"A Hymn to God the Father"

            "A Hymn to God the Father" by John Donne is an insightful poem that addresses the speaker's unease caused by the sins he has committed throughout his life and the inner battle to relieve his fear of death. The speaker is supposedly John Donne because he was on the verge of death when writing this poem and was deeply religious during the latter part of his life. Donne's simple and precise wording in combination with the rhythmical consistency creates an atmosphere that is serious, sincere, and direct, leaving little to interpretation and expressing his dedication to God with earnest passion. The poem itself reads like a prayer, sharing with the reader insights into what it is to be human, the nature of wrongdoing and the subsequent guilt, and the very human fear of death.
             The poem "A Hymn to God the Father," although assumed to be spoken by John Donne, could have been inspired by his thoughts but ultimately written for all of humanity. Therefore, the purpose of the vague and general use of language when describing his sins, as seen in lines one and two: "WILT Thou forgive that sin where I begun, / Which was my sin, though it were done before?", could have been to give insight to other people as to what one might think about on the verge of death, especially if one shared the same belief in Christianity. The poem itself is a general view of a life through the description of its sin, beginning with the original sin of being human, continuing with the sins he committed throughout his life and led others to do too, and ending with his fear that when he dies he will not be brought into heaven. In this poem, the speaker (possibly a general representation of every person) pleads for absolution from guilt and the hope that there is life for him beyond this.
             Donne writes with a very regular style, the first four lines of each of the three stanzas in iambic pentameter, the following line in iambic trimeter, and the last line in iambic dimeter.