The Simularitesof Two Worlds Essay, Research Paper

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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

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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

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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.