In class tomorrow, we will practice annotating poems. Get us started by choosing one stanza from "The Flea," explaining any annotations you would make, and analyzing the meaning of that part of the poem.
In Donne’s poem, “The Flea”, Donne considers himself united with a woman through a flea. This flea had taken blood from both of them, therefore in Donne’s mind, they were all connected. This is sick and twisted and gross, but to him it has a deep meaning. We can infer that the flea has a much deeper meaning because in line two of the first stanza Donne says “How little that which thou deniest me is”, then he continues later to say in line 4 “And in this flea our two bloods mingled be”. Line 8 of this stanza continues with “And pampered swells with one blood made of two”. Donne is saying that this woman denies him but it is only by a little because he knows that this flea has bit them both. Donne realizes that this flea is harboring both of their blood together in its body. He then goes on to imply that the flea is pregnant. This is disturbing. Just because this flea has their blood in it, does not make it significant in any way. If anything, it is gross. Donne is doing a terrible job of expressing his love to this woman. He is not going to get good attention from her by writing poems like this. She will most likely find this repulsive and try to stay as far away from him as she can. Donne was only making things worse for him and this woman by writing this poem. It is not charming at all.
I agree with Young September in that the author, Donne, is narrating to a woman he has relations of some sort with. However, I think he is using the flea as a point to try and persuade the woman to engage in sexual relations with him. He tells this woman that the flea has sucked on both of them and now has both their bloods in its body together, which is what she denies him. Maybe that we can view the exchange of blood in reference to the loss of virginity from the woman as the poem mentions a maidenhead- or according to the book interpretation, virginity. In lines 8-9 it says, “And pampered swells with one blood made of two, And this, alas, is more than we would do. What John Donne is saying here is that the flea has both of their blood intertwined in its body and is something he would desire (referring to sex) but, is something that she will not let them engage in. In the second stanza I think Donne is trying to say that in order for her to find it susceptible to engage in sex, they would have to be sanctioned in marriage and could only do it on a marriage bed. Therefore John is trying to lure this unknown woman in premarital sex. In stanza three he mentions false fears as if he is telling the woman that her fears of losing her virginity are asinine and that she should understand this and engage in sexual acts with John Donne. Like Young September, I agree that this poem is semi-repugnant but curiously profound.
In Donne’s poem, the subject is using the flea as an allegory of why his lover should give up her virginity to him. It sounds strange to us in the modern era that a flea could have anything to do with love? But after having to read more into this confusing comparison of marriage and sex that Donne is making with the flea, I see what he is trying to portray. I know that during the late middle ages and up until the industrial revolution that “mingling of the blood” was describing both marriage and sex, and Donne is using the flea’s mingling of both of their blood to put forth the idea that they should just go ahead and do the deed. I agree with Young Sept. that this is fairly disturbing and not charming in the modern view, But I will add that this was written back when personal hygiene wasn’t as great as it is now; back in the days where it wasn’t unusual for some to only bathe a few times a year, and parasites may have just been a part of daily life. And it is likely that the two were probably lying together if the flea has been able to suck both of their blood. That being said, the kicker to the poem to me is in the last three lines of the third stanza “'Tis true; then learn how false, fears be: Just so much honor, when thou yield'st to me, Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.” After the flea has been killed by his lady-friend, easily and without any fear I might add, the guy is telling her that to give up her virginity to him would be just as easy and fearless to do. Maybe I’m stretching it, but it makes sense to me in that context.
I would have to agree with what Young September stated in that Donne's poem "The Flea" is a bit obscure. The whole poem consist of Donne trying to convince his beloved to sleep with him. He uses the flea as a symbol of this union when it drinks both of their blood. I actually thought the poem was humorous in some ways. Donne tries to make a valid argument which is obviously, to the reader, a guy's poor attempt at convincing a girl to sleep with him. In stanza three of the poem, Donne states "cruel and sudden, hast thou since purpled thy nail in blood of innocence?" Donne's beloved has killed the flee. He states that the flee was innocent, and his beloved replies that her killing the flee does not make "thou self nor me the weaker now." In other words, his beloved, along with killing the flee, killed his argument as well. In the last few lines of the stanza, Donne makes one last attempt to validate his argument. He states that since killing the flee was not considered a sin to her than neither should them sleeping together before marriage be. He states that “just so much honor, when thou yield'st to me, will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.” Basically, he tries to convince his beloved that she would lose the same amount of honor squashing the flee and sleeping with him. All in all, the poem was a bit strange; however, it was charming in a way because of its humorous qualities.
The Flea by John Donne is a strange poem. He uses the metaphor of a flea drinking the blood of both himself and his lover to explain how beautiful their relationship could be. I agree with both Young September and Edgar Allan Moe in that Donne is trying to convince his partner to have sexual relations with him, but I believe that there is more to it. The first stanza describes how the act of their bloods combining is unspeakable. The imagery of the inside of the flea, like sex, is not to be spoken aloud. The second stanza brings up the woman’s argument of waiting for marriage. “Though parents grudge, and you, we are met” gives off the idea that despite his lover’s parents she met with him in a dark place to do something even if it is not sex. Donne says that the flea represents three lives. I can only infer that he means the narrator, his lover, and the idea of “Them”. In the third stanza Donne displays his lover killing the flea. This is destroying all three people “inside” the flea. Then the narrator listens to his lover when she says, “Findest not thy self nor me the weaker now.” This is her saying that even though the flea that mixed them together is dead neither of them are different. Their love is just the same without being held together by marriage or sex. So Donne explains at the beginning that the flea brings them together, but realizes that their blood does not need to be mixed to fulfill their love.
In Donne’s poem, “The Flea”, Donne considers himself united with a woman through a flea. This flea had taken blood from both of them, therefore in Donne’s mind, they were all connected. This is sick and twisted and gross, but to him it has a deep meaning. We can infer that the flea has a much deeper meaning because in line two of the first stanza Donne says “How little that which thou deniest me is”, then he continues later to say in line 4 “And in this flea our two bloods mingled be”. Line 8 of this stanza continues with “And pampered swells with one blood made of two”. Donne is saying that this woman denies him but it is only by a little because he knows that this flea has bit them both. Donne realizes that this flea is harboring both of their blood together in its body. He then goes on to imply that the flea is pregnant. This is disturbing. Just because this flea has their blood in it, does not make it significant in any way. If anything, it is gross. Donne is doing a terrible job of expressing his love to this woman. He is not going to get good attention from her by writing poems like this. She will most likely find this repulsive and try to stay as far away from him as she can. Donne was only making things worse for him and this woman by writing this poem. It is not charming at all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Young September in that the author, Donne, is narrating to a woman he has relations of some sort with. However, I think he is using the flea as a point to try and persuade the woman to engage in sexual relations with him. He tells this woman that the flea has sucked on both of them and now has both their bloods in its body together, which is what she denies him. Maybe that we can view the exchange of blood in reference to the loss of virginity from the woman as the poem mentions a maidenhead- or according to the book interpretation, virginity. In lines 8-9 it says, “And pampered swells with one blood made of two, And this, alas, is more than we would do. What John Donne is saying here is that the flea has both of their blood intertwined in its body and is something he would desire (referring to sex) but, is something that she will not let them engage in. In the second stanza I think Donne is trying to say that in order for her to find it susceptible to engage in sex, they would have to be sanctioned in marriage and could only do it on a marriage bed. Therefore John is trying to lure this unknown woman in premarital sex. In stanza three he mentions false fears as if he is telling the woman that her fears of losing her virginity are asinine and that she should understand this and engage in sexual acts with John Donne. Like Young September, I agree that this poem is semi-repugnant but curiously profound.
ReplyDeleteIn Donne’s poem, the subject is using the flea as an allegory of why his lover should give up her virginity to him. It sounds strange to us in the modern era that a flea could have anything to do with love? But after having to read more into this confusing comparison of marriage and sex that Donne is making with the flea, I see what he is trying to portray. I know that during the late middle ages and up until the industrial revolution that “mingling of the blood” was describing both marriage and sex, and Donne is using the flea’s mingling of both of their blood to put forth the idea that they should just go ahead and do the deed. I agree with Young Sept. that this is fairly disturbing and not charming in the modern view, But I will add that this was written back when personal hygiene wasn’t as great as it is now; back in the days where it wasn’t unusual for some to only bathe a few times a year, and parasites may have just been a part of daily life. And it is likely that the two were probably lying together if the flea has been able to suck both of their blood. That being said, the kicker to the poem to me is in the last three lines of the third stanza “'Tis true; then learn how false, fears be: Just so much honor, when thou yield'st to me, Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.” After the flea has been killed by his lady-friend, easily and without any fear I might add, the guy is telling her that to give up her virginity to him would be just as easy and fearless to do. Maybe I’m stretching it, but it makes sense to me in that context.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with what Young September stated in that Donne's poem "The Flea" is a bit obscure. The whole poem consist of Donne trying to convince his beloved to sleep with him. He uses the flea as a symbol of this union when it drinks both of their blood. I actually thought the poem was humorous in some ways. Donne tries to make a valid argument which is obviously, to the reader, a guy's poor attempt at convincing a girl to sleep with him. In stanza three of the poem, Donne states "cruel and sudden, hast thou since purpled thy nail in blood of innocence?" Donne's beloved has killed the flee. He states that the flee was innocent, and his beloved replies that her killing the flee does not make "thou self nor me the weaker now." In other words, his beloved, along with killing the flee, killed his argument as well. In the last few lines of the stanza, Donne makes one last attempt to validate his argument. He states that since killing the flee was not considered a sin to her than neither should them sleeping together before marriage be. He states that “just so much honor, when thou yield'st to me, will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.” Basically, he tries to convince his beloved that she would lose the same amount of honor squashing the flee and sleeping with him. All in all, the poem was a bit strange; however, it was charming in a way because of its humorous qualities.
ReplyDeleteThe Flea by John Donne is a strange poem. He uses the metaphor of a flea drinking the blood of both himself and his lover to explain how beautiful their relationship could be. I agree with both Young September and Edgar Allan Moe in that Donne is trying to convince his partner to have sexual relations with him, but I believe that there is more to it. The first stanza describes how the act of their bloods combining is unspeakable. The imagery of the inside of the flea, like sex, is not to be spoken aloud. The second stanza brings up the woman’s argument of waiting for marriage. “Though parents grudge, and you, we are met” gives off the idea that despite his lover’s parents she met with him in a dark place to do something even if it is not sex. Donne says that the flea represents three lives. I can only infer that he means the narrator, his lover, and the idea of “Them”. In the third stanza Donne displays his lover killing the flea. This is destroying all three people “inside” the flea. Then the narrator listens to his lover when she says, “Findest not thy self nor me the weaker now.” This is her saying that even though the flea that mixed them together is dead neither of them are different. Their love is just the same without being held together by marriage or sex. So Donne explains at the beginning that the flea brings them together, but realizes that their blood does not need to be mixed to fulfill their love.
ReplyDelete