Literature is like human beings. It's relevant and up-to date when it's written, and gets better with age, up to a point. Some literature enhances the human condition, like some people do. For example, Hitler was an example of what not to do, while Obama will be an example of what we CAN do. These writings will become immortalized, just like worthwhile people. But after a certain point, just like people, most literature becomes less and less effective and up-to-date, and should eventually die simply because it is pointless to have it around anymore, just like people. Yet somehow, some people feel the need to continue to promote worthless and poorly-written literature simple because "It's a classic." The classics are the classics because they're the classics, not because they are any good. And just like people, if we keep worthless and ineffective writings around, people will eventually become so sick of them as to not ever want to see them ever again. This is the entire principle behind AP English. It belives that we should all go back to the 1800s when sexual repression was fun and suicide was in vogue. This God-be-damned class has forever raped in my mind "The Classics" and branded them as something I wish to never-ever see ever again. If I ever see another poem about death or sexual depravency, I will probably kill the person forcing it on me. Out of a unit of 24 poems (Ironically titled "Poetic Excellence"), 22 of them were about either death, sexual depravence, or suicide. I will forever hate the man known as John Donne because, quite frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about the fact he never had enough sex. If he was so depressed about it he should have just killed himself then and saved me from the torture of having to read his poems. And, in an even larger dose of irony, the book we use considers him "One of the most effective and timeless writers in history." Please, please take me away from this book before I burn it.

I don't suppose your teacher would appreciate the poem "Done with Donne" much...

I was going to try to link it for you, but Google can't find it. Probably because it's just a bit of short doggerel.