问答题
Read the following poem by John Donne, and do according to the requirements(30 points): Death Be Not ProudDeath be not proud, though some have called theeMighty and dreadful, for, thou art not so.For, those, whom thoa think" st thou dost overthrow.Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me;From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,Much pleasure; then from thee, much more must flow.And soonest our best men with thee do go.Rest of their bones, and soul" s delivery.Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell.And poppy, or charms can make us sleep as well.And better than thy stroke; why swell" st thou then?One short sleep past, we wake eternally,And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
问答题
Paraphrase the first 8 lines of the poem with your own plain words(10 points);
【正确答案】正确答案：Don" t be proud, death, for though someone say you are powerful and frightening, the truth is you are not so. The only people you can frighten are the people who are afraid of you. Death, you are so poor because you can not be killed, nor kill me, because to me, death is only rest and sleeping. Numerous pleasure flows out of you, so you have less and less pleasure. You should not be proud for you put the best human into death. Because if such person dies earlier, the earlier his body will have a rest and his soul will release.
【答案解析】解析：(本题考查对诗歌的理解和语言概括能力。在正确理解诗歌的基础上答题即可。)
问答题
Please answer the following questions(10 points):1)What is the poet" s attitude towards death and why do you think he may have such an attitude? Please give the evidence to prove your point.2)What does the line "Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men" imply?
【正确答案】正确答案：1)The poet is not afraid of death and he looks down upon death. "From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be" shows that the poet thinks that death is just rest and sleep. Once people dies, their bodies will have a rest and their soul is released(" Rest of their bones, and soul" s delivery"). In the ninth and tenth line, the poet points that death is incapable and in eleventh and twelfth line, he points further that death has no difference with poppy and charms, so he has nothing to be proud of. 2)Fate, chance, kings, and desperate men have rights to control death, for a man with good fate or chance may escape death when death comes and kings and desperate men may cause death. These will be out of death" s will.
问答题
Please answer the following questions(10 points):1)What are the artistic features of this poem, including the metrical form, the rhyme-scheme, the rhetorical devices, the use of images, the tone. etc. and how do you think these artistic features establish an effective expression of the poetic meaning?2)In what sense does this poem contribute to the sonnet in the 16th and the 17th century?
【正确答案】正确答案：1)This poem employs Petrarchan sonnet basically. The rhyme scheme of Death, Be Not Proud is as follows: ABBA, ABBA, CDDC, EE. The meter varies, although most lines are in iambic pentameter. The poet relies primarily on the personalization, a kind of metaphor, to describe death. Such an extended metaphor is often called a conceit. Thus, death becomes a person whom Donne addresses, using the second-person singular(implied or stated as thou, thee, and thy). Donne also uses alliteration. Donne ends the poem with paradox and irony: Death, thou shalt die. These artistic features, combining the brave and ironic tone of the poem, ereate a strong force to criticize the death in eloquent, quotable language. 2)Firstly, this poem features elaborate conceits and surprising symbols, wrapped up in original, challenging language structures, with learned themes that draw heavily on eccentric chains of reasoning. This kind of poems is called metaphysical poetry, which flourished in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. What" s more, this poem employs Petrarchan sonnet basically. But he broke the rules" of the strict sonnet form. It is certainly an extreme change from the cold indifference of Petrarch" s idyllic mistress, ending the strict sonnet form at that time and bringing a more flexing set.