Donne the flea. The Flea: Summary, Theme & John Donne 2022-12-13
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John Donne's "The Flea" is a seduction poem that uses a flea as a metaphor for the physical and emotional intimacy that the speaker is trying to establish with his lover. The speaker argues that the flea, which has bitten both him and his lover, represents the merging of their bodies and souls through the exchange of blood. He suggests that this union, however small and insignificant it may seem, is a sacred and powerful bond that should be celebrated rather than denied.
At the beginning of the poem, the speaker points out that the flea is a "marvelous thing," and he uses it as a way to draw his lover's attention to the small but significant connection they share. He tells her that the flea has "sucked" their blood and that its body now contains both of their essences. This, he argues, is a kind of union that is more meaningful and lasting than any physical act of lovemaking.
Throughout the poem, the speaker employs a variety of rhetorical devices to persuade his lover to give in to his advances. He uses hyperbole to exaggerate the importance of the flea, saying that it has "mixed" their blood in a way that is "more than marriage." He also uses repetition to emphasize his point, repeating the phrase "this flea is you and I" several times to drive home the idea that they are intimately connected.
Despite the speaker's persuasive arguments, it is clear that his lover is not convinced. She responds to his advances with a series of objections, arguing that the flea is a "little wanton" and that its bite is a "sin." These objections reveal that the speaker's lover is not yet ready to fully embrace the intimacy that the speaker is seeking.
Despite this resistance, the speaker remains determined to win over his lover's affections. He responds to her objections with more rhetorical flourishes, arguing that the flea's bite is a "sacrament" and that its "life's blood" is a "blessing." He even goes so far as to suggest that the flea's death, which he claims will occur if they kill it, will be a "death of three."
In the end, it is not clear whether the speaker is successful in persuading his lover to give in to his advances. What is clear, however, is that he is a skilled and persuasive speaker who is willing to go to great lengths to win her over. Whether or not his efforts are ultimately successful, "The Flea" is a testament to the power of language and persuasion in the pursuit of love.
The Critical Analysis Of āThe Fleaā By John Donne: Free Essay Example, 1529 words
Wherein could this flea guilty be, Except in that drop which it sucked from thee? Yet Donne masterfully sets out his argument, the logical, calculating male speaker against the resistant female, with that tiny flea as catalyst and metaphor. Yet thou triumph'st, and say'st that thou Find'st not thyself nor me the weaker now. Though parents grudge, and you, we're met, And cloister'd in these living walls of jet. The Flea is structured to mirror the three protagonists, flea, man and woman, so there are three rhyming couplets, a triplet in each stanza and three stanzas. George Gascoigne The poems form changes in the ninth line of the poem.
The Flea (Poem) by John Donne: Analysis and Structure
It almost feels like the wolf is luring the Red riding hood to devour her. He then tries to convince her to not kill the flea as it would mean taking three lives. He then goes on perusing her, showing the flea as their marriage bed and temple in which, nothing is immoral. He states primarily that the flea signifies the tiny honorable decision facing her and then swiftly adopts a less teasing tone. This small parasitic creature is chalk full of symbolic meaning. Extra emphasis for the crucial idea of mingling blood. The analysis of the poem shows that the first stanza can be characterized as whimsical and contemplative while the second one was presented in faster and more absurd pace, the third stanza is a bit slower with the argument reversal.
Cruel and sudden, hast thou since Purpled thy nail in blood of innocence? In the flea, he says, where their blood is mingled, they are almost marriedāno, more than marriedāand the flea is their marriage bed and marriage temple mixed into one. When he was eleven, he began his studies at Hart Hall. She kills the flea with her nail. John Donne is giving a message to whoever reads the poem that he would want to make love to his beloved and that its not a sin in any way, giving Donne a chance to end by saying that her fear had gone to waste. Poems of John Donne.
Donne is using satire in order to ridicule the ways lawyers argue. The Norton Anthology of English Literature 6thed. Both literary work not only provide great pieces when contemplating outdated seduction Urban Legends. In the second stanza ironically, the poet tries to use religious and theological references to make his argument. She is able to do so, i. Yet, in the final three lines there seems to be a twist.
Who would think that such a lowly parasite could become a star of the erotic stage? Although the poem does not have irregular lines or stanzas, the complexity of the alternating meters marks a noticeable difference to other forms of The first stanza of the poem establishes the one-sided conversation between the speaker and his love interest. It is the shame at the time, so the speaker turns to be a little bit guilty. Marvell attempts to persuade his conquest with a focus on death through the imagery of ashes and time. And, since their bloods have already mingled together, intercourse with him wouldn't be a sin and no honor would be lost if she yields to him. The first stanza of the poem almost feels like the poet is luring the woman into a trap.
False fears is an example of alliteration which highlights her concern about the losing her innocence. The speaker argues that the flea, which holds both of their bloods, has become the embodiment of their love and its overall sanctity. She makes a really strong yet non-verbal reference by crushing and murdering the flea. Marriage is also one of the seven Catholic sacraments so to kill the flea would be an act of sacrilege, violation. A classic of its type, The Flea, a provocative and intimate drama, with psychological and theological elements, raises serious sexual and moral questions but does so in a darkly playful manner. That word maidenhead actually means hymen, so we can assume the woman is a virgin.
The initial words of the author are devoted to the flea biting the woman and the speaker. Metaphysical poetry, the natural that too is unnatural, is seldom direct and easy to decipher; making it intellectually stimulating to read. Here sit a man and a woman, possibly on a bed, the man pointing out the presence of a flea, quite common in Renaissance times, the middle of the 16th century. What Is The Rhyme Scheme of The Flea? Has she damned herself to hell by persecuting the flea? The Cambridge Companion to John Donne. Wherein could this flea guilty be, Except in that drop which it sucked from thee? Literature represents an evolution in society, religion and the realm of this period. Most people do find it hard not to laugh on this poem at a certain point since not many of them would think that someone would portray a flea to be like this nor would anyone have ever thought about the flea sucking their blood and their bloods being combined into one inside its body.
Even after marriage, it was a very private activity and openly talking about it was frowned upon. The speaker in "To His Coy Mistress" seems to change his tone of persuasion rapidly from stanza to stanza. Ignoring him, at last she crushes the flea under her fingernail, not noticing or paying attention to his advances towards her. The tone of the poem is, however, comical and the use of absurdity changes the meaning of the poem. This tiny parasite has recently sucked blood from them both, as is their instinct, so the man takes this opportunity to put forward an argument for sexual union to the woman, based on the now swollen flea. The speaker comes back to his fantasy.
Tone of The Flea Poem by John Done Free Essay Example
The Flea has a rhyme scheme of: aabbccddd Each stanza is made up of three couplets of rhyming pairs plus a rhyming triplet, making a total of 9 lines per stanza and 27 in total. Birdsong punctuates the still air, like the tinkling of broken glass. It was lucky in its venture as it has accomplished more than the poet. This flea is you and I, and this Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is. Line 21 The flea, its one act of guilt, Line 22 To suck a drop of blood from you? He also uses a simile which associates the conservation of her own life when the flea dies to the conservation of her honor after she gives him what he wants. The The flea has had a relationship with her without any courting or marriage. Also, their supposed marriage is an extended metaphor which stems from the pun on two kinds of blood: literal blood and family relations.
The analysis of the work shows that Donne referred to the aspect of innocence lost; the author shows that the loss of honor and that of innocence do not constitute each other. This could symbolize the whole act of act of intercourse, a beautiful experience, but when one is violated the act becomes sick and intercourse is no longer seen as beautiful, but dirty. Since the flea is a temple of religion, should she kill this flea? Donne was homeschooled however, there is no evidence to support the prevalent claim that he was taught by Jesuits. He is regarded as a key figure of the Elizabethan and Jacobean literary world and perhaps second only to Shakespeare in terms of the influence a writer of that time had on subsequent English literature. The poem The Flea appeared to be very emotional and expressive; it reflects the elements of different literary epochs. And note the internal rhymes in lines 4 and 21: And in this flea our two bloods mingled be; Wherein could this flea guilty be, What Is The Religious Imagery in The Flea? The Flea is a poem that is all about one man trying to get a woman to have sex with him.
