Kakatiya University Warangal
III year. Sem 6 Poetry
For Whom the Bell Tolls
John Donne
No man is an island,
entire of itself.
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
As well as if a promontory were,
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were.
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore, never send to know
for whom the bell tolls.
It tolls for thee.
Glossary
Continent= (in this context) the mainland
Clod= a lump of the earth
Questions:- 1.Explain what Donne by 'No man is an island".
2."Every funeral bell, therefore tolls for thee"- addresses the imaginary question of a man in John Donne's poem " For whom the Bell Tolls ".
About the Poet
John Donne was born in 1572 to Roman Catholic parents in England. He is known as the metaphysical poet. His popular poems are A Nocturnal Upon St. Lucy’s Day, The Canonization, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning and The Flea.
About the Poem
The poem is a fourteen-line sonnet. John Donne addresses the theme of death and the interconnectedness of humans in this poem. The poet stresses the importance of connectedness and brotherhood among human beings. The poem beautifully captures the interconnectedness of humanity. In this short yet profound piece, Donne asserts that no individual exists in isolation; rather, each person is intricately linked to the collective whole.
An island in metaphor stands for selfishness and loneliness. Declaring that “no man is an island,” Donne exhorts us to overcome isolation and acknowledge our interdependence with the larger world.
The poet compares man to the continent in the beginning lines. He says that no man is an island. Every man is a part of this land. A man cannot live in isolation. When a clod or lump of earth is washed away by the sea, it affects the entire continent. So, in the same manner, any man's death is a loss to the poet, as he is part of the whole of mankind. The ringing of the funeral bell is a symbol of death. The bell tolling in the church signals the loss of a person in the area.
And therefore, never send to know.
for whom the bell tolls.
It tolls for thee.
The poet suggests not trying to know for whom the bell tolls because it also rings for you. Every person's death diminishes you in some way. Donne basically reminds us to accept our common humanity and that when one person suffers or dies, it impacts all of us. Let us thus acknowledge our interdependence and rejoice in our part as essential components of the enormous human continent.
Annotations
No man is an island,
entire of itself.
Reference:- These lines are extracted from the poem "For whom the bell tolls" written by John Donne.
John Donne was born in 1572 to Roman Catholic parents in England. He is known as the metaphysical poet. His popular poems are A Nocturnal Upon St. Lucy’s Day, The Canonization, A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning and The Flea.
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