If Poisonous Minerals by John Donne

In John Donne's sonnet, "If Poisonous Minerals," John Donne uses tone shift to the best of his ability. John Donne is famous for his sonnets, which includes fourteen lines, three quatrains, a shift, and a couplet. His tone shift in line nine, changes everything about the poem. He changes the audience, attitude, and even the way he is writing.

In the first eight lines, John Donne is using soliloquy, which means he is talking to himself. He is not talking to God, but about him, and about his bitterness against the fairness of God. Donne argues that if animals, vegetables, and minerals can do evil and not get set to hell, then why should humans? "If serpents envious cannot be damned, alas, why should I be?" Donne is asking God, if the serpent that damned Adam and Eve did not get banished from the garden, but Adam and Eve did, Donne wants to know the justice in that accusation. That if the only reason God treats human and animals differently, is it because of the humans possession of reason? That they are able to see the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Is it only reason that damns humans to hell?

In line nine, Donne preforms the shift of the poem. In the first eight lines of the sonnet, Donne's only audience is himself, but in lines ten through fourteen, Donne's audience changes to God himself. Instead of being bitter, judgemental, wrathful, critical, and defiant towards Gods in the first eight lines, Donne becomes remorseful towards God after the shift. Donne even changes his writing style. In the first eight lines, Donne is asking questions, but in the end, Donne is stating facts.

In lines ten through fourteen, Donne uses the figurative language, apostrophe, and is talking to God about his sins, it sounds like a prayer. He says that even though Jesus spilt his blood to forgive the sins of men, Donne wants God to not just forget Donne's sins, but to just forget him. Donne does not want to be remembered by God. In contradiction to the first eight lines, Donne believes that he is in no position to argue with God, that God knows what he is doing and Donne is out of his place for contradicting God. So Donne stops asking questions, unlike the first eight lines, because now Donne knows his place.

In the couplet, or the last line of the sonnet, Donne uses the figurative language, paradox. "I think it mercy if thou wilt forget," you think at first means, is Donne asking God to forgive his sins. But Donne uses a contradiction in that he is not only asking God to forget his sins, but to forget him as well. Its a contradiction because most people want God to remember them, which is why they pray, but Donne is praying to god to forget him.

John Donne uses tone shift to emphasize the many contradictions people have with God.