Underlying Religion

John Donne's poem Death, be not proud refers to one of my favorite bible quotes from John 11:26 that reads "...and whoever believes in me shall not die, but have eternal life." This quote is Jesus conquering death. Jesus is saying that even though humans die a natural death, they will continue living on in heaven. Donne alludes to this quote near the end of the poem writing, "One short sleep passed, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die" (Donne, 972). On earth, all humans eventually die. Thus, it may seem as if death is the victor over all. Both Donne and Jesus Christ believe differently, however; death brings about its own demise. Death leads one to eternal life, thus giving what it takes away. Though on earth death may be the apparent conquerer, in the end in heaven, life is victorious. With faith in Christ and through one's inability to escape death, he in turn is unable to escape the gift of life in heaven.