The Flea The narrator in The Flea is a youthful man trying to convince a young woman to give her virginity to him. He tries to do this by comparing their relationship to a flea that is in the room. The flea bites them both and Donne explains to her that this is symbolic of both of their worlds combining into one. He says that the flea is now the realm of love, lust, and marriage. At first this poem seems to be just about love, commitment from a male to a female, who says no his lustful desires. However, a deeper look than just the superficial reveals that the male in this poem is actually revealing a valid point to his lady: that the loss of innocence, such as her virginity, does not constitute a loss of her honor. At first, this poem seems to be simply about a young, sexually hungry man who is trying to convince a girl to give into his sexual wishes. She denies the ?wanna be? lover because she believes that the act of intercourse before marriage is a dishonorable sin in the eyes of the church. The lady ends up killing the flea and symbolically killing the false world the man had constructed in the flea. She then says that neither of them are any worse by killing the flea, which the male agrees with. The man concludes his point by granting that the death of the flea does not really have any consequences, just like her fears to loose her respectability and honor. His main point in all his talk about the flea is to show her that her honor will not be ruined if she yields to him. John Donne?s poem connects flesh and spirit, worldly and religious ideas in a fascinating way between seemingly unrelated topics. He compares sexual intercourse to a bite of a flea and says that now their blood has mixed inside the flea. He also compares the inside of the tiny flea to the entire world, including the couple.
A little later on she was at her house and it was her and her husband’s anniversary. Flowers were delivered to her. When she went to read who the card was from she almost passes out. The flowers were sent by her husband, but he was dead. She called the florist in disbelief and they told her that “Flea had “Love insurance”’ (31). This was for people who tend to forget something easily such as anniversaries for birthdays. The widow did not know how to feel about receiving the roses. She claimed that it had her a little “spooked” (31). So she ended up going for a
The speaker in the poem has clear divergent desires that are incompatible. In the fist line of the second stanza, the speaker describes one of the dogs the man is walking, saying,”The small sleek one wants to stop docile to the imploring soul of the trashbasket,” The personification of the trashbasket as an “imploring soul” emphasizes the attachment the trashbasket is trying to draw the dog into. Not only is the trashbasket seeming to make an attempt to lure it in, but the speaker also describes the dog as “docile”, or being submissive towards the trashbasket, unable to say no, or restrain itself. The apeal of the trashbasket along with the submissiveness of the dog causes a passionate and compelling attachment between the two. Near the end of the second stanza, the
As a result of their impassioned love, the poem’s speaker and his lover transcend material constraints and the limitations of their low rank, as well feeling that they are at the center of the universe. Donne’s personification of the sun, his use of anti-courtier rhetoric that expands on the anti-authoritative sentiment directed at the sun, and his metaphysical conceit that raises the lovers above nobility and wealth, all reveal the transcendent quality of love.
How can it be remotely possible to spend thirty thousand years on observing a woman’s body? It seems to me as if he is just telling her what she wants to hear as long as he gets what he wants- which is to get into bed with her. The fallacy is even more apparent once line 20 ends because the mood switches immediately from “loving” to a grotesque, dark tone. The speaker goes on about how if she doesn’t lose her “long preserv’d virginity” to him, then the only way she will lose it is in her grave to the worms crawling inside her. How can that be a portrayal of love? The mere thought of that is absolutely grim. What it really does is negate all of the sweet, exaggerated things he mentioned in the first third of the poem.
John Donne's, "The Flea," is a persuasive poem in which the speaker is attempting to establish a sexual union with his significant other. However, based on the woman's rejection, the speaker twists his argument, making that which he requests seem insignificant. John Donne brings out and shapes this meaning through his collaborative use of conceit, rhythm, and rhyme scheme. In the beginning, Donne uses the flea as a conceit, to represent a sexual union with his significant other. For instance, in the first stanza a flea bites the speaker and woman. He responds to this incident by saying, "And in this flea our bloods mingled be."
Love and religion are two of the most common topics of poetry, even though many of Donne’s poems are either on love or religion, two different topic, they are connected thru the continuous use of devices such as allusions, metaphors, and puns; providing a bond for each poem yet each for a different context. “The Flea,” “Holy Sonnet VII”, and “A Hymn to God the Father” each have distinct themes, but find common ground by the use of common literary devices.
There is a similar theme running through both of the poems, in which both mistresses are refusing to partake in sexual intercourse with both of the poets. The way in which both poets present their argument is quite different as Marvell is writing from a perspective from which he is depicting his mistress as being 'coy', and essentially, mean, in refusing him sex, and Donne is comparing the blood lost by a flea bite to the blood that would be united during sex. Marvell immediately makes clear his thoughts in the poem when he says, "Had we but world enough, and time/ This coyness, Lady were no crime", he is conveying the 'carpe diem' idea that there is not enough time for her to be 'coy' and refuse him sexual intercourse and he justifies this thought when he suggests when she is dead, in ?thy marble vault?, and ?worms shall try that long preserved virginity?. He is using the idea of worms crawling all over and in her corpse as a way of saying that the worms are going to take her virginity if she waits until death. Donne justifies his bid for her virginity in a much longer and more methodical way, he uses the idea of the flea taking her blood and mixing it with his, ?It suck?d me first, and now sucks thee?, and then...
The author then turns into his second argument or tactic of urging that is less “genteel”(Evans) and “more graphic”(Evans), as he seems to become increasingly desperate. In the second stanza he is using fear, almost threatening her, as he portrays what would happen if they allowed time to run out. He warns “her beauty shall no more be found” and alludes to her dying a virgin. Certain necessity arises as he begins to relate death, ashes and worms to his loss of lust and time.
Donne is valuable not simply as a representative writer but also as a highly unique one. He was a man of contradictions: As a minister in the Anglican Church, Donne possessed a deep spirituality that pairs his thoughts and feelings throughout his lifetime. Donne also possessed a sensual outlook on life, sensation, and experi...
John Donne, an English poet and clergyman, was one of the greatest metaphysical poets. His poetry was marked by conceits and lush imagery. The Flea is an excellent example of how he was able to establish a parallel between two very different things. In this poem, the speaker tries to seduce a young woman by comparing the consequences of their lovemaking with those of an insignificant fleabite. He uses the flea as an argument to illustrate that the physical relationship he desires is not in itself a significant event, because a similar union has already taken place within the flea. However, if we look beneath the surface level of the poem, Donne uses the presence of the flea as a comparison to the presence of a baby, thus making the sub textual plot about aborting the baby.
The two poems The Flea and The Sunne Rising capture John Donne’s primary motive to get in bed with women. Donne wrote these poems at an early age, and at that time he was seeking nothing more than a sexual relationship. His poetry depicted clearly how sexist he was at the time and how he used to perceive women as a medium of pleasure. The content of his early poems express an immature and desperate image of Donne, who is dominated by his fixation on the sensuality of women. In The Flea, Donne shows his desperation to have sex by addressing a flea that has sucked the blood of both him and the woman he is persuading. It is quite awkward how the poet uses this obscure image of the flea as a symbol of love and sex to convince the woman that...
Donne develops this idea through the symbolism of the flea and the twisted imagery of the Trinity. He uses slant rhyme to depict the man’s slanted argument and stretched logic, which highlight the man’s crooked idea of what physical love is. Donne’s use of slant rhyme and hyperbole mock other poems that praise women with flowery language in an attempt to charm them into bed. In contrast, the speaker here uses crude arguments meant to woo this woman to sex with him.Renaissance carpe diem poems speak about enjoying physical love within one’s short-lived youth. “The Flea” touches on fleeting love too; the body with the blood of life and love may soon be squished. However, there are consequences which always entail physical love. These consequences might be the real
...oing so, he is saying he this lady deserves to be praised in such a foolish way, and he would be the fool to do so. (prof. zichy. Lecture) When the tone of the second stanza shifts towards a serious note, the man begins threatening the poor woman with images of “worms shall try That long-preserved virginity”. The change of tine from playful to threatening makes the speaker look extremely foolish. He does not realize these threats may potentially scare the lady away from him thus contradicting his seduction prior.
John Donne's use of deep religious themes, unique poetic devices, and vivid imagery create a stunning and convicting poem. Donne's talents are on full display as he moves through each line with such beauty and simplicity. One can easily imagine his sorrow and pain as he penned the words of this poem and poured his heart into it. Donne's work reminds readers of the sorrow of sin, the necessity of forgiveness, and the hope of restoration. Although he focuses on anguish and sorrow, his message is truly one of joy and hope. All who take his words to heart find internal peace and rejoice in the mercy of their
Lines thirty-seven and thirty-eight allude to Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress. Marvell's poem is one of seduction. Through it, he attempts to get his lady to go to bed with him. He tells her that there is really no point in coquetting, that there is little enough time in life as it is, don't waste time not sleeping with him.