. By opening himself up in his works,
D.M.X. believes he can save the souls of those he cares about through God.
In an anglican manner, Earl Simmons and John Donne works are similar by
merit, love, and religion. Both artists have used poetry to explore their own
identities, expressing their feelings, and most of all, they have used it to deal
with the personal experiences occurring in their life. The world has changed
a lot since the seventeenth-century but many ideals have stayed the same as
we can see through Donne and Simmons.
In efforts to save man, Donne tries to uncover the foes of man that
may lead to down fall. He explicitly states that the foe of man should fear is
the devil. The second foe that Donne refers to is the love of flesh or
Stewart 2
temporal pleasures. This can be recognized in a verse paragraph from
Satire III. Donne writes,
Know thy foes: the foul Devil, he, whom thou
Strivest to please, for, hate, not, love, would allow
Thee fain, his whole realm to be quit; and as
The world?s all parts wither away and pass,
So the world?s self, thy other loved foe, is
In her decrepit wane, and thou loving this,
Dost love a withered and worn strumpet; last,
Flesh (itself?s death) and joys which flesh can taste,
Thou lovest; and thy fair goodly soul, which doth
Give this flesh power to taste joy, thou dost loathe.
Seek true religion.
From this section of Satire III we can see temporal and metaphysical foes are
Represented.
As Donne, Earl Simmons? work has quality and virtue. Simmons
attempts to warn people of the trickery of the devil in his work entitled
Damien. In Damien the devil uses the speakers love of the flesh and worldy
things to hide his identity. Simmons uses this work as a wake up call for
Stewart 3
those who will hear him. Simmons utilize satire as a key for understanding
in his hook in Damien.
In the fog, the fog
Livin? in the fog
How you gon? see ?em if you livin? in the fog
How you gon? see ?em if you livin? in the fog
The snake, the rat, the cat, the dog. (par.3)
The underlying assumption of Damien is that an individual must gain
understanding of temporal and metaphysical foes in order to find salvation.