Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question.

Batter my heart, three-person’d God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o’erthrow me, and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new. ("Holy Sonnet XIV: Batter My Heart”; lines 1-4)

_____ is a paradox that is represented in these lines.

1: Christianity is a religion that recognizes only one God, yet the speaker refers to three Gods
2: The speaker wishes to stand, but is too weak to do so on his own
3: The speaker sees his God as forgiving when, in fact, he is violent and cruel
4: The speaker implores God to use violence to break him so that he can be made new

Answer 1

4: The speaker implores God to use violence to break him so that he can be made new

Step-by-step explanation:

Choice 1 is not correct because the speaker does not refer to three Gods. He refers to the Trinity, which is the unity of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and the third person God the Holy Spirit.

Choice 2 is not correct either because the speaker is not weak and can stand on his own; however, he wants to be battered by God so that he could prove his strength and rise again and, thus, be "made new" by God.

Choice 3 is also wrong because God is not violent or cruel. It is the speaker himself who asks God to use violence: "Batter my heart..."

Thus, only the last choice can be correct.

Answer 2

The correct answer is 4: The speaker implores God to use violence to break him so that he can be made new.

In this Holy Poem 14, “Batter my Heart”, by John Donne, the poet is addressing God directly and he is implying that the usual way God enters into everybody’s life is not enough for the poet. The poet does not need gentle manners: to knock, to shine, to mend.

On the other hand, in order to let God get into his life, he needs a tough hand: to force, to brake, to blow and burn. This is likely because the poet might consider his soul and heart are too corrupt for such gentle ways.

The paradox, or apparently contradictory idea, here is to attach God such a violent behavior.