Poetry Comparison on The Flea and To His Coy Mistress
I would firstly like to begin on 'The Flea'.
This poem is about a man that is trying to persuade a woman to have
sex with him, by symbolically using a flea. The content of the poem is
very much the same throughout the whole of the poem.
In the first stanza, the poet is basically talking about how the flea
represents their coming together and in the last two stanza's the poet
tries to then persuade the woman to have sex by using different
tactic's like guilt etc. To the end of the second stanza the woman
whom is being seduced, kills the flea and is clearly stating that she
will not go to bed with the poet. Following this he tries to tell her
that it is cruel and unjust and a sin against God, and what she has
done is wrong and there is also nothing wrong with sex before
marriage.
The poem is set in the 17th century and I think the poet feels very
strongly about what he is saying, and takes it very seriously. I also
think that the poem works very well with its comparison to the flea,
and I think that the author has been very clever in what he has said.
Secondly, I would like to talk about 'To his Coy Mistress'. This poem
is very much the same as 'The Flea' and has many similarities. Again
the poem is based upon a man trying to get a woman to go to bed with
him, and is too set in the 17th century.
The poem is split into three stanzas and each of them differs from the
next, although still trying to get across the same message. In the
first verse the poet is trying to flatter the woman by using
complimentary language and words such as, "a hundred years should go
to pra...
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...s he proves to be less than adequate ' shimmying in & out every
other day as though he owned the place'. He shows interest in only one
thing and expects her to do all the work and 'weave the means of her
own escape'. She is patient and encouraging at first, holding out hope
that she might be able to guide him towards something at least a
little closer to her idea of what a man should be like. However, he
fails completely in this respect and she ends up speechless with
frustration and tears herself in two.
I think all in all when love is concerned in poetry nowadays it is a
bit of a mockery and no one ever takes it that seriously. People think
that love is something to be laughed at and never something to be
admired. So I think love poems have changed a lot, although there are
still some poets who have the right idea.
The poem told the story of a man who is inhibited by language, and has never quite had the ability to articulate his thoughts and feeling through words. It is said that his family members have tried
The poem contains two hundred and twenty one words with eight stanzas and thirty four lines. The subject appears to be about a girl who is about to be a woman and what she should look for in a man. “For a Girl I Know about to be a Woman” is about a young
the poem is that all she wants is some happiness and to be able to
The speaker is supposed to be writing a love poem to his wife, but the unmistakable criticism he places on her makes one wonder if this is really love he speaks of. It may not be a "traditional" love story, but he does not need to degrade his wife in this manner. Reading through this poem the first time made us feel defensive and almost angry at the speaker for criticizing his wife so badly. Although it is flattering to be the subject of a poem, we do not think many women would like to be written about in this way.
I think the poem might have been written by a male but adapted by a
Sex is more than just a physical act. It's a beautiful way to express love. When people have sex just to fulfill a physical need, as the poet believes sex outside of love-based relationship only harms and cheapens sex. In the beginning of the poem, Olds brilliantly describe the beauty of sex, and then in the second half of the poem, she continues reference to the cold and aloneness which clearly shows her opinions about causal sex. Through this poem, Sharon Olds, has expressed her complete disrespect for those who would participate in casual sex.
James Dickey illustrates the pleasures and guilt that comes with an affair. The rush one gets with the fear of getting caught (Dickey 351). The narrator in the poem seems to have no problem with the affair because he clearly states he will call again if he can, proving that he is barely fazed by not remaining faithful. It is clear that both the narrator and the mistress are pressed for time in this sick lust affair they are having. Both equally nervous about being caught by a significant other or someone, but they don’t seem to care enough to end their relationship. In this case, there seems to be no act of fidelity because the narrator says he’ll see her next week (Dickey
These two poems are meant to be a love letters written by a man to a
At the start, the first stanza of the poem is full of flattery. This is the appeal to pathos. The speaker is using the mistress's emotions and vanity to gain her attention. By complimenting her on her beauty and the kind of love she deserves, he's getting her attention. In this first stanza, the speaker claims to agree with the mistress - he says he knows waiting for love provides the best relationships. It feels quasi-Rogerian, as the man is giving credit to the woman's claim, he's trying to see her point of view, he's seemingly compliant. He appears to know what she wants and how she should be loved. This is the appeal to ethos. The speaker seems to understand how relationships work, how much time they can take, and the effort that should be put forth. The woman, if only reading stanza one, would think her and the speaker are in total agreement.
You must analyse at least six poems, ensuring you include at least one pre-1914 poem.
writing the poem, to woo his love. Or maybe is the line was not meant
It can be concluded that the speaker is a caring and loving gentleman. The narrator of the poem is a young gentleman whom can also be perceived as Edgar Allan Poe himself. “That a maiden there lived whom you may know/ By the name of Annabel Lee” (line 3, 4). The poem is about a person loving a woman; therefore it is positively obvious and apparent that the narrator is a gentleman. There are also repetitions of the words “I” and “my” throughout the whole poem, which confirms that the narrator is in fact Edgar Allan Poe himself. “And, so all the night-tide, I lie down by the side/ Of my darling, my darling, my life and my bride” (line 38, 39). The use of the words “I” and “my” supports the theory that the person narrating the poem is Edgar Allan Poe. It is also visible that the speaker is very sad and emotional about the loss of his wife. The narrator is having a difficult time getting over the death of Annabel Lee which is apparent in the last stanza. He still sleeps by her even though she is
The Flea and To His Coy Mistress are two poems written by poets living during the Renaissance Period. To His Coy Mistress was written by Andrew Marvell and The Flea was written by John Donne. Both of these poets were well-educated 'metaphysical poets', and these poems illustrate metaphysical concerns, highly abstract and theoretical ideas, that the poets would have been interested in. Both poems are based around the same idea of trying to reason with a 'mistress' as to why they should give up their virginity to the poet.
...y change. Once the poet begins to reveal his love towards the young man, he begins to realize that Nature has prevented him from being with the young man. The only thing left to do is give up. Instead of giving up the poet finds it easier to accept the young man for his true love and allow the young man to sexually please woman. Although it was inconvenient for both to be male, the poet accepted the homosexual relationship and longed for the young man’s love in return.
shows that the poet is so fixated in one woman that he is blinded by