Poetry Response 4: "Death, be not proud" by John Donne

Death should not be proud of himself even though many see him as so because he seems almighty and fearful.  But he is not everything that people say he is and the people who do think of him as weak, he kills.  Death is pitiful because I'm not going to die yet and death can not die either.  Only in sleep can death find pleasure because that is where he can meet with his victims and then take their lives.  Not only does death take their life, their bones and soul go as well.  But Death is a victim as well.  He is a slave to fate and chance because those events many bring Death closer.  Kings and desperate men bring death as well and death is forced to do his job.  Poison, war, and sickness all bring death.   Poppy and charms are better than letting Death take my life.  But once death takes my life, we become immortal.  Then death will die and be no more.  Meaning when human kind dies off, death will then be released from his duty and finally be able to die himself.  So death can’t be proud of himself because of his job.  He shouldn’t be feared because he is only doing what he is appointed to do.  Death, although he is not completely a person, he needs to rest as well.  Death has no choice and he is controlled by humankind, but humankind sees him as the powerful one.  The title, “Death, be not proud,” makes the poem seem like a letter to death letting him know that the narrator realizes what he goes through and declaring that he should not be proud of his job.  Make death realize what his job means and that in actuality he is pitiful.