Marriage in "Daystar" and "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning"

The circle is the symbol of eternity, where there is no beginning and no end. As with life, love can also be considered an eternal journey, but viewed from different perspectives in the poems "Daystar" (795-796), by Rita Dove, and "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" (51-52; "Valediction"), by John Donne. The unity of marriage in "Valediction" is prized, with symbolic images of metaphysical elements and circles used to depict the perfection of lovers and an undying love. "Daystar," however, describes the ritual of marriage and the timeless monotony of the burdens that marriage presents. Thus, marriage can be premised in perfection, as in "Valediction," but the cycle of the commitment between two lovers, like in "Daystar," can be stagnant during the journey.

Valediction" shows the parallel between the circle of life and death, and the relationship between lovers, whom must eventually leave each...
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