There are many literary devices at the disposal of writers that are used to emphasize ideas. In his sonnet "Death, be not proud", John Donne chooses to use personification. He personifies death in order to emphasize the idea that Christians have victory over death, and the promise of eternal life, where death is no more.

In the first four lines of the poem, the speaker tells Death that even though some have though him to "mighty and dreadful", he is not. The reason he is not is that those he thinks he has dominion over do not actually die. The speaker emphasizes this saying that neither can Death kill him. Death cannot kill him because of his faith in Christ. This idea can be found in the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, the Apostle Paul asserts that at the return of Christ there will be a resurrection from the...