"... so this bell calls all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness."
Which of these is the best interpretation of this phrase from John Donne's Meditation 17?
(1 point)
The tolling bell is a metaphor for Heaven.
The tolling bell is a metaphor for humankind.
The tolling bell is a metaphor for Hell.
The tolling bell is a metaphor for death.
The best interpretation of the phrase from John Donne's "Meditation 17" is:
The tolling bell is a metaphor for death.
In "Meditation 17," Donne discusses the interconnectedness of all people, and the phrase is part of a larger meditation on the nature of humanity and the human experience. The bell, often associated with funerals or the announcement of a death, is used as a symbol to remind everyone of their mortality. When Donne speaks of being "brought so near the door by this sickness," he is referring to his own proximity to death due to illness. Thus, the bell symbolizes the call that death makes to every person, signaling that no one is exempt from this fate.