the flea by john donne.docx
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the flea by john donne.docx
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thefleabyjohndonne
InthispoemDonneexpresseshisrefusalofhismistress’sreasonsforkeepinghervirginity.Throughthisattitudehisintellectualandmoralmasteryisattested.Hereachesaconclusionthatthelossofmaidenhoodisnothingmorethanaflea’sbite.Donneexaggeratesbyusingthisideaofaflea;butthroughhisskilfulargumentandthereasonsheoffershismistressissupposedtodonothingbutsurrendering.TheoriginalityofDonneisprovedbyturningtheconventionsupsidedown;hemakesthewholeideaseemsthatwomenarenotwonbygifts,faithfulserviceandlovingspeeches,butbyametaphysicalproofthatvirginityisworthless.
Theargumentofthepoembeginsandendsbyaflea’sbite.Thefleahasbittenboththeloverandhismistressandnowitcontainsamixtureoftheirbloods.Itbroughtakindofunionthattheloverdesires.Thisactionhashappenedwithoutanymoralprotestfromthemistress.Afterexpressinghisidea,shetriestokilltheflea;buthepreventshersayingthatthisinsect,now,isthesymboloftheirunion,theirmarriagebedandthechurchinwhichtheirmarriagewascelebrated.Disregardinghercomplaints,bykillingtheflea,sheiscommittingasin.Theyhavebecomeasinglebeingintheflea’sbodyandshewillbemurderingpartofhimbykillingtheflea.Thecrimewill,also,involvesuicide,forshewillalsokillpartofherselfanddestroythemarriagetempleinwhichtheywereunited.
Themistressignoresthisargumentandkillstheflea.Throughthisactionshetriestoprovethat,evenwhentheflea’sbloodhas‘purpledhernail’,neitherofthemhasbecomeweaker.Shehasachievedashorttriumph,butshegaveherloverachancetoconvertthistriumphagainsther.Headmitsthatsheisright,butshedidseethatnothinghashappenedtoherandthisis,exactly,theconclusionhewantshertoreach.Nothingwillhappentoherandherhonorwillsuffernomorethanaflea’sbite.
Thepoemisamasterpieceifregardedasamasterstroketoaninheritedconvention.Donne’srepresentationofthefleaasasymbolofunitybetweenbothlovers,isanastonishingconceitthatisincomparablewithanyothermetaphysicalconceit.Itseemslikearidiculousmetaphysicalimagination;butitsucceededinpushingtheladyintohishands.Thelogicalreasoninghasenabledtheunconventionallovertooutwittheladyandforcehisowntermsuponher.Inshort,TheFleaisaremarkablelyricforitsrealism,itsemotionalintensityanditscleverness.Donnehasarguedthecaseofphysicalunionwithoutanysocialinhibitions.
JohnDonne's"TheFlea"isacomplex(andabsolutelyhilarious)viewintothelife,rhetoricandamazingpersuasiveskillsofayoungmanashetellshiswould-belover,withallseriousness,whysheshouldsleepwithhim.Withaseriousovertone(andveryfunnyundertone),Donneusesaskilledcombinationoftone,connotativewordsanddoublemeaning,imagery,figurativelanguageandmusicaldevicestotakethereaderintotheconversationofthetwolovers,where,horrifyingly,theargumentposedissocleverthatagirlmightalmostbeconvincedtoletthespeakerhavehisway.
Donneusesthefirst-personpointofviewoftheyoungmantorelaytheongoingconversationbetweenhimandhisgirlfriend.Thetone,atfirst,seemsalmostconversational,discussingaseeminglyinnocentflea;however,asthepoemprogresses,thetonebecomesthatofaskilledmasteroflogicandrhetoric.Thereader,throughthisseeminglyintelligentargument,istakenintothelivesoftheloversand,ifnotcareful,becomesincreasinglyconvincedthatthespeakerhastherightofit:
tosleeptogetherwouldbenomorethantheminglingoftheirbloodwithintheflea,andthatbydenyinghimsheis,infact,denyingherselfwithherfalsehonor.
Theuseofconnotativewordsandverynaughtydoublemeaningsinsprinkledthroughoutthe27linesofthepoem.
Inthefirststanza,thespeakerstatesthat,"Howlittlethatwhichthoudeniestmeis"
(2),referringnottowhatsheisdenyingtheflea,butwhatsheisdenyinghimbyrefusinghisadvances.Thespeakergoesontosay,"Meitsuckedfirst,andnowsucksthee"(3),makingtherepetitionof"suck"andthesexualconnotationquiteclear.Hefurtherstatesthat,"Andpamperedswellswithonebloodmadeoftwo"(8),whichcouldbemeantasapregnancyorcouldevenrefertothemalegenitalia.
Inthesecondstanza,heintimatesthattheyare,infact,marriedwithinthewallsofthefleaandstatesthat,"wearemet,/Andcloisteredintheselivingwallsofjet"(14,15),usingthereligioustermof"cloistered"asanincrediblyeroticreferencetothebondthatsexualintimacycanbringtothemandthat,infact,livesintheflea.Hegoesevenfurthertosay,"Thoughusemakeyouapttokillme"(16),referringtothehabitofactuallykillingtheflea;however,"kill,"inthissense,couldalsobeusedasasexualsuggestion,as"killing"and"death"atthistimewasanothertermforphysicallove.Thespeakergoesontosaythatkillingthefleawouldbeself-murder,and,inanallusiontothelossofvirginity,statesthatshehas,"Purpledthynailinthebloodofinnocence"(20).Theentirepoemisfilledwithrichdoubleentendresandsuchblatantsexualconnotationsthatthereadercannothelpbutadmirethemanforhissheerwillanddeterminationingettingthiswomantobed!
Donne'suseofconnotativewordsanddoublemeaningisinterwovenwithvividimagesthatallowthereadertobecomepartofthepoem.Heusesvisualimageryindescribingthefleasuckingboththeirblood,andthenthebloodinterminglingwithintheflea.Whentheblooddoesswirltogetherintheflea,it"pamperedswells"withtheirblood,bringtomindtheveryvividvisualimageofapregnantwomanaswellasanerectmalemember.Hisvisualimagerygoesontodescribetheinsideofthefleaasthewould-belovers'marriagebedandtemple,andgivesthereaderanunexpectedanddistinctpictureoftheinsideoftheflea;aromantic,privateandbeautifulplace,wherethetwoloverscanmeetwithoutthedissentionofparentsortheoutsideworld.Donnealsogivesthereaderaclearviewofthedeathoftheflea,whenthewomanhas,"Purpledthynailinbloodofinnocence"(20).
Donneinterweavesmetaphorsthroughouttheimageryofthepoem,basingtheentirepremiseofthepoemonthefactthetheirloveiscontainedintheflea.Thefleaitselfiscomparedtoamarriagebedandtemple,andacloisteredhideawaywheretheloverscanbesafe.Hecomparestheinterminglingofbloodwithinthefleatothesexualactitself,andonlychangesthisconvictionwhen,afterthefleahascometoanuntimelydemise,pointsouttothewomanthatthe"death"(ablatantsexualreference)hascertainlynotmadethemanyweaker,andthatherrefusalisreallyjustdenyingherself.Theentirepoemisaconceit,andinthatsense,hasadefinite(ifridiculous)logic.
Donne'spoemisanelaboratemixofiambictetrameterandpentameter,andhasawell-patternedrhymeschemewithineachstanza,rhymingthefirsttwolines,thesecondtwolines,thethirdtwolines,andthelastthreelines.Hesprinklesinternalrhymethroughoutthepoem,bringingalyricalqualitythatmakesthepoemeffortlesslyreadableandbringingalevelofsophisticationandvaliditytosucharidiculousargument.
"TheFlea"isaclassicpoeminthemetaphysicalsense;ithastwoheterogeneousideas(thefleaandsexbetweenthetwolovers)quiteviolentlyyokedtogether.Itissatiricalandwitty,andwaswrittenin
theprivatetradition,capturingthebondandinteractionbetweenthespeakerandhisunwillingmistress.Itisquitedaring,withanenergyandconvictionthatisveryconvincing.
Donne'suseoftone,connotation,imagery,figurativelanguage,musicaldeviceandmetaphysicalideamake"TheFlea"apoemthatshocks,amuses,andnearlyconvinces.Withhislastlines,"'TisTrue;thenlearnhowfalsefearsbe:
/Justsomuchhonor,whenthouyield'sttome,/Willwaste,asthisflea'sdeathtooklifefromthee(25-27),heturnstheentireargumentbackonhislove,makingherrefusalseemcompletelywastedandfrivolous.Thispoemcapturesaman'spowerofconvictionwhensexisinvolvedandbringsthereaderintothebedroomwithhim."TheFlea"isafunny,persuasiveexampleofrhetoricalgeniusthatusesliterarytoolstobringanewfacetotheage-olddialogueofmanversuswoman(especiallywhensaidmanistryingtoluresaidwomanintobed).ItisbecauseofDonne'smasteryofthesetoolsthatthepoemlingerson,bringingittomindwheneveramanchasingawomancomesintosight.
JohnDonne's,"TheFlea,"isapersuasivepoeminwhichthespeakerisattemptingtoestablishasexualunionwithhissignificantother.However,basedonthewoman'srejection,thespeakertwistshisargument,makingthatwhichherequestsseeminsignificant.JohnDonnebringsoutandshapesthismeaningthroughhiscollaborativeuseofconceit,rhythm,andrhymescheme.Inthebeginning,Donneusesthefleaasaconceit,torepresentasexualunionwithhissignificantother.Forinstance,inthefirststanzaafleabitesthespeakerandwoman.Herespondstothisincidentbysaying,"Andinthisfleaourbloodsmingledbe."
Heissuggestingthattheyareunitedinthisfleaand,thus,wouldequallybeunitedinintimacy.Inaddition,hestates,"ThisfleaisyouandI,andthisourmarriagebed,andmarriagetempleis."Thespeakerissuggestingthatthroughthefleathetwoaremarried.Again,theflearepresentsmarriage,union,andconsummationthroughintimacy.However,thewomancrushestheflea,thus,refusinghisrequest,andstatesthatneithershenorheisweakenedbyitsdeath.
Basedonherreaction,thespeakerstates,"T
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