"The Flea" by John Donne

“The Flea” by John Donne is a humorous poem about a man trying to seduce a woman with persuasion. Each space between stanzas is related to an action taken by the woman which the speaker responses.

Stanza One

The poem's speaker, in an effort to woo a lady and convince her to sleep with him, discusses how a flea has bitten them both and mingled their blood, a euphemism for intercourse. The speaker claims there is no "sin; nor shame; nor loss of maidenhead."

Stanza Two

The speaker, once again, attempts to persuade the object of his affection by claiming that since their blood has already been mingled in the flea, they might as well, therefore, mingle their blood amorously.

Stanza Three

he object of the speaker's affection has killed the flea, an apparent sign of rejection that the speaker turns to his favor by explaining that the mingling of blood has made neither of them weaker, much in the same way yielding to each other will not make them weaker.

The poem is a dramatic monologue which means that there is one speaker that speaks to the audience. Because of this, we hear only one point of view. This is the poet speaking in the second voice according to Eliot’s interpretations of the three voices of poetry.

When we think of a flea a pesky irritating insect comes to mind. The poet has given a new metaphorical meaning to the flea by making new associations with it. The flea is a symbol of union and marriage and so, Donne does what Shelley speaks of in his essay ‘Defence of Poetry’:

“Their language is vitally metaphorical; that is it marks the before unapprehended relations of things, and perpetuates their apprehension, until words which represent them become through time signs for portions and classes of thoughts, instead of pictures of integral thoughts; and then, if no new poets should arise to create afresh the associations which have been disorganized, language will be dead…”

Comments

"The Purpose" by T.P.Kailasam

Purpose, by T.P. Kailasam, is a short play dramatizing events that occurred in the Mahabharata involving Drona, Arjuna, and Eklavya. Drona is a skilled teacher, renown throughout the land for his wisdom and skill. Arjuna is a prince of a great kingdom. Eklavya is a tribal boy from a relatively far-away area. We study about Indian writing in English to Indian writer like T.P.Kailasam . He was written at different and post colonial thinks in portrayed Ekalavya character. The Purpose by T. P. Kailasam is a drama in two acts. The story is based on Adiparva from ‘The Mahabharata”. As we see that in the story how Kailasam given margin and criticize to Arjun and Dhrona Characters. The story moves around Ekalavya and Arjun and their purpose behind learning archery. Both want to learn archery from the great Dronacharya. But we see post colonial thinks in Ekalavya characters are center and periphery to Ajuna’s character. When the story goes that ancient time in

"The Fakeer of Jungheera" by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio

The Fakeer of Jungheera is a long poem by Henry Louis Vivian Derozio. He was poet, novelist and writer. Most of the work in found to Indian religious, culture, rule and regulation, rigidity, culture etc. His writing in see to voice of against to society. Something should be real and has society represented of cruel way. In this long poem, “The Fakeer of Jungheera” in protagonist of the Fakeer poem is a robber Fakeer or a mendicant, who belongs to some unidentified Muslim sect, while the heroine the widow Nuleeni, comes from an upper cast Bengali Hindu family. The Fakeer of Jungheera' Deroiz mixed the tantric, Hindu, Mythological, Islamic and Cristian tradition. He got the idea about writing the poem of spiritual love from Baital Pachisi. As the story goes, if King Vikram remains stead fast in his love for his queen he can resurrect her and once more both can find happiness together. The dauntl

A Baby Running Barefoot

"A Baby Running Barefoot" D. H. Lawrence In the poem "A baby running barefoot" by D.H. Lawrence uses imagery to describe how the baby is running around beautifully and barefooted. The poem is spoken in the voice of a first person narrator who is watching a female baby run across the grass. The narrator uses similes and metaphors that describe the baby's feet by comparing them to aspects of the natural world such as butterflies, flowers, and water. In the first line the poet talks about the "Barefeet" of baby who runs across the grass. He then tells about her little white feet, nod like the flower, nod in the wind he beautifully had described. How a baby child runs across the grass out of innocence

Devangiba Gohil's personal blog

Search This Blog