An interpretation of 'A Lecture upon the Shadow' (John Donne)

Essay from the year 2001 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0 (A), University of Hamburg (FB Anglistics), course: Seminar 1b: The Language of Poetry and Advertising, 0 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: One of the most significant characteristics of the so-called 'metaphysical poets' was the usage of metaphorical language. The metaphors contained in their works were that striking that some people adored them for the usage of such a language while others disliked them for the same reason. The theory which stands behind metaphors is that complex that it would go beyond the scope of this essay to explain it in great detail. Nevertheless I want to stress one aspect of it which will enable me to interpret the following poem: Metaphors draw connections between different semantic fields and thus cause interactions which very often lead to a better understanding. Interpreting the poem 'A Lecture upon the Shadow' by John Donne I am going to work with this thesis and thereby explain it.