The Bait - Poem Analysis - 2773 Words

The Bait - DIDLS Analysis The Bait, a poem written by metaphysical poet, John Donne, during the early seventeenth century, tells the story of a woman whose physical attractiveness and coquettish behaviour prove destructive as they succeed in ruining her chances of finding a pure and meaningful relationship. This poem is recounted from the point of view of a man whom, amongst many other men, has pursued this woman and become emotionally hurt in the process as he finds her actions, in response to his affections, to be heartless and insensitive. Throughout this poem, Donne uses elevated diction, contrasting imagery, influential details, metaphysical conceit, both figurative and seditious language, and elongated sentence structure in order†¦show more content†¦This image also adds to the seductive tone of the poem, for the words â€Å"live bath† contain a sexual connotation, alluding to the river as an area of great fertility. Donne then goes on, within the second line of the third stanza, to convey an important detail, in the form of a metaphysical conceit, comparing other competing women to â€Å"channels†. Within this line, the speaker states that the many fish in the pond which swim towards the lady â€Å"every channel hath.† This detail indicates that the men, or fish, that are in pursuit of the speaker’s mistress, have many other woman at their disposal upon which they might choose to bestow their affections. This detail, therefore, increases the value of the speaker’s mistress, for it indicates that her physical beauty has succeeded in causing men to pursue her instead of her lesser valued competitors. This adds to the foreboding tone of the third stanza, for it shows the reader the danger of the degree of power which possesses the speaker’s mistress over the souls of these men. To complete the shift in tone within the third stanza, Donne uses the last line of the stanza to convey important detail in regards to the consequen ces of the woman’s seductive power over her lovers’ minds. Within this line, the speaker refers the men, or rather fish, as â€Å"Gladder to catch thee, than thou him†. Through this phrase, theShow MoreRelatedThe Unknown Citizen By. Auden1527 Words   |  7 PagesThe Unknown Citizen Analysis The Unknown Citizen, written by W.H. Auden, is a satirical poem declaring the petty accomplishments achieved by an unnamed citizen in a presumably American or industrialized society. Through several readings of the poem, many would not even consider the Unknown Citizen as a poem, but rather, a letter of recommendation or a speech for a political election. The only obvious characteristic of this piece resembling a poem is the rhyming scheme. Other than rhyming, thereRead MoreStylistic Analysis10009 Words   |  41 Pages repetition in poems by D.H. Lawrence and H.W. Longfellow†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..7-12 1.2. Lingvo-stylistic potential of D.H. Lawrence’s â€Å"Don’ts†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.12-14 1.3. The main stylistic-semantic features of H.W. Longfellow’s poem â€Å"The Song of Hiawatha† (Introduction)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...14-18 Chapter 2. Romantic and lyrical figure of Robert Burns†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦18 2.1. General stylistic features of R. Burns’s poem â€Å"My Heart’s in the Read More Lust and the Degeneration of Man Exposed in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 1292244 Words   |  9 Pagesfollowing the traditional convention of idealizing a woman and her attributes, Shakespeare breaks the concordance and focuses on the dehumanizing effect of the woman’s attributes on his character. The general trend in this sonnet is the speaker’s analysis of the mental methods through which he has admired a woman. 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