“No Man Is An Island”—by John Donne
No man is an island,Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
Then, respond in one of the following ways:
Personal—Respond to the ideas and main message set forth in this text. Examine how it applies to your life and your own understanding and beliefs.
Creative—Choose a line or phrase from the text to develop
into your own writing. You could make
this an opening or closing line in your own writing, or begin your own story
based off the line or the ideas within this text.
Extension—Look up the phrase “for whom the bell tolls” and
you will find a book by Ernest Hemingway of the same title, as well as a song
by Metallica. Read more about the book
or listen to the song, and explore in your writing how it connects to this text
by John Donne and if you might want to explore the writings of Hemingway or the
songs of Metallica further from this short introduction.