Holy Sonnet 11 - "Spit in my face you Jews"

Question 1

Overview:

Answer 1

Donne uses the metaphysical conceit of imagining himself on the cross, being crucified as Jesus in a desperate desire to be cleansed from sin. Following the volta of the poem, the tone turns from a desperate need of salvation to questioning God’s benevolence.

Question 2

Masochistic pleas:

Answer 2

• “Spit in my face you Jews, and pierce my side”.
• Empatic imperative.
• Sibilance, reflecting the notion of spitting.
• The masochistic pleas continue in “scoff and scourge”
• These are catholic notions of punishment.

Question 3

Volta in the poem:

Answer 3

• Moves from the hyperbolic need for a catholic redemption to the humility of protestantism.
• “O let me then his strange love still admire”
• Volta asks for permission to be close to god.

Question 4

“God clothed himself in vile mans flesh”

Answer 4

• Biblical allusion to the book of Genesis - God took on human form in order to suffer the pains of mortal men.

“Yet I crucify him daily” - plays on the notion that Jesus was crucified for the sins of humanity.

Question 5

Form:

Answer 5

• Typical rhyme scheme.
• Final couplet is in iambic pentameter - emphasises the sacrifices involved in Gods action and returns to the opening image of the crucifixion.

Question 6

Context:

Answer 6

• A form of Ignatian contemplation - speaker is imagining themselves in a scene from scripture. Allows for a deeply religious experience.