English 12A: Unit 3, Part One
Works of John Donne (pp. 480-493)
Name______Date______
Vocabulary Builder
Using the Prefix con-(p.492)
A. DIRECTIONS: Each of the following sentences includes an italicized word that contains the
prefixcon-, meaning “with” or “together.” Fill in each blank with a phrase that completes thesentence and reveals the meaning of the italicized word. Consult a dictionary if you need tofind out the meaning of a root word.
1. If a group of people is convivial, its members would______.
2. Contemporary art is different from classical art in that it______.
3. A big company can be a conglomerate, which means______.
4. When two people have a connection, they______.
5. Members of a concert band play______.
6. A container is a good place to______.
7. If you are in contact with someone,______.
8. The context of an unfamiliar word______.
Using the Word List (p. 480)
contention covetousness laity piety profanation trepidation
B. DIRECTIONS: Write a word or words from the Word List to complete each sentence.
1. Strong disagreement over the proper role of the congregation caused a problem between the priests and the______.
2. The congregation approved of George’s obvious______when he entered thecathedral because they believed it to be evidence of his______.
3. The guide reminded the tourists to remove their shoes before entering the mosque, explaining
that wearing shoes would be a ______.
4. The child gazed at the toy-shop display with undisguised______.
Grammar and Style: Comparative and
Superlative Adjectives and Adverbs
Adjectives and adverbs have comparative and superlative forms.(p. 493)
- When two things are being compared, we use the comparative form. Most comparatives areformed by adding the suffix -er: bigger, faster, higher. Some comparatives are formed byusing the word more or less: more beautiful, more slowly, less surprising.
- When three or more things are being compared, we use the superlative form. Most superlativesare formed by adding the suffix -est: biggest, fastest, highest. Some superlatives areformed by using the word most or least: most beautiful, most slowly, least surprising.
A. PRACTICE: Identify the italicized adjective or adverb as a comparative or superlative form.
Write comparative or superlative on the line.
1. She played the most melodious song on the dulcimer.______
2. His happiest moments were when he was with her. ______
3. He returned more quickly than he had expected. ______
4. He was several years older than his wife. ______
B. Writing Application: Write the correct form of the adjective or adverb on the line.
1. (easy) Of the two poems, this one is______to understand.
2. (interesting) The idea______in that piece is “No man is anisland.”
3. (loud) Of all the bells in the tower, this one is the______.
4. (sorrowful) This parting made her feel______than the last onedid.
5. (early) Of the four monks, the one who got up______wassupposed to ring the bell.
6. (soon) The______her husband could return would be in fivemonths.
7. (inspiring) Which of these three selections did you find the______?
8. (courageously) Who acts______—the wife or the husband?
9. (difficult) Which do you think is the______stanza in thesepoems?
10. (fluently) Of the three students, Anthony can read aloud______.
Literary Analysis: Metaphysical Poetry
Metaphysical poetry uses conceits and paradoxes as devices to convey the poet’s message.
A metaphysical conceit is an elaborate metaphor comparing very different ideas, images, orobjects. The metaphysical poets used conceits that ranged from elaborate images developed overmany lines to simple images presented in only a line or two.
DIRECTIONS: On the lines following each excerpt, write what is being compared and explain themeaning of the conceit or metaphor expressed.
1. Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
. . .
One short sleep past, we wake eternally . . .
______
______
______
______
______
______
2. If they be two [souls], they are two so
As stiff twin compasses are two;
Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show
To move, but doth, if th’ other do.
______
______
______
______
______
______
Song,by John Donne (pp. 482-483)
Critical Reading Questions
1.What does the speaker say his reason is for leaving? ______
______
______
______
2. To what remark of his beloved might he be responding in this poem? ______
______
______
______
3. What might the argument’s effect on the beloved be? ______
______
______
______
4. Imagine that the speakers beloved is in tears as he is leaving. Why might the speaker have chosen to present his feelings in the form of witty arguments? ______
______
______
______
5. The speaker uses exaggeration to persuade his beloved. Do you think exaggeration is a useful or a valid persuasive tool? Explain. ______
______
______
______
Valediction: A Forbidding Mourning,by John Donne (pp. 484-485)
Critical Reading Questions
1. According to the speaker, how should he and his beloved part? ______
______
______
2. What does he think that this manner of parting shows about their love? ______
______
______
3. Describe two other claims the speaker makes to show how special their love is. ______
______
______
4. The poem compares the lovers to the legs of a compass—she is fixed in place while he moves. What does the comparison indicate about their relationship? ______
______
______
5. The speaker links love with the order and stability of the world. Support this insight with details from the poem. ______
______
______
6. Do you, like the speaker, see love as a union of two souls, or do you think that lovers should be independent? Explain. ______
______
______
Holy Sonnet 10,by John Donne (pp. 486-487)
Critical Reading Questions
1. What “pictures” of death does the speaker mention? ______
______
______
2. What positive lesson about death does the speaker draw from this resemblance?
______
______
______
______
3. In what sense is death a slave (line 9)? ______
______
______
4. How does this point from the question above justify the opening line? ______
______
______
5. What does the statement “Death, thou shalt die” mean? ______
______
______
6. Why might the speaker react to death by challenging its “strength” and “pride”?
______
______
7. Does the speaker sound like a man talking himself out of fear or like one who has triumphed over fear? Explain. ______
______
______
Meditation 17,by John Donne (pp. 488-490)
Critical Reading Questions
1. What event does the tolling bell announce? ______
______
______
2. Why does Donne say the tolling bell applies to him as well as to others? ______
______
______
3. What reason does Donne give for saying, “Any man’s death diminishes me”? ______
______
______
4.What does Donne mean by “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent”? ______
______
______
5.How does the comparison of humanity to a continent support the idea that one death affects all people? ______
______
______
6. In Donne’s metaphor, when does the “treasure” of affliction turn into “current [spendable] money”? ______
______
______
7. Why does Donne find affliction valuable? ______
______
______
8. In what sense does the tolling bell “apply” one person’s affliction to another? ______
______
______
9. Donne says that, once one takes the bell as tolling for oneself, one is “united to God.” In urging people to think about their own deaths, what might he be implying about people’s attachment to worldly things such as money, success and popularity? ______
______
______
10. Does the statement “No man is an island” still apply today? Why or why not? In your response, use at least two of these Essential Question words: theme, unity, individual. [Connecting to the Essential Question: What is the relationship of the writer to tradition?] ____
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
1
Grade 12, Unit 3