T. Stewart Assignment 1

So, Ludvigson alludes to John Donne's "The Canonization" in her poem "Inventing my Parents." It goes like this: 

"As they go out the door, he's recitingDonne's "Canonization": "for God's sakehold your tongue, and let me love,"

Ludvigson's poem is all about painting this picture of a couple, her parents, in a fairly positive, intellectual light. On the surface, of course, the allusion to a 17th century poem provides support for the assumption that both characters are relatively well-read. But "Canonization" is also an excellent showcase of Donne's wit and use of irony - the entire poem is basically a joke, unless you take it all seriously, in which case it's an elaborate defense of love against immoral politics. Either way, it serves to solidify the themes of romanticism in Ludvigson's poem (even if you're not familiar with "Canonization"), and enhances the feeling that the characters are really on the same intellectual level, so much so that it's a source of humor for them ("and she's laughing").