The+Flea

The Flea

· Poet John Donne who is a 17th century poet (Jacobean era) · From his collection of early poems called //Songs and Sonnets// · Has been labelled as a Metaphysical poet for his use of conceits and witty repartee. Metaphysical poets were in contrast to the earlier Elizabethan poets who drew upon the love poetry of Petrarch. While Donne, does, at times, reflect Petrachian themes and forms, more often, he revolts against the conventional, artificial, and restrictive qualities of these poems, preferring to draw analogies from the concrete world and explore heretofore unmentionable aspects of love. “The Flea” presents an example of a metaphysical conceit, a type of analogy that requires more elaboration and explanation than other more obvious analogies. [1] · Overview: the persona is attempting to convince his mistress into consummating their love. He uses the conceit of a flea to show the mixing of their bloods (which signifies sexual intercourse) is neither painful nor harmful to the two lovers
 * Introduction**

· ** Background of the social cultural context of the Jacobean era ** · The persona uses religious imagery to present the ethos (ethical side) of his argument. · He uses logical reasoning (logos) to reduces the importance and the gravity of the situation and implying that sexual intercourse will neither harm her or him and furthermore indicates that thus presenting the logos of his argument. · He appeals to his mistress’ sense of pathos by showing how she is holding back or depriving her lover and how their love should triumph over societal norms · Relationship between the persona and the mistress.
 * Suggested structure for IOC:**

· Flea bites were common during the sixteenth and seventeenth century · Earlier poets wrote poems where they wished to be fleas in order to gain access to their mistress’s body unnoticed (in this time period pre-marital relationship were a social taboo). Lovers were expected to worship their mistresses from afar. · Donne puts forth an unconventional treatment of the fleas where he argues that it represents the union of the lovers, rather than reducing the persona to a flea.
 * Background of the social cultural context **

· 1) Point = The mistress is reluctant to give up her virginity as it is a social taboo. Evidence= ‘A sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead’ Technique = triad Explanation= discuss how the persona convinces his mistress that they are not sinning Response = How does the mistress respond? · 2) The next point is the mistress’s killing of the flea (discuss how this in effect kills the persona’s argument). What ethical issue does the persona put forth here? Point= Killing of innocents Evidence = And sacrilege, three sins in killing three Technique = Biblical allusion. Reference to the three as in three person god (CR //Batter My Heart//) i.e the Holy Trinity. Along with the use of ‘sacrilege’ shows the religious imagery. Explanation = On a literal level, he may perhaps be referring to a child as the third person. The persona uses to indicate that it isn’t ethically or morally wrong for them to consummate their relationship. In fact, Donne views his mistress’s unresponsiveness as a sin, because it kills him, herself and denies them the pleasure of a child, effectively killing three. Trying to appeal to her ethos – as if asking her how she could be cruel and blasphemous as to commit three murders? Response = The hyperbole employed strikes the readers as quite witty. · 3) Insignificance of the loss of virginity (using the above examples PETER this point. Use this as a link to the ‘logos’ of the persona’s argument)
 * ETHICAL ARGUMENT (ETHOS):**

Point= He provides the logical element to his argument by belittling the gravity of the situation Evidence= // How little that which thou deniest me is // and // 'Tis true ; then learn how false fears be ;/ · Find'st not thyself nor me the weaker now. // Technique=· the conceit of the flea Explanation= Donne describes how there was no pain or loss in the action of killing a flea and shows his lover that there is no reason to fear these desires. He is trivialising the importance the mistress assigns to virginity by calling her fears “false”. Response= (think of your response to the shifts in Donne’s argument)
 * LOGOS**

Donne uses pathos in two different ways: 1) Point= He first insinuates that she is depriving him Evidence= // Yet this enjoys before it woo // and //And this, alas! is more than we would do// Explanation= Donne insinuates that the flea attains the mixing of blood without the need to woo her which makes the mistress sound almost as if she owes the same accessibility to her lover (the poetic persona). Technique = The use of the exclamation mark shows the dramatic tone in which Donne is presenting the disgruntlement of the persona. Response= A means to induce guilt in his mistress.
 * PATHOS (emotionally based argument)**

2) Point= Donne then implies that their love should not be stopped by social or religious norms as it is sacred Evidence = // Though parents grudge, and you, we're met, // Technique= (fill this in- conceit of the marriage bed, marriage temple, the wordplay and paradox of the cloisters) Explanation= Shows how their love should triumph over the opinions of her parents. This elevation of their love is used to as a part of the argument that Donne is trying to create. Response = of the mistress 3) Emotive vocabulary when the mistress kills the flea Poem is presented as a conversation between two people in which the man does all of the talking, the speaker pleads for the love of the woman. The silent woman responds with an unequivocal action; she squashes the flea and, in effect, his argument. Struggle for power: · // Just so much honour, when thou yield'st to me. //This shows how their consummation is not something to be shameful of thus appealing to her emotional sense and assuring protection against the judgements of society proceeding the action. However, one may consider the usage of the word “when thou yield’st to me” as a reaffirmation of Donne’s authority and supremacy. Even though he is trying to woo her by flattery, he still reminds her very subtly that it is HE who is beckoning her, and must be persuaded to yield to him. · The repetitive use of ‘I’ even when the persona is trying to convince the woman, reveals that he seems to be more focused on his needs rather than allaying the woman’s fears. Clearly seen when he says: //Mee i t suck'd first, and now sucks thee. // Syntax is re-arranged so that the stress falls on the ‘mee’. · Arresting opening and the use of imperative ‘marke’ shows that the persona is directing his mistress’s attention. · she asserts her authority through her action of killing the flea and therefore his argument
 * RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE MISTRESS AND HER LOVER**

The plea takes the form of three nine lined stanzas of rhymed, generally iambic pentameter verse. Paradox in the construction of the poem: this is supposed to be a spontaneous analogy that the persona poses but the strict form belies the familiar manner the speaker assumes. The first 6 lines of every stanza are rhyming couplets but the last three lines in each stanza rhyme. The rhyme scheme reinforces the idea of the two (the mistress and the lover) as represented by the rhyming couplets creating the third through their union in the flea. Refers back to the idea of the motif of three. (I’ve put down the main features you will need to compare and contrast them with the other poems you have studied) This work in many ways typifies Donne’s poems. It has the colloquial or conversational tone. It, like many of his poems, addresses his current love. It clearly delights in it own paradox and wit. It is structured and formal but explodes that form, here with direct address and exclamation. The poem, like others, proceeds with logic challenging the reader to follow his reasoning which reflects scientific, political, and religious themes or ideas of the day. [2] Donne’s poetry was not meant for public distribution and meant only for circulation within the intelligentsia, so we may posit that they may have actually enjoyed such intellectually stimulating conceits. More a playful poem and enjoying the game rather than a serious attempt to convince. Mocking Elizabethan courtship.
 * RHYME SCHEME**
 * CROSS-REFERENCES **

[1] from enotes [2] enotes