Saturday, January 26, 2013

"The Apparition"- Tone and Irony

"The Apparition"
by John Donne


Irony is present when the speaker says, "my love is spent” yet is still angry at the women and her new lover, even criticizing her new lover and pointing out his inadequacies.  Thou call'st for more, And in false sleep will from thee shrink” (Donne, 889).  The speaker is saying that the new lover is too tired for her and doesn’t listen to her.  If the speaker is criticizing the new boyfriend and still talking about this woman, he obviously has some sort of feelings for her.  Also, he is kind of rubbing it in the girl's face that she scorned him, a good man, and now is stuck with someone not nearly as good.

Also, the tone of the poem goes through a change.  The speaker starts at as angry and cursing, but then turns more snubbing and reflective.  He was upset and hurt that the women scored him and was cold to him, but later he sort of feels like he gets even because she is with a lesser man and she has to live with her bad choice.  He doesn't want to help her get away from this man or other men, he "had rather thou shouldst painfully repent" (Donne, 890).  Its almost his way of punishing her for scorning him, and it seems to make him (the speaker) feel better as well.

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