John Donnes A Valediction of my Name, In the Window Essay -- Valedict

conjuration Donnes A Valediction of my Name, In the window My name engraved herein/Doth contribute its result to this glass (1-2). It is a piffling but delicately considered act - a man carefully etches his name into a window, hoping to husband his identity for future generations. Immediately, sensory details flow into my mind at the thought of such a momentous event. The precise scratch of the tool, the sm all in all flakes of glass that chip away, the beams of sunlight backlighting my own name in flagrant pinpoints of sharp white light - all ignite a intuitive feeling in the depths of my consciousness. By basing A Valediction of my Name, In the Window around the instinct for self-preservation, John Donne forces me to immediately sympathize with the struggle for remembrance. undecomposed as my interpretation of the poem shifts outward from a simple sensible act to a battle for posterity that has consumed humanity through all generations, Donnes description of this single-man struggle quickly moves from the physical to the metaphysical- he believes that he contributes his firmness (2) to the glass by scrawling his name, hopes that his lovers eye will see a twinkling from her beloveds name more impressive and stunning than the myriad reflections of precious stones, and suggests that in the carving you see me, and I am you (12). Now once once more I must force myself to take a leap of doctrine off the precipice of poetical interpretation, by accepting that one can fancy deeper importee in the carefully scratched letters of a name in a window. Or, is it the instinct for preservation that Donne holds to be a pool of deeper meaning? After two stanzas, the authors well-formed conceit has already wrestled my mind into conf... ... living in the process. In only 66 lines, Donne uses his masterful command of the English language to create a superb poetical representation of his personalised beliefs about love. WORKS CITED Don ne. Hertford College Alumni Association. 1 Jan. 1999. 9 Dec. 2001. http//www.hertford.ox.ac.uk/alumni/donne.htm Donne, John. A Valediction of my Name, In the Window. Poems of John Donne - Vol I. Ed. E.K. Chambers. London Lawrence & Bullen, 1896. 25-28. The Luminarium. 4 Dec. 2001. http//www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/valname.htm John Donne - Biography and Works. The Literature Network. 1 Jan. 2000. 9 Dec. 2001. http//www.online-literature.com/donne/ The Life of John Donne (1572-1631). The Luminarium. 22 Oct. 2001. 9 Dec. 2001. http//www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/donnebio.htm