On The Theme Of Sickness In Donne’s Prose Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions

John Donne’s works are famous for the “beauty of Metaphysics”, and it’s really rare thattaking the sickness as the theme of prose works in the17thCentury. Donne thinks thatsickness comes from God, and also ends with it. Man plagues himself for his sins. And at thesame time it leads to salvation. Donne’s long prose work Devotions upon Emergent Occasionslets people confront the paradox of sickness.The understanding of sickness in the religious literature comes from the Bible, sicknessenters the world with sin, which is the real and radical cause of all bodily sickness. Adam’sfall makes man born with sin, as a sign of salvation, sickness is the seal of the living God, andGod visits guilty man with sickness at any time, in order to cure their sickness and leads themto the eternal life. As for the patients, the recognition and acceptance of sickness, with thedesire of God’s guiding hand are the cure process of sickness, just as the afflicted man turns toChrist. In pain, people endure the earthly suffering, follow the example of Christ in this way,and pray that the God affords them the opportunity to discover his fallen condition, thesinfulness of his flesh, his misery. The sick man learns to shake off his attachment to things ofthe body of, learns the right use of bodily signs as a means to acquire true humility and getsthe cure of sickness and self-salvation.This thesis associate with Donne’s works, analyzes the source of Donne’s sin: sensualindulgence of the early years, the conversion of the religious belief and the influence of theCalvinism---man is born with sin. Next, analyzes the symptom of sickness---affliction.Human are always in the sick condition in the prayer books, life is a process of afflictionbecause it is a process of confession, the more affliction, the more confession, and theresurrection is in sight. Donne experienced the process of conversion and the salvation, andpresented the process clearly in the Devotions upon Emergent Occasions. The fever andtyphus connect Donne with God. When the fever strikes Donne, it also eats him up, consumeshim, as it burns it obliterates the old man and his sins; although it destroys, paradoxically itcreates a new one.