Donne’s ‘The Flea’ was first published posthumously in 1633 and is a metaphysical poem. The poem has two main themes intertwining throughout; the theme of love and erotica, and the theme of religion and sacrilege. Due to the fact the poem plays hosts to both of these themes, we can infer from the beginning that due to the publication date, sex and religion were far closer linked together during the 1600s than they are today, therefore this inclusion of both of themes could reflect the thematic topic of discussion that dominated societal affairs in the 1600s. Donne uses a wide range of poetic techniques to help enhance the aforementioned themes in the text, such as the rhetoric, and irregular rhyme scheme, varying pace and an extended metaphor
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The voice of the speaker is trying to use a metaphor of a flea to convince a girl to have sex with him, stating that their sexual act carries no more importance than a little flea. As the poem progresses and we reach the second and the third and final stanza, the voice of the speaker’s opinion on the importance of sex drastically changes which also orchestrates an intertwine of themes with religious imagery representing religion. This change of attitude is mirrored with the pace of the poem In terms of the pace of the poem, Donne uses a range of poetic techniques to ensure the varied pace is keeps the reading interested throughout. To coincide with the rhyme scheme throughout, techniques such as the rhetoric are used in stanza three to further alter the pace of the poem, and in doing this Donne makes it easier for the reader to note where and when the key moments of tension are in the poem. Furthermore, the use of rhetoric in particular gives the reader an urge to find out more, and provokes thinking about the poem and to use the rhetoric after “blood of innocence?” and “Except in the drop which it sucked from thee?”, Donne makes sure that these very graphic images are contrasted together to form the themes of Religion and Erotica. In addition to this, the …show more content…
This reflects an image of Jesus Christ on a cross, bloody and purpled from his hammering into the cross, and likens the refusal of sex to that. This huge contrast of ‘The Flea’ to ‘Jesus Christ’ represents the lust and the red-blood of the voice of the speaker, as he first likens sex to something meaningless, and then likens it to perhaps one of the most controversial images and known serious deaths in society both today, and even more so in the 1600s. This would have inevitably provoked reaction of the males that could read the poem at the time, as it could have been seen as offensive to try and liken Religion and Sex together through something as disease-ridden as ‘The Flea’ and this upset could suggest the poem’s risqué intertwining of themes was uncommon in the era it is set. Furthermore, “the blood of innocence” can be linked back to the “one blood made of two” mentioned in the first stanza. The blood in the first stanza is formed through a ritualistic bonding between the voice of the speaker and his subject and reflects holy imagery of perhaps Jesus Christ’s blood being represented in wine. The wine is offered to everyone at Jesus’ table has a piece of Jesus with them, and in the same way, the voice of the speaker is using the same type of tactic to “woo” and lady
The voice of the speaker is trying to use a metaphor of a flea to convince a girl to have sex with him, stating that their sexual act carries no more importance than a little flea. As the poem progresses and we reach the second and the third and final stanza, the voice of the speaker’s opinion on the importance of sex drastically changes which also orchestrates an intertwine of themes with religious imagery representing religion. This change of attitude is mirrored with the pace of the poem In terms of the pace of the poem, Donne uses a range of poetic techniques to ensure the varied pace is keeps the reading interested throughout. To coincide with the rhyme scheme throughout, techniques such as the rhetoric are used in stanza three to further alter the pace of the poem, and in doing this Donne makes it easier for the reader to note where and when the key moments of tension are in the poem. Furthermore, the use of rhetoric in particular gives the reader an urge to find out more, and provokes thinking about the poem and to use the rhetoric after “blood of innocence?” and “Except in the drop which it sucked from thee?”, Donne makes sure that these very graphic images are contrasted together to form the themes of Religion and Erotica. In addition to this, the …show more content…
This reflects an image of Jesus Christ on a cross, bloody and purpled from his hammering into the cross, and likens the refusal of sex to that. This huge contrast of ‘The Flea’ to ‘Jesus Christ’ represents the lust and the red-blood of the voice of the speaker, as he first likens sex to something meaningless, and then likens it to perhaps one of the most controversial images and known serious deaths in society both today, and even more so in the 1600s. This would have inevitably provoked reaction of the males that could read the poem at the time, as it could have been seen as offensive to try and liken Religion and Sex together through something as disease-ridden as ‘The Flea’ and this upset could suggest the poem’s risqué intertwining of themes was uncommon in the era it is set. Furthermore, “the blood of innocence” can be linked back to the “one blood made of two” mentioned in the first stanza. The blood in the first stanza is formed through a ritualistic bonding between the voice of the speaker and his subject and reflects holy imagery of perhaps Jesus Christ’s blood being represented in wine. The wine is offered to everyone at Jesus’ table has a piece of Jesus with them, and in the same way, the voice of the speaker is using the same type of tactic to “woo” and lady