Sample Answers for Leaving Cert. English
Studying the poetry of a man who died in the seventeenth century can initially seem difficult for a modern teenager. However, I believe that John Donne’s poetry remains relevant because the emotions he examines—love, desire, jealousy, guilt and spiritual doubt—are timeless. His skillful use of language and imagery intrigued me from my first reading. Love is undoubtedly one of the most prominent themes in his poetry, particularly human love and divine love. Donne explores these themes through unusual imagery and techniques such as wit, paradox and outrageous argument, all characteristic features of metaphysical poetry. In “The Sunne Rising,” “Go and Catch a Falling Star” and “The Flea,” he presents sharply contrasting views of human love, while in the Holy Sonnets “Batter My Heart” and “At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners,” he explores the passionate and sometimes troubled nature of divine love.
“The Sunne Rising” begins in a surprising manner, with Donne personifying and scolding the sun for disturbing him and his lover. He calls it a “busy old fool” and a “saucy pedantic wretch,” before suggesting that it should go and bother schoolchildren, apprentices, hunters and farmers instead. At first, I was puzzled by this portrayal of the sun as an unwelcome intruder, since sunlight is generally presented positively in poetry. Donne, however, wants nothing from the outside world to interrupt the private world created by the lovers.
At the end of the first stanza, Donne declares that love is not subject to “the rags of time.” Their love transcends hours, days and seasons, introducing an idealistic vision of human love as something beyond the ordinary restrictions of life. In the second stanza, Donne continues his playful argument by claiming that he could eclipse the sun merely by closing his eyes: “I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink, / But that I would not lose her sight so long.” This is my favourite image in the poem. Although he supposedly possesses the power to block out the sun, he refuses to close his eyes because he cannot bear to lose sight of his lover, even for a moment. The exaggerated and unusual image vividly communicates the intensity of his feelings.
Donne then claims that his lover contains all the riches of the world: “She’s all states, and all princes, I.” In his imagination, the bedroom has become the entire universe, while everything outside it appears unimportant. By telling the sun to “shine here to us,” he finally transforms it from an intruder into something that serves the lovers. I found this ending warm and welcoming, as it reminded me of sunlight flooding into a bedroom in the morning. Through his imaginative argument, Donne presents human love as the most valuable force in existence, capable of making two ordinary people feel that they possess the entire world.
“Go and Catch a Falling Star” explores a completely different aspect of human love. Here, Donne’s imagery is unconventional and provocative, and his tone is cynical rather than celebratory. He begins by listing a series of impossible tasks, including catching a falling star, making a mandrake root pregnant and learning to “hear mermaids singing.” These magical images initially mystified me, but their purpose gradually became clear. Donne believes that finding a woman who is both “true and fair” would be as impossible as accomplishing any of these fantastical tasks.
This vision of human love is the opposite of the one presented in “The Sunne Rising.” Rather than being valuable and uplifting, faithful love is treated as something almost imaginary. Donne develops his argument by addressing a traveller whom he challenges to “ride ten thousand days and nights.” Even after witnessing all the wonders of the world, the traveller will supposedly be unable to report the existence of a woman who is both beautiful and loyal. The imaginary journey is highly unusual, but it effectively emphasizes the speaker’s belief that lasting human love is hopeless.
In the final stanza, Donne briefly allows for the possibility that such a woman might exist. However, he refuses to travel to meet her, claiming that she will have been unfaithful “to two, or three” before he arrives. The ending is witty, but also extremely bitter. It seems hypocritical that Donne should condemn women’s supposed infidelity so completely, particularly given his own youthful reputation as a ladies’ man. Nevertheless, the poem offers a thought-provoking contrast to “The Sunne Rising.” It presents a world in which trust has collapsed and a happy, faithful relationship appears impossible.
Donne examines another aspect of human love in “The Flea,” a poem that displays some of his most entertaining, unusual and startling imagery. The speaker uses the extended metaphor of a flea in an attempt to persuade a woman to sleep with him. Since the flea has bitten both of them, he claims that their blood has already been joined within its body: “It sucked me first, and now sucks thee, / And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.” The idea of using a blood-filled insect as an instrument of seduction is both grotesque and ingenious. I was amused by the enormous significance the speaker attaches to something so small and unpleasant.
The speaker’s argument becomes increasingly outrageous. He describes the flea as “our marriage bed, and marriage temple,” suggesting that he and the woman are already united within it. The theme of human love in this poem is therefore very different from the romantic devotion presented in “The Sunne Rising.” The speaker is primarily interested in physical desire, and he uses wit and exaggerated reasoning to overcome the woman’s objections.
The woman then kills the flea, and her finger becomes “purpled” with its blood. By doing so, she silently disproves the speaker’s argument: neither of them has become weaker or suffered any meaningful loss as a result of its death. The flea is reduced from a sacred “marriage temple” to an insignificant insect. However, the speaker immediately twists her victory to suit his own purpose. Since killing the flea caused no harm, he argues that surrendering her honour would cause equally little loss: “Just so much honour, when thou yield’st to me, / Will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee.” His persistence is comical, even if his argument is manipulative. Through the startling image of the flea, Donne presents human love as a contest involving physical desire, persuasion and power.
In “Batter My Heart,” Donne turns from human love to divine love. However, his relationship with God is not presented as calm or comforting. Instead, he addresses God directly and demands that He use greater force to restore his sinful soul: “Batter my heart, three-person’d God.” This violent metaphor suggests that gentle encouragement has not been enough. Donne asks God to “break, blow, burn” him and make him “new.” The harsh imagery shocked me, but it also made his desperation unmistakable. He believes that only God’s intervention can rescue him from his own weakness.
Donne develops this idea through the extended metaphor of a captured town. He compares his soul to an “usurped town” that rightfully belongs to God but has been occupied by an enemy. His reason, which should act as God’s “viceroy” within him, has “proved weak or untrue.” This image reveals the conflict at the centre of Donne’s divine love. He loves God and longs to serve Him, yet he feels unable to free himself from sin. He therefore asks God to overthrow and conquer him.
In the final six lines, Donne introduces the surprising image of himself as a bride engaged to God’s enemy. He begs God to “divorce” him and break the “knot” that binds him to Satan. The language of human relationships is employed to describe a spiritual crisis, linking human and divine love in a particularly unusual way. The poem ends with two powerful paradoxes: Donne can be free only if God imprisons him, and chaste only if God “ravishes” him. These disturbing images communicate the intensity of his faith and his belief that he must surrender completely to God before he can be saved. The poem gave me a striking insight into how personal and emotionally demanding religious faith can be. Donne does not address God formally or from a distance; he argues with Him as someone whose love he desperately needs.
Donne explores divine love again in “At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners,” where he considers death, judgment and repentance. The sonnet begins with the dramatic command: “At the round earth’s imagined corners, blow / Your trumpets, angels.” This image refers to the Book of Revelation and the four angels traditionally associated with the four corners of the earth. The sound of the trumpets and the forceful verbs “blow” and “arise” create an immediate sense of urgency as Donne imagines the Last Judgment beginning.
The poem becomes even darker as Donne lists the many ways in which humanity has died: “war, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies, / Despair, law, chance.” The speed and variety of this list suggest the enormous number of people who will rise from the dead. Donne’s imagery expands from his personal fears to a vision involving the whole history of humanity. He initially appears eager for the end of the world and for every soul to be reunited with its body.
At the beginning of the sestet, however, the poem changes direction. Donne suddenly asks God to delay the resurrection: “But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn a space.” Faced with the reality of divine judgment, he realizes that he is not yet ready to meet God. Instead, he asks to remain “on this lowly ground” and to be taught how to repent. I found this change of mind deeply human. Donne may long for union with God, but he is also aware of his sins and frightened by the possibility of judgment. His request to be taught repentance shows that divine love involves humility and the desire to become worthy of forgiveness. The final reference to Christ’s blood reminds us that God’s love offers the possibility of pardon even to a sinner who feels unprepared.
John Donne possesses an extraordinary ability to write compelling and witty poetry about themes of enormous depth and significance. His startling and unusual imagery is not merely decorative; it allows him to communicate the intensity and complexity of love. In “The Sunne Rising,” human love is so powerful that it transforms a bedroom into the centre of the universe. In “Go and Catch a Falling Star,” faithful love appears impossible, while in “The Flea,” love becomes a humorous and manipulative struggle for physical intimacy. His treatment of divine love is equally varied. “Batter My Heart” presents faith as a violent struggle for spiritual freedom, whereas “At the Round Earth’s Imagined Corners” reveals his fear of judgment and longing for forgiveness. These poems gave me fascinating insights into romantic passion, physical desire and religious faith, while demonstrating that love can inspire hope, bitterness, humour, fear and desperation. It is this emotional range, expressed through Donne’s unforgettable imagery, that makes his poetry remain relevant today.
Paper 1 - Question A
2024 Text 1
(i) What, in your opinion, does the writer reveal about the nature of family relationships in text 1? Make three points, supporting your response with reference to the text. (15)
In this insightful and thought-provoking piece, Fintan O’Toole explores the nature of family relationships through experiences shared with his own family. He offers several important insights, including parents’ desire to influence their children, the way ordinary objects can acquire emotional significance through shared history, and the patterns of memory and inheritance that connect different generations.
One insight O’Toole offers is that parents often wish to retain some degree of influence over their children’s lives. This is suggested by the statement that parents “don’t like the idea of their children getting tattoos.” A tattoo is a permanent and deeply personal choice, so their disapproval may reflect their discomfort at seeing their children make decisions independently. Parents often hope that their children will share their values and follow a similar path through life. However, children’s control over their own bodies reminds parents that their influence is limited. O’Toole therefore reveals that family love can sometimes include a tension between the desire to guide children and the need to accept their independence.
The writer also shows how ordinary things can acquire a deeper meaning when they become connected to family memories. Following his father’s death, O’Toole feels that “something of his spirit migrated into that tattoo.” The tattoo depicts a waxwing and reminds him of his father’s delight in seeing waxwings in flight, as well as the occasion when he collected the body of a pallid swift. Birds had become part of the private history shared by father and son. Consequently, the tattoo is no longer merely an image on O’Toole’s skin; it becomes a memorial to his father and to the joyful experiences they shared. Although his father is gone, encounters with birds allow O’Toole to remember him and continue to feel close to him.
O’Toole also examines the patterns of inheritance found within families. He writes, “If we do this every year, he will lay down a little seam of memory: a trace of his great-grandfather.” The metaphor of a “seam” suggests that memory is gradually deposited within us through repeated experiences. A family inheritance does not consist solely of money, possessions or physical characteristics. It can also include habits, interests, stories and traditions that pass quietly from one generation to another. By repeating the same activity each year, O’Toole hopes to give a younger member of the family some connection to a great-grandfather he may barely remember. In this way, a small part of an ancestor can survive into a future that person will never witness.
O’Toole’s discussion of family relationships impressed me because he discovers profound meaning in apparently simple subjects such as birds, tattoos and repeated family activities. His reflections caused me to consider what I have inherited from my own family. They brought back memories of sitting with my sister on a floral couch while our grandmother taught us to knit, as well as receiving old crochet hooks from my aunt in a crinkled envelope. Like O’Toole’s birds, these ordinary objects and experiences have acquired a significance that comes from the family memories attached to them.