John Donne’s Sonnet Xiv

In John Donne’s Sonnet XIV, the speaker uses paradox to express his intensity and to strengthen his appeal for God’s help. The speaker pleas desperately for God to use violent force to make him choose right over wrong. He knows what is right but the wrong choice is too appealing to him. The speaker wants God to take the wrong choice away. The paradox is that the speaker wants God to take the choice away but he actually does not want live this way because he keeps choosing the wrong and knows that he is going to continue to do wrong in less he doesn’t have a choice.

The beginning, the speaker says “Batter my heart”. He ask for a violent way to force him to submit to God’s well. Also, the speaker uses a paradox when he says “break, blow, burn”. When something is breaking, being blown over or burning, it is getting destroyed, not being rebuilt. He can not be molded into something holy, he needs to be completely destroyed initially, and then “make [him] new” by doing these tasks.

When the speaker says “Labor to admit You”, he is showing he works hard to do the right thing, living by God’s commandments, however he is unable to live a life free from sin. The speaker knows what is wrong and wants to do right, but the wrong way is too easy and appealing