Explication of John Donnes The Flea :: John Donne Flea Essays

Explication of John Donnes The Flea   John Donnes, The Flea, is a persuasive poem in which the speaker is attempting to establish a sexual heart and soul with his significant other.  However, based on the womans rejection, the speaker twists his argument, making that which he requests seem insignificant.  John Donne brings out and shapes this meaning by his collaborative use of conceit, rhythm, and rhyme scheme.  In the beginning, Donne uses the flea as a conceit, to represent a sexual union with his significant other.  For instance, in the first stanza a flea bites the speaker and woman.  He responds to this incident by saying, And in this flea our bloods mingled be.    He is suggesting that they are united in this flea and ,thus, would equally be united in intimacy.  In addition, he states, This flea is you and I, and this our marriage bed, and marriage temple is.  The speaker is suggesting that through the flea the two are ma rried.  Again, the flea represents marriage, union, and consummation through intimacy.  However, the woman crushes the flea, thus, refusing his request, and states that neither she nor he is weakened by its death.    Based on her reaction, the speaker states, Tis true...Just so much honor, when they yieldst to me, lead waste, as this fleas death took life from thee.  In other crys, he twists his argument to make the point that the woman will lose as much freehand herself to him as she lost killing the flea - NOTHING  Secondly, Donnes use of rhythm aids in shaping the poems meaning.  The poem has alternating lines of iambic tetrameter and pentameter.  However, Donne varies this rhythm to create strain on particular words or phrases.  For instance, in the first stanza he states, Mark but this flea, and mark in this. Instead of beginning with an unstressed word or syllable as in iambic, Donne stresses the word Mark.  This is imp ortant in accentuating his argument.