From the Bookshelf of Morales 2341 Spring 2015 Class TTH…

The Flea

John Donne

Start date: March 31, 2015

Finish date: April 2, 2015

Discussion: Love and Desire

Discussion leader: Lillian Morales

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 3 topics — 155 comments total

Love and Desire

Sounds Familiar- The Chrysanthemums
By Lillian · 42 posts · 36 views

last updated Apr 10, 2015 03:07PM

Adultery and Immorality - The Storm
By Lillian · 51 posts · 87 views

last updated Apr 09, 2015 08:01AM

What Members Thought

Apr 02, 2015 Miguel rated it it was amazing

Before reading this poem, it is important to realize who the author is and his style of writing in order to better understand the poem. The authors name is John Donne. He is well known for being a metaphysical poet. Some examples of metaphysical poems can be on subjects like religion, god, consciousness, reality and perception.

In the beginning of the poem, the speaker is talking to a woman about a flea. It was a random flea, but once the flea sucked blood from the speaker and the woman, he use Before reading this poem, it is important to realize who the author is and his style of writing in order to better understand the poem. The authors name is John Donne. He is well known for being a metaphysical poet. Some examples of metaphysical poems can be on subjects like religion, god, consciousness, reality and perception.

In the beginning of the poem, the speaker is talking to a woman about a flea. It was a random flea, but once the flea sucked blood from the speaker and the woman, he used that as a persuasive technique to try and have sex with her. “where we almost, yea more than married are. This flea is you and I, and this our marriage bed, and marriage temple is”. This quote from the poem demonstrates how he is using an insignificant creature and making it into a symbolic gesture of their union in order to persuade her to have sex. I believe that one possible purpose of this poem is to convince the reader that sex before marriage can be insignificant as the flea. In the poem, the author tried to convince the girl that the flea had a marriage like significance because of the blood shared between the two of them. If the girl would have believed and had sex with him, that would be considered an act of premature sex; which is a sin and biblically forbidden back then. She would have been fooled by the lame excuse, which means that several other people might believe that as well and would have put marriage and religion into doubt.

John Donnes purpose almost seems as if hes trying to make the flea and marriage relevant to each other in a way that ties them together. He pushes the idea that the sharing of the blood signifies a union. But it all depends on how you think of it. It can either be significant or insignificant at the same time. For example, if you think the flea is insignificant than you also think that marriage is insignificant as well. This was his argument to convince the girl to sleep with him. He was ultimately trying to convince the girl and audience that they are one in the same to further his purpose of having sex with the girl. So if you think its significant (blood union in the flea) then you think that marriage is significant. If I stand in John donnes shoes, then I would have convinced the girl by telling her this, “ Why do you believe in marriage but you don’t believe in our union within the flea, is it not the same thing? “ The way that he descrives the union in the flea is very common with the idea of union and marriage which is why he used it to add fuel to his scheme. In other words the excuse he made up is strong enough to doubt religion if the girl would have accepted to have sex with him.
...more

6 likes · Like · see review