The meter Shakespeare uses is called iambic pentameter, a fancy way of describing what we’ve already noticed. Pentameter means there are five beats, or points of emphasis, on each line. (Pent is the Greek root for five, and meter means beat.) An iamb is a group of two syllables in which the accent is on the second syllable, as in, for example, the word pro-fane. Since each line of the sonnet has five iambs, it’s written in iambic pentameter. œDeath, be not proud Read œDeath, be not proud in your Literature textbook (page 892). The poem œDeath, be not proud was written by John Donne. After reading the poem once, return to this study guide to read an analysis of the poem. œDeath, be not proud is another sonnet by a poet of Shakespeare’s time. Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616, and John Donne lived from 1572 to 1631, so the two men were contemporaries. That is, they lived in the same era. Did you notice that the title of this poem isn’t capitalized as the titles of poems usually are? That’s because the poet didn’t give this poem a title. When untitled poems are published, the editor often assigns the first line of the poem as a title. Other editors simply assign numbers to the poems. œDeath, be not proud is a different example of the sonnet form called the Italian, or Petrarchan, sonnet. As does Shakespeare’s sonnet, œDeath, be not proud has three quatrains (group of four lines) and one concluding couplet (group of two lines). However, the rhyming pattern is different. In the first four lines, the first and fourth lines rhyme, as do the second and third lines. Therefore, the rhyme scheme for the first quatrain is ABBA. The rhyme scheme for the complete sonnet is ABBA ABBA CDDC EE. As you read œDeath, be not proud, notice how each group of four lines expresses a separate thought, or argument. Line 8 might puzzle you. It will help to read lines 7 and 8 as if they’re one thought. Lesson 2 The poem ends with an assertion of Christian faith”that the believer will wake from the short sleep of death to live eternally. This hope is something that Christians believe in, even though they don’t have proof for such a belief. However, Donne shows throughout the poem that death isn’t the ultimate power it thinks it is. Death is the result of men’s choices to go to war or murder. Closing this poem on this assertion underscores Donne’s belief that death isn’t a powerful end but merely a means to a new beginning. œThe Chimney Sweeper Read œThe Chimney Sweeper in your Literature textbook (page 763). William Blake was a visionary poet who also had a strong social conscience. œThe Chimney Sweeper is taken from his series Songs of Innocence. After reading the poem once, return to this study guide to read an analysis of the poem. William Blake lived from 1757 to 1827. At the time he wrote œThe Chimney Sweeper, London had no laws prohibiting child labor. Children could even be bought and sold. Many young boys were put to work cleaning the insides of chimneys. The poem is told from the point of view of a young chimney sweep. The reality of Blake’s time was much grimmer than Dick Van Dyke’s happy-go-lucky portrayal of a chimney sweep’s life in Mary Poppins. Young boys were made to crawl into fireplaces and up chimneys because they were small and their bodies were flexible. It was torturous work. The boys had no choice, were paid little if anything at all, and were always dirty. The poem falls into two parts: first, the story of the narrator and second, the dream of Tom Dacre. Blake wrote œThe Chimney Sweeper to call attention to the social injustice of his time. The dream can also be read as an allegory because it shows not only a happy wish for Tom to remember but also a second meaning of the fate in store for these boys. Also notice the rhyme scheme. Each quatrain uses the same format, which fits the regimented life the boys lead. In addition, the use of assonance with the repeated long sound in the first stanza mimics the mournful tone that fits the subject of the poem.