John Donne wrote some intensely inspirational sonnets that point to the passion and agony of his spiritual journey. In Sonnet 14, I noticed something that I wasn't exactly sure how to interpret. The first four lines read like this...
"Batter my heart, three-personed God; for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new."
There is an interesting pattern of synonyms that are intensified between lines 2 and 4. "Knock" changes to "break", "breathe" to "blow", etc. Donne seems to be caught up in an internal paradox, a constant battle with himself. He wants to turn and change his ways in a gradual way, but doesn't think he can. He wants to be gently guided and encouraged, but knows he won't change "except you ravish me" (l. 14). He knows his spirit has to be annihilated in order to truly be transformed, but the fearful part of him doesn't want this. The intensification showed in these two lines seem to point toward that journey of realization. He almost seems to be blaming God for being too gentle.
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