TITLE: The Computation
AUTHOR: John Donne
STYLE: Comparative poet
Speaker: an immortal person
Occasion: past life (after life)
Audience: either those living (mortal) or in the case of this poem those who are dead (immortal)
Purpose: to explore the possibilities of life after death and the effects left on those who continue to live
Subject: life after death
TONE: reflective, curious
In the Computation by John Donne, he uses age to explore whether or not life exists after death. He begins at the age of twenty and proceeds to evaluate both his mortal and immortal life only later to question whether or not even after living after death, can one die. He uses end rhyme which helps the poem flow smoothly; throughout not only this poem but his other two poems given he uses semicolons and commas quite often. Semicolons serve to inform that the thought continues even after a thought; it helps connect two similar ideas or sentences. When reading the poem, it comes off a bit sarcastic but that adds to the meaning of the poem especially when it may be a serious matter that the author may want to be taken seriously but lightly at the same time.
I compared this poem to XXVII written by Emily Dickinson; from the first I read Donne’s poem I made the connection based on a “on the surface” type of connection. Both poets begin their poems with the first word of the poem completely capitalized. I further analyzed the context of the poems and found that they are contradictory in some aspects and coherent in others. Donne’s poem explores whether or not life exists after death while Dickinson clearly states that though she is human and a “somebody”, she would rather view herself as a “nobody”. Both poets ask rhetorical questions that help direct the readers’ attention, emphasizing more what they are trying to say.
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