Who Is Bill Phillips The Rape Of Mother Earth In Seventeenth Century English Poetry

Here, the narrator has clearly taken on the role of conqueror, and his mistress the land. The roving hands that he asks to go “before, behind, between, above, below” (John Donne, 26) are representative not only of a sexual touch, but invasion and occupation of her body as well. His hands are greedy, unsatisfied with only one or two areas, but requiring every inch of her body to be explored. Bill Phillips’ essay The Rape of Mother Earth in Seventeenth Century English Poetry, offers us further evidence on the parallels of the female body and earth by explaining that “The right to explore and exploit colonies was granted to trading companies by the Crown in the form of "a system of licences" (Bindoff 1967: 286), which gave the holder a monopoly

my new-found-land/ My kingdom, safeliest when with one man mann’d” (John Donne, 27-28) Here, he is directly addressing her as colonized property, and not only is he in total possession of her, but he has also bestowed upon himself the title of king over her land and being. It is helpful to realize that the colonization of North America was a relatively new endeavor at this time, as Phillips explains that “The English had been colonising North America from the sixteenth century, and Newfoundland was formally taken into the possession of England in 1583” (Phillips, 51) “This,” he explains, “may be why Donne refers so precisely to this colony in particular.” (Phillips,

This is evident in the line “My Mine of precious stones, My Empirie,/How blest I am in discovering thee!” (John Donne, 29-30)In lines 3-4, Donne offers us more scandalous metaphors with the lines “The foe oftimes having the foe in sight/Is tired with standing though he never fight” (John Donne, 3-5) Here he is likening the trials of war, to his anticipation of yearning for her to stop teasing him and submit to his desires. A more direct interpretation of his usage of the word “standing” can also be seen as a euphemism for his erection which “stands” awaiting her. It is also important to recognize his placement of a militaristic aspect in a romantic setting, as it transforms the narrator’s intent from jovial eagerness into a far more aggressive demand. The words “foe” and “fight” are far from amorous, and we cannot help but associate them with the concept of war and death. According to M.H Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt in The Norton Anthology of Sixteenth Century Literature John Donne participated in many of the “Earl of Essex’s military expeditions against Catholic Spain in Cadiz.” (M. H. Abrams and Stephen Greenblatt, 1260) Given his military past and the fact that many countries were and still are colonized by violent overtaking, perhaps Donne was attributing his experience in war with that of prospective