Batter my Heart

Jessica Gordon
Mr. Coon
15 April 2009
word count: 672

Batter my Heart

Death. Rape. Pain. Brutal Attacks. Prison. These graphic and disturbing images are just a few of many that are found in Donne’s poem, “Batter my Heart.” These images, often hushed in everyday life because of the uncomfortable feelings they evoke, are thoroughly discussed in this poem in an ironic attempt to find spiritual purity, justice, and G-d. Through a harsh tone and a plethora of paradoxical metaphors, Donne explores the measures individuals will take to connect with and be remolded by G-d.


This poem’s graphic word choice and strong metaphors directly reflect the speaker’s violent beliefs on how he will reach spiritual purity. From the first few lines, words such as “batter”, “knock,” and “mend” symbolize the speaker’s intense desire to be helped. As the poem continues, the imagery and wording become harsher as the speaker asks to be imprisoned, divorced, burned, and finally raped. But why would the speaker wish to be imprisoned if he is trying to find freedom? Why does the speaker try to develop a stronger connection with G-d even though he claims he is married to the Devil?” Why does the speaker need to be knocked down to finally rise and stand? And why does the speaker need to be “ravished,” or raped, in order to become pure? These paradoxical metaphors suggest that the speaker can only overcome his immense guilt and sins if he is brutally tortured by G-d.


While this idea appears to be ironic and seemingly counterintuitive, it actually makes much sense. The speaker has clearly exhausted all other options in order to connect with G-d; this brutal and violent attempt is his last chance. Because the speaker is so distraught and desperate to be forgiven, one would assume he has immense sins that he is trying to overcome. The possible guilt and shame associated with these sins drives him to believe that being tortured by G-d to reach renewal is better than not feeling G-d’s presence at all. His cry for help symbolizes his need to do whatever it takes to be fixed by G-d. Which brings up the next question, why would one want to be tortured in order to feel healed? In the speaker’s case, he seemingly wanted “a dose of his own medicine:” if he felt pain and endured hardships, he would prove to himself and to G-d that he was worthy of forgiveness and aid. The speaker tried to make sense of his situation and thus arrived upon the conclusion that his last attempt to reach out to G-d would need to be done through a violent manner.


this poem has such a personal and emotional feel, I believe that the speaker is John Donne himself. This poem was a way for him to channel his own guilt and sins into writing after experiencing many tragedies in his own life. By the time Donne was ten, four of his immediate family members had died. In addition, he faced a prison term in his life and countless other tragedies that took an emotional toll on him. As a result, Donne’s outlook on life is symbolized by his belief that “each man’s death diminishes [him], for he is involved with mankind.” Donne, clearly affected by death, seemingly had much built-up emotion, similar to the speaker and his desperate attempt to have G-d understand and fix him.


Overall John Donne examines a path that is taken when one desperately seeks spiritual purity after experiencing a life full of sins. The harsh imagery symbolizes the speaker’s desperate attempt to find G-d after everything else failed. Through this metaphysical conceit, Donne explores the meaning of guilt, G-d’s power to heal, and how the past can plague the present.