Batter My Heart Key Analysis

Question 1

‘Batter My Heart’ by John Donne is…

Answer 1

a poem that focuses on the speaker’s intense questioning of their faith.

Question 2

The speaker feels as though his…

Answer 2

soul is in jeopardy due to his inability to renounce evil and so beg God for his help.

Question 3

In traditional metaphysical fashion…

Answer 3

Donne makes use of the Petrarchan sonnet form but employs a romantic Shakespearean rhyming couplet at the end to further emphasise his love for God.

Question 4

The poem is written in…

Answer 4

iambic pentameter which is broken at crucial points throughout the poem to illustrate the persona’s agonising struggle.

Question 5

Through Donne’s use of…

Answer 5

techniques such as paradoxes and imagery, the persona’s crisis in faith as an issue of importance to human experience is explored.

Question 6

At the beginning of the poem…

Answer 6

the persona’s despondence is made clear as they desperately plead with God:

Question 7

Quote 1

Answer 7

“Batter my heart, three-personed God; for you/ As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend”

Question 8

“Batter my heart”

Answer 8

The abrupt and shocking command “Batter my heart” begins the poem by establishing that the speaker is telling God what to do and appealing for violent treatment. This can be compared to a fortress that must be broken into. Donne also uses a trochaic foot to begin the poem with intensity and force; from the outset, the reader is aware of the urgent nature of the persona’s plea and the broken meter makes this command all the more powerful and desperate.

Question 9

“for you”

Answer 9

The apostrophe “for you” is used in the opening line to remind the reader that the speaker’s words are their prayer and despite addressing God directly, an answer is not granted to them.

Question 10

gentle verbs

Answer 10

Donne continues by brining in a series of gentle verbs in the second line, creating a contrast with the violence of “batter”

Question 11

“knock”

Answer 11

Through the word “knock”, the speaker illustrates the action of lightly knocking at someone’s door and therefore reminds us that free will should always be at the forefront of faith.

Question 12

“breathe” and “shine”

Answer 12

The following verbs “breathe” and “shine” create the idea of gently polishing something. This reminds us that the speaker wants God to polish him and make him perfect as well as linking to the holy spirit.

Question 13

“seek to mend”

Answer 13

The idea of healing is depicted through the phrase “seek to mend”. God has been trying to improve the speaker and prevent him from sinning. This serves as a reminder that God is an all-powerful force in contrast with the weakness of the speaker.

Question 14

By accusing God of being…

Answer 14

too gentle with them, the speaker voices their concerns about their faith in an irreverent way.

Question 15

Following on from this, the persona’s…

Answer 15

crisis in faith is intensified as he boldly demands more from God than the persistent and gentle treatment he has received to this point:

Question 16

Quote 2

Answer 16

“That I may rise and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend/ Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new”

Question 17

“That I may rise and stand”

Answer 17

The phrase “That I may rise” indicates that the persona currently feels deflated by the weight of the world and by their agonising personal struggle. They feel they can no longer manage on their own and therefore beg to be helped to “stand”. The speaker longs to be reinvigorated and re-establish their faith.

Question 18

“o’erthrow me”

Answer 18

The speaker’s paradoxical request, “o’erthrow me”, indicates that they realise that God must take full control of their life and act aggressively for them to be transformed. Here it would seem that victory can only come through defeat and full submission from the persona.

Question 19

“break, blow, burn”

Answer 19

This sense of surrender is furthered by the speaker’s use of exact, intensified equivalents of verbs used earlier in the quatrain: “break, blow, burn”. The plosive nature of these words serves to highlight their aggression which makes clear the speaker’s desire for God’s involvement in his salvation to be nothing short of a furious bombardment. A violent image of a blacksmith at his forge is created through “blow, burn” which produces a stark contrast with the Bible depicting God as a potter, moulding us from clay.

Question 20

“make me new”

Answer 20

By mentioning the speaker’s desire to “make me new”, the Christian theology of a christening is established. This emphasises the fact that the persona wishes to have their sins forgiven and be entirely reborn.

Question 21

The speaker is desperate for God’s…

Answer 21

violent intervention as they feel inadequate and in need of healing.

Question 22

As the poem continues, the persona…

Answer 22

makes clear that they are taking action themselves and not merely relying on God:

Question 23

Quote 3

Answer 23

“I, like an usurped town, to another due/ Labour to admit you, but oh, to no end”

Question 24

“usurped town”

Answer 24

The description of the speaker’s faith as a “usurped town” creates the image of a town forcefully besieged and taken over by armed conflict. This creates a political image that seems inappropriate in the context of a man’s relationship with God as he would have been expected to be submissive and respectful.

Question 25

“Labour”

Answer 25

This highlights the speaker’s intensity, as does the breaking of the iambic pentameter within the word “Labour”. The use of a trochaic foot emphasises the effort he has put in himself.

Question 26

“admit you”

Answer 26

The idea of knocking on a door and waiting to be left in is created through “admit you”. This shows that the persona is attempting to acknowledge God’s presence in his life.

Question 27

“to another due”

Answer 27

Through the phrase “to another due”, the idea of being faithful to someone else- the Devil- is evoked. This also refers to the Christian idea that there is evil in all of us yet the speaker feels as though he is losing the battle.

Question 28

“oh”

Answer 28

The emotive sigh, “oh”, stresses that he is worn out and struggling. It is indicative of the wearying attempts he has made to improve himself. He expects sympathy for his endeavours even though he seems ready to give up. This effort and struggle displayed by the speaker to allow God into his life is surprising here as it would instead be expected in a love poem.

Question 29

The speaker is emphasising his effort…

Answer 29

in helping himself reconnect with Christianity but he is struggling and is severely disheartened.

Question 30

Donne begins the sestet…

Answer 30

with a noticeably softer and more gentle tone to establish the affection the persona feels towards God:

Question 31

Quote 4

Answer 31

“Yet dearly I love you and would be loved fain/ But am betrothed unto your enemy:/ Divorce me, untie or break that knot again.”

Question 32

“yet”

Answer 32

The use of “yet” indicates that this is the volta of the poem and the persona presents the unsatisfied yearning of a lover.

Question 33

“dearly I love you”

Answer 33

The odd and somewhat unexpected expression of affection “dearly I love you” seems out of place in a religious poem and would instead be more fitting in a love poem.

Question 34

“would be loved fain”

Answer 34

The phrase “would be loved fain” demonstrates the desperation the persona has to be loved in return

Question 35

“betrothed”

Answer 35

the use of “betrothed” illustrates a deeply personal involvement with the Devil; the persona’s soul is under the control of evil and they are unable to escape on their own. This is likened to a woman forced into marriage against her will.

Question 36

“enemy”

Answer 36

Donne’s use of “enemy” establishes that the persona needs God to help him fight against sin and Satan rather than relying on intellect and morality.

Question 37

“Divorce”

Answer 37

An urgent tone is introduced with “Divorce” suggesting the dissolution of a bad marriage. The persona is commanding here which evidences the desperate need to be rescued.

Question 38

“untie” and “knot”

Answer 38

Through the use of “untie” and “knot” Donne makes a further reference to the strong connection between the persona and evil.

Question 39

The speaker’s struggle to…

Answer 39

escape from sin and evil brings to mind experiences of temptation as he requires God’s help to escape from eternal damnation.

Question 40

Donne concludes the poem…

Answer 40

by enforcing the speaker’s desire for a benevolent entrapment to prevent him from sinning:

Question 41

Quote 5

Answer 41

“Take me to you, imprison me, for I/ Except you enthral me, never shall be free/ Nor ever chaste except you ravish me”

Question 42

“Take me to you”

Answer 42

The pleading yet still commanding phrase “Take me to you” creates the idea of the soul as a lover. These passionate words convey the speaker being romantically involved with God. The use of a trochaic foot places emphasis on “take” further highlighting the speaker’s command.

Question 43

“imprison me”

Answer 43

The speaker is so desperate to stop sinning that he asks God to take away his free will: “imprison me”. This evidences the fact that the persona wants God to detain him instead of the devil and completely offload him from responsibility. The persona remains selfish in his command, expecting God to do all the work and blaming everyone but himself. This is also paradoxical because the speaker can only be free from eternal damnation and receive liberation from sin and temptation. There is no real freedom outside his slavery to God.

Question 44

“enthrall me”

Answer 44

The phrase “enthral me” illustrates the idea of casting a spell over someone and being utterly captivated and mesmerised. Throughout the seventeenth century, this also meant to be enslaved; the speaker wants to be controlled by God.

Question 45

“chaste” and “ravish”

Answer 45

The use of “chaste” evokes ideas of purity and virginity creating a contrast with “ravish” which illustrates the idea of being forcefully taken and has connotations of passion, lustful and violent. The extreme nature of this creates a blasphemous image and creates a sense of shock and Donne compares faith in God with an erotic relationship, highlighting the persona’s distress and agitation.

Question 46

Donne emphasises the need for…

Answer 46

passion in the speaker’s salvation and the barrier to his faith which only God can break.

Question 47

In conclusion…

Answer 47

Donne makes use of techniques such as imagery and paradoxes in ‘Batter My Heart’ to create a speaker who is filled with anguish as he questions his faith.

Question 48

The persona begins by…

Answer 48

aggressively pleading with God to be saved from eternal damnation before emphasising his effort and finally addressing God in a romantic manner. The speaker wishes to have his free will removed for him to stop sinning.

Question 49

The issue of the speaker questioning…

Answer 49

questioning his faith is explored throughout the poem and is effective in causing the reader to question their perception of Christianity and faith in general.

Question 50

Timing: plan of action

Answer 50

Intro - 3 mins
PEAR 1 - 9 mins
PEAR 2 - 8 mins
PEAR 3 - 7 mins
PEAR 4 - 7 mins
PEAR 5 - 8 mins
Concl - 3 mins