Read the excerpt below from John Donne's prescribed non-African poem "The Good-Morrow":
"I wonder, by my troth, what thou and I
Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then?
But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?
Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers' den?"
Which literary device is primarily sustained through the allusion to the "Seven Sleepers' den" alongside the imagery of infancy ("weaned", "sucked") to characterize the lovers' existence prior to true love?
- A metaphysical conceit contrasting their previous unawakened state of spiritual ignorance with their current enlightened loveAnswer
- BA literal metaphor defining physical sleep in country environments as a permanent state of spiritual death
- CAn oxymoron pairing rustic sensual enjoyment directly with religious martyrdom to expose moral hypocrisy
- DAn assonance emphasizing the musical harmony between childhood innocence and romantic devotion
Answer
A metaphysical conceit contrasting their previous unawakened state of spiritual ignorance with their current enlightened love
In 'The Good-Morrow', John Donne employs a classic metaphysical conceit by drawing together contrasting images—infantile dependency ('weaned', 'sucked') and the legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus—to argue that any life lived prior to discovering true love was merely an unconscious, childish prelude.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Metaphysical conceit and allusion in non-African poetry