“Death Is Not Proud” – Poetic Devices Highlight Humanity's Fear of Death Within the poem “Death Is Not Proud,” John Donne uses the poetic devices of irony and personification to show that humans they are afraid of death. As for irony, the speaker argues that the dead are not dead. Regarding personification, the speaker argues that death dies. Since these expressions do not make sense, they indicate that the speaker (who represents humanity) is afraid of death. Focusing on the poetic devices of irony and personification, this essay illustrates that “Death Be Not Proud” highlights humanity's fear of death. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay By stating that dead people are not really dead, the speaker uses irony and in turn emphasizes that human beings are afraid of death. To this end, the speaker states that "those [whom death] overthrows/do not die" (Donne 3, 4). Here the speaker utters an ironic statement; while referring to the vagaries of death, the speaker states that people do not die. A reader would find it difficult to reconcile these two sets of ideas. To make sense of this phrase, one should examine it for its thematic meaning. This line of thought would make the reader realize that the speaker is so afraid of death that he utters ironic statements. In this way, irony helps highlight humanity's fear of death. The speaker further emphasizes humanity's fear of death by attributing human attributes to death and arguing that death dies. In this regard, the speaker declares that death “will die.” In order to die, an entity would have to have animate qualities. Here the speaker argues that, like humans, Death has the ability to die. This statement implies the application of the poetic device of personification. Since the speaker's utterances make no sense, this personification has a deeper thematic purpose. This purpose involves showing that the speaker is so afraid of death that he cannot think logically. This instability makes the speaker think that death has human qualities and can die. From this analysis, it is clear that personification helps highlight humanity's fear of death. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, “Death Be Not Proud” applies the poetic devices of irony and personification to emphasize that human beings fear death. Using these poetic devices, the speaker utters statements that highlight his fear of death. It would be prudent to investigate what might have caused Donne to focus on death in this poem. In light of this, an investigator would explore whether Donne has lost a close friend or family member.