CLIFFNOTES; pages 185 - 187
Meditation by John Donne
Multiple Choice Questions

Vocabulary:

Firmament: the skies
Vicissitudinary: (noun) the ups and downs of life
Equinoctial: (adjective) having to do with the equinox; of equal division.
Malignant: evil; of evil intent; cancerous
Pestilential: (adjective) having to do with a virulent, dangerous epidemic
Intestine: internal
What is John Donne’s thesis? What is his theme? Are happiness and misery meted out in equal measure?
Why is it not necessarily a good thing the disease has declared itself so that the doctor may more clearly see it now?
Rack: a medieval form of torture which literally pulled a person’s joints apart.
Cordial: a sweet alcoholic drink
Scarce: rare, hardly, running out
Encumbrances: burdensome, something that inhibits movement
Allay: combination of metals; alloy
He drinks misery, and he tastes happiness.
For  homework: answer the questions on pages 186 - 187.

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