Meditation 17 Meditation 17 is a contemplation written by John Donne. He is considered the leading metaphysical poet. Born Catholic, Donne aspired in his youth to become a courtier. He was appointed to a higher position in the Anglican Church and became a great preacher. At the age of twelve Donne studied at Oxford, was refused a degree due to his religion, so returned to London to study law. Donne became secretary to Thomas Egerton, lord keeper of the Great Seal. This position was the beginning of his career, but in 1601 Donne married the seventeen-year-old Anne More without her father's consent. Anne's father had Donne imprisoned and dismissed from his position. Donne continued to write poetry in private and prose for the public. He wrote against the Church of Rome and became known as a leading defender of the Church of England. Later his excellent sermons earned him advancement in the Church and he became Dean of St. Paul's. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The opening of "Meditation 17" refers to the practice in Donne's time of ringing church bells to announce the death of a church member. Donne writes about the significance of ringing bells: “As then the ringing bell… invites not only the preacher, but the congregation to come; so this bell calls us all." The tone of this sentence is serious and melancholy. This meditation concerns Donne's contemplation of approaching death. Hearing a church bell signifying a funeral, he observes that every death diminishes the great fabric of humanity. In this world we are all together and we use the suffering of others to learn to live better so as to be better prepared for our death, which is simply a translation into another world which in this case is heaven. The style of this meditation is both metaphysical and contemptuous because it is deep and profound and speaks to the issues of life and how to live it. Meditation 17 is based on several metaphors that develop the theme that everyone is part of a common humanity. Humanity is a book and God is its author. Each person is a chapter in the book. When a person dies, his chapter is transferred to the afterlife. By analyzing this meditation I gained a different way of seeing life because we are so discriminating and judgmental that we forget that we are all the same. When Donne says, “All humanity is of one author and is one volume…” he is telling us that we are all creations of God. All of humanity is interconnected because God created us all. Even when he says that "suffering is a treasure" it makes men grow and mature and makes them acquire wisdom in perceiving the suffering of others. I believe that no one is prepared for death, but when death comes we must be open so that we have no regrets and know that it is not the end because a new chapter begins in the afterlife. I don't have an opinion where I can say death is something beautiful because it's not, death is something hard where people always have a hard time dealing with it. As I read this meditation I felt like I was contemplating it because I could relate to the loss of my brother. When God took my brother it felt like it was the end, it felt like nothing mattered, all I asked was why? Then I thought that maybe if my brother hadn't died I would never know who my real father was. His death made me gain wisdom and made me realize that life is so short and we really need to live it to the fullest, without regrets..