if we must die

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“If We Must Die & The Flea”

The two poems “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay and “The Flea” by John

Donne both authors use animal images in similar and different ways. McKay and Donne

both use death of an animal as an analogy to get their point across in each poem. Claude

goes on to use his animal imagery to show honor in analogy of honor and death

compared to the life of a hog. John uses his analogy of his sexual motive to the actions of

how a flea feeds on its’ prey. The two authors both show us different way that animal

imagery can be displayed pertaining to the characters situation.

McKay starts off the poem saying, “If we must die, let it not be like hogs” (1),

Stating that death is evident which is a metaphor relating death to hogs. The death of hogs

is evident because they are usually domesticated pigs that are bred and raised specifically

for slaughtering. On the other hand Donne also uses death of the flea in relate to the death

of her purity. Donne uses the flea that the female he’s is attempting to woo by saying, “It

sucked me first, and now sucks thee...

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