What Does Death Be Not Proud Mean

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Poetry can be everlasting. Poems are written in greeting cards and read at weddings and funerals. One sonnet that is often read at funeral or memorial services is John Donne’s “Death Be Not Proud,” written in 1154. It is a poem that reiterates many religious beliefs that life does not end with death and should not be feared.
As soon as the poem starts, the reader can assume there will be more to the sonnet than just death. Donne knocks Death off of his figurative high horse with the second line stating “mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so” (Roberts & Zweig). This could be interpreted as death is not as powerful as some make it out to be.
Donne continues on, implying that death is nothing special since it happens to everyone. In line nine