The Sun Rising : Literary devices
The Sun Rising is a notable literary work by John Donne. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of The Sun Rising.
Literary devices
Figures of Speech
Personification
Personification means giving human qualities to non-human things.
Example: The speaker personifies the sun and talks to the sun like it is a person. He calls it a “busy old fool.” He scolds the sun for disturbing him and his beloved early in the morning. He tells the sun to “go chide” other people. So, here, the poet treats the sun like a person who can hear, think, and obey. Thus, the Sun is personified.
Hyperbole
Hyperbole means exaggerating something to express deep feelings or to give emphasis.
Example: The speaker says, “She’s all states, and all princes, I.” Here, the speaker is comparing his beloved to all the states (countries), and himself to all the princes (kings). This is a hyperbolic expression. Because the speaker’s beloved cannot be all the countries. The speaker is exaggerating to show how powerful and complete their love feels.
Conceit
A conceit is a strange and far-fetched comparison between two very different things.
Example:
“She’s all states, and all princes, I,
Nothing else is.”
This is a conceit. Here, the speaker is comparing his beloved to all the countries, and himself to all the princes. It proves their love is powerful, and their bedroom is the whole world.
Symbols
The Sun: In the poem, the sun is a symbol of love’s great power. The speaker argues that his love does not depend on the sun, months, days, and hours. In Donne’s time, people believed the sun answered only to God. But the speaker scolds the sun and tells it what to do. By doing this, he shows that his love is more powerful than the sun, time, or even the universe.