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VCE English: John Donne’s Poetry 6 978 1 4586 5352 9 WHAT DOES ‘CLIME’ MEAN? The line reads: ‘Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime ’. The meaning of ‘season’ is clear enough. ‘Clime’ can refer to ‘climatic conditions’, or—more broadly—to regions as parts of the earth. The line can be paraphrased: Love remains the same, regardless of the place, the season, the conditions. POETIC FEATURES Because this is poetry, as we read we will also be noting other aspects of the poem. RHYME SCHEME, METRE AND LITERARY TECHNIQUES Annotate the poem again to highlight or mark out other key features like the rhyme scheme, metre and use of techniques such as alliteration. ‘Busy old fool, unruly Sun, Why dost thou thus, Through windows and through curtains call on us? Must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run? Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide Late schoolboys and sour prentices, Go tell court-huntsmen that the King will ride, Call country ants to harvest offices; Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime, Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.’ When we pay close attention to the rhythmic structure of this stanza, a number of things stand out. Much of the poem follows the rhythm of the iambic pentameter—one of the most common poetic rhythms in English poetry. The opening lines could be thought of as a single line: ‘Busy old fool, unruly Sun, / Why dost thou thus,’ in which ‘Busy ’ can be treated as a single syllable: ‘Busy old fool, unruly Sun, Why dost thou thus,’ This six-beat line begins with a trochee; that is, it begins with a stressed syllable but then becomes an iambic pattern, with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The next two lines are in the familiar iambic pentameter rhythm: ‘Through windows and through curtains call on us? Five beats—iambic pentameter Must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run? Five beats—iambic pentameter Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide Four beats Late schoolboys and sour prentices, Four beats A Sun B thus B us A run C chide D prentices C ride D offices E clime E time Studying poetry 978 1 4586 5352 9 7 Go tell court-huntsmen that the King will ride, Five beats—iambic pentameter Call country ants to harvest off-ic-es; Five beats—iambic pentameter Love, all alike, no season knows, nor clime, Five beats—iambic pentameter Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.’ Five beats—iambic pentameter In terms of its rhythm, this poem is quite complex as Donne utilises several rhythmic patterns. It’s interesting to note that the disruptions to regular rhythm occur when the persona is rebuking the sun—it is unlikely this is an accident! Donne is drawing our attention to and emphasising the rebuke. Be sure to question any inconsistencies like this that you note and question their meaning and what effect they have. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOHN DONNE Developing some knowledge of Donne’s life and the events that shaped him will certainly add to our ability to interpret and understand his poetry. It will also help if we develop some understanding of the social and cultural context in which Donne lived. John Donne was born in 1572 and died in 1631, at the age of 59. The average life expectancy for people born in England during the 16th and 17th centuries was around 42. Life was very tough, especially for the poor. Less than 20% of men could sign their own name. Schooling was available only for boys, and then only for boys from wealthy families. Donne was born to a wealthy Catholic family, was educated at Hart Hall, and in 1584 enrolled at Cambridge University. In 1592 he studied law at Lincoln’s Inn. The 16th century was a time of great disruption in the Catholic Church. The German Martin Luther sparked what came to be known as the Protestant Reformation. Luther and others began by trying to reform the Church but, when this failed, they led a schismfrom the Church. Their primary motivations were theological, although they were also discontented with what they saw as the corruption that was then rife in the Church. The excesses of the Spanish Inquisition was one example of this corruption. As a result, large segments of the Catholic Church split off to form new churches in protest against the Church: hence the title ‘Protestant’. At that time (and still today to some degree) divorce was forbidden by the Catholic Church. Marriage was regarded as a Holy Sacrament that involved an oath not simply between two people, but also between those people, God and His Church. Henry VIII changed wives more often than people today change mobile phones. His dissatisfaction with most of his wives stemmed from their failure to bear male children. When the Pope refused to grant Henry a divorce from his first wife, he decided to create the Church of England. In the century that followed—Donne’s lifetime—there were bitter divisions in England between the Catholic majority and the Protestant minority, and Catholics who opposed or plotted against Elizabeth I were imprisoned or executed. VCE English: Medea 28 978 1 4586 5358 1 MODEL ESSAY 1 DECONSTRUCT THE QUESTION ‘Medea is a study of injustice, betrayal and revenge.’ Discuss. To answer this question you will need to set the parameters for your argument with a definition of the word ‘study’. Consider what the purpose of a ‘study’ actually is, and in what sense this applies to Medea. While ‘discuss’ is the topic verb, this topic asks for more: it requires you to evaluate how true the statement is. Your answer will fall within a continuum from completely agreeing to completely disagreeing, or somewhere in between. Your thesis will need to provide evidence for or against two propositions: 1. that Medea is a study 2. that the three themes identified are the central concerns. This statement identifies three themes in Medea. Your answer will need to evaluate the extent to which you agree that they are the central themes, or whether the text explores other more important themes. Model essay 1 978 1 4586 5358 1 29 1. As observed in the notes on deconstructing the question, this prompt has two elements: whether Medea is a study, and whether the three themes identified are the central concerns. In your own words, note the student’s response to each of these concepts. This forms the student’s thesis. GETTING STARTED Make sure you have read the ‘Planning a response’ section on p. 14. Now that you’re ready to start, you might find it helpful to ask yourself these questions: • Is it helpful to think of Medea as a ‘study’? Works of literature explore aspects of human nature, but is that ‘exploration a ‘study’? • Does Medea explore the themes of ‘injustice, betrayal and revenge’ ? • Which characters and scenes in the play throw light upon these three themes? • Does Medea examine other major themes or issues? • What evidence will you draw on to support your main contention in response to this topic? Let’s see how the model essay tackles this topic. As you read, make notes or highlight/underline elements of the model essay that exemplify strong writing techniques. The questions alongside the essay should get you thinking about how the essay addresses the topic and how well it meets the requirements of the rubric. MARK IT! ‘Medea is a study of injustice, betrayal and revenge.’ Discuss. The Greek tragedy Medea by Euripides is a rich and complex exploration of many aspects of the human condition. It closely observes the intricacies of human nature, including our capacity for revenge and betrayal, and the effects of injustice, but also delves into other important issues concerning human behaviour and interaction. To describe the play as a ‘study’ is misleading. When psychologists undertake ‘studies’ of human behaviour, their goal is to observe, measure and perhaps draw definitive conclusions about that behaviour. The definition of a study is to acquire knowledge and understanding of a subject. That is not the business of literature, and Medea is not limited to a particular subject. The role of literature is to explore the breadth of human experience—human life and the human spirit in all of its conditions. The role The resources feature: Make Your Mark is a brand-new series of revision resources geared to helping students as they prepare for their VCE in English. The exercises and advice will help students get to grips with what the examiners are looking for and, most importantly, how to really make their mark when it comes to the exam. 978 1 4586 5346 8 978 1 4586 5343 7 978 1 4586 5352 9 978 1 4586 5349 9 978 1 4586 5358 1 978 1 4586 5355 0 Unlock the Secrets to Exam Success • annotated model essays • advice on what to expect in the exam and practical preparation strategies • guidance on deconstructing an exam question. Author: Barry Carozzi Series Consultant: Anne Mitchell $17.95 each
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