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"Mark In This": Strategies Of Persuasion And Argument In John Donne's Poetry, Nazreen Laffir

Honors College Theses

Whether he is writing an erotic lyric, a mutual love poem or a holy sonnet, John Donne's poems employ a similar argumentative structure. Although "The Flea", an erotic lyric, "The Canonization", a mutual love poem, and "Batter My Heart", a holy sonnet portray different types of love, Donne's argumentative structure in these poems is similar to each other. In "The Flea", "The Canonization" and "Batter My Heart", Donne's speakers present a claim or command which they defend throughout the rest of the poem. The speakers use persuasive strategies to defend and validate their assertion. As the poems conclude, the speakers …