1. What community is the topic of this work by Donne?
There is no statement in Donne’s work that we could use as a reference to say that his work about mediation is intended for a particularly community. It would then be safe to assume that his work was for everyone who lived during the Renaissance period or for every Christians who lived during that period and are still living at this point in time.
2. Do you agree with his Definition of this Community’s Purpose?
Yes I agree with him. He defined the entire community as something that is collective (David, 2003). It is also in this passage where he first quoted the famous quotation “no man is an island.” He stated that what happens to one person can affect every other person. There are two main themes or ideas that he tried to deliver in his manuscript; firstly, he tried to expose man’s mortality and secondly, he tried to expose the interconnectedness of men’s lives even between life and death. The purpose then of the community he addressed his manuscript to is to be one in all that they do. So yes, I strongly agree with his definition of the community’s purpose.
3. What other communities can affect us in such a way?
John Donne did not really specify any community which his work will be intended for. Instead, he kind of showed that this passage that he wrote is for all. This can be explained by the context of his life during the Renaissance Period. The life expectancy of the people who lived during the Renaissance period was dramatically low because of the plague epidemic (Sullivan, 2008). That’s why he wrote his message to tell the people who were fortunate enough to survive that the church belongs to all and that everything that has been done by the church is for all.
Works Cited
David, C. (2003). John Donne’s Professional Lives. Cambridge University Press.
Sullivan, C. (2008). The Rhetoric of the Conscience in Donne, Herbert, and Vaughan. Oxford University Press.
