ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Answer: According to the speaker, death is merely a halt in life, and people who die are simply waiting to awaken to eternal life. As a result, death should not be proud.

Detailed explanation-2: -In this poem, the speaker affronts an enemy, Death personified. This enemy is one most fear, but in this sonnet, the speaker essentially tells him off. The way the speaker talks to Death reveals that he is not afraid of Death, and does not think that Death should be so sure of himself and so proud.

Detailed explanation-3: -’Death Be Not Proud’ begins with the speaker confronting Death; they claim that Death should not be proud because he isn’t as scary as he appears. The speaker explains that Death doesn’t actually kill people because they live eternally in heaven.

Detailed explanation-4: -The theme, seen throughout Donne’s poetry, is that death is unable to corrupt the eternal soul. In the opening octave, the poet debunks the belief that death is a victor, explaining that it cannot kill him; it can merely rest his weary body and free his soul to heaven.