Holy Sonnet XIV ('Batter my heart') (Edexcel A-Level English Literature): Quizzes
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Practise the questions
10 questions from this quiz
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Practise the questions
10 questions from this quiz
What career transition influenced Donne's Holy Sonnets, including 'Batter My Heart'?
What career transition influenced Donne's Holy Sonnets, including 'Batter My Heart'?
Courtier & poet to Church cleric
How does Donne use the Petrarchan sonnet form in 'Batter My Heart'?
How does Donne use the Petrarchan sonnet form in 'Batter My Heart'?
Subverts it for spiritual concerns
What is the rhyme scheme of the octave in 'Batter My Heart'?
What is the rhyme scheme of the octave in 'Batter My Heart'?
ABBAABBA
What metre is 'Batter My Heart' written in?
What metre is 'Batter My Heart' written in?
Iambic pentameter
What extended metaphor does the poem employ as its main conceit?
What extended metaphor does the poem employ as its main conceit?
Soul as a besieged city
What does the city symbolise in 'Batter My Heart'?
What does the city symbolise in 'Batter My Heart'?
Speaker's soul besieged by sin
What paradox is central to the poem's spiritual theme?
What paradox is central to the poem's spiritual theme?
Freedom achieved through captivity
What does the word 'batter' suggest in the opening line?
What does the word 'batter' suggest in the opening line?
Violent, transformative action
What does 'three-person'd God' refer to in the poem?
What does 'three-person'd God' refer to in the poem?
The Trinity
What role does reason play according to lines 7-8?
What role does reason play according to lines 7-8?
God's viceroy defending the speaker