“The Canonization” is a poem written by John Donne in the early 17th century. The poem explores the theme of love and the speaker’s desire to be recognized as a true lover by his beloved. Using the New Criticism approach, we can analyze the poem’s form, imagery, and tone to understand the deeper meaning behind the words. The title and introduction of the essay are conventional but demonstrate what I am looking for in your own work. You should include a title that describes the contents of your essay. You should also provide a brief overview and summary of the poem. This essay is missing a thesis statement. Here’s what a thesis statement mightlook like: The complex structure, rich imagery, and clever religious metaphors support the speaker’s plea to have his love considered worthy of sainthood.

The form of the poem is that of a sonnet, a traditional form often used to express love and admiration. The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg, which creates a sense of symmetry and balance. This structure reinforces the theme of love as something that is perfect and harmonious. The first paragraph looks at the poem’s form.  However, the generative AI tool has incorrectly identified the poem’s form. “The Canonization” is not a sonnet. It comes from Donne’s 1633 posthumous collection Songs and Sonnets. “The Canonization” employs a structure of five stanzas, each with nine lines. The meter alternates between iambic pentameter, iambic trimeter, and iambic tetramenter. Here are three examples:

• Iambic pentameter: short-long, five feet Fŏr Gōd’s | sǎke hōld | yŏur tōngue, | ǎnd lēt | mĕ lōve, (line 1)
• Iambic tetrameter: short-long, four feet  Ŏr chīde | mŷ pāl | sŷ, ōr | mŷ gōut, (2)
• Iambic trimeter: short long, three feet Sŏ yōu | wĭll lēt | mĕ lōve (9)

Also, the rhyme scheme cannot be abab cdcd efef gg because each stanza is nine lines long. Let’s analyze the rhyme structure of the first stanza:

For God’s sake hold your tongue, and let me love, (A)
Or chide my palsy, or my gout, (B)
My five gray hairs, or ruined fortune flout (B)
With wealth your state, your mind with arts improve (A)
Take you a course, get you a place (C)
Observe his honor, or his grace (C)
Or the king’s real, or his stampèd face (C)
Contemplate; what you will, approve (A)
So you will let me love (A)

The imagery in the poem is rich and varied, with the speaker using a variety of metaphors to express his feelings. He compares love to a “religion” and refers to himself as a “devotee” of his beloved. This comparison emphasizes the intensity and devotion that the speaker feels towards his beloved. Why are “religion” and “devotee” in quotes? These are not words that are used anywhere in the poem. However, the AI is correct about the poem’s central metaphor. A canonization is a formal religious process whereby a person becomes a saint. Donne clearly compares this process to his feelings for his beloved. You would need to define “canonization” to make this point in your paper. Additionally, he also compares his love to the “war” and “martyrdom” which can be interpreted as love has the power to destroy the speaker emotionally and physically. Here, the AI is missing the point entirely. There’s no comparison to a war in this poem. Martyrdom might be implied by line 28: “We can die by it, if not live by love.” You’ll want to use specific examples like this throughout your analysis. There also is no discussion of allusions such as the mythological allusion to a phoenix in line 23. Understanding this allusion makes the point about desire better than the AI’s overly simplistic and poorly supported discussion of war and martyrdom.

The tone of the poem is one of longing and desire. The speaker is yearning to be recognized as a true lover by his beloved. He speaks of the “saints” and “martyrs” of love, suggesting that true love requires sacrifice and devotion. This longing is further reinforced by the use of words such as “worship,” “religion,” and “devotion.” Again, this interpretation is not really supported by evidence from the poem. In your own work, I’d like to see you quote entire lines. The tone of this poem seems more defiant than anything. Both line 1 and line 10 demonstrate the speaker’s defiance and refusal to accept anyone who will deny that his love his holy.

In conclusion, “The Canonization” is a powerful and moving poem that explores the theme of love through the use of rich imagery, structure and tone. By using the New Criticism approach, we can see that the poem expresses the speaker’s intense longing and devotion to his beloved, and his desire to be recognized as a true lover. The use of religious imagery further reinforces this idea and highlights the importance of love in the speaker’s life. I think the last line here is the best. The poem does indeed use religious imagery to reinforce the sanctity of the speaker’s love and highlight its importance in his life. In your own essays, you need an introduction and conclusion, but the phrase “in conclusion” feels a bit robotic here, for lack of a better term.