W. H. Auden's poem "Stop All the Clocks", and John Donne's poem "Holy Sonnet 10" each address the theme of death with unique perspective. Donne in "Holy Sonnet 10" reflects upon the inevitability of death. Using the Petrarchan sonnet form, Donne is able to have an intimate conversation with Death that reasons through its impact. Conversely, Auden in "Stop All the Clocks", catapults the reader into an overly tragic and emotional exposition of loss created by death. The strong diction of the poem arrests the emotions, allowing the reader to feel the impact of death. Through varied devic…
