Axel Llamas

October 30, 2018

American Literature

The purpose of this piece is to clearly identify the metaphor that John Donne creates in
“The Flea” and to analyze evidence to support the acquisition of this metaphor. Several strengths
include an effective analysis of the metaphor and the organization of the paragraphs seem to
efficiently transition through the parts of the analysis. On this revision, a paragraph was removed
and replaced by a more effective paragraph that better answers the prompt. The improvements
were mandatory because several parts of the essay were not answering the prompt and had to be
revised. Some helpful feedback would be a clarification on how the analysis answers the
question in the essay regarding whether the revision is an improvement of the original, because it
would demonstrate the progression of writing as a student and as a write overall.

Poetry follows many literary techniques that can be found when analyzing texts such as
novels. The speaker of “The Flea” ensures to use several forms of literary techniques to
emphasize a connection with the speaker’s love interest. Various forms of figurative language,
diction, irony, symbolism and structure create a poem that addresses the connection to its
audience. The poem implies a theme that lust destroys the potential connection between people.
The poem is a metaphor for sexual relations between the speaker and the audience through the
mixing of blood in the flea.
The title, “The Flea,” begins the metaphor of the flea being sex between the speaker and
audience by presenting the audience with a creature of distasteful nature since the overall lust
and actions of the speaker are also repulsive. Throughout the poem, the speaker implies his
sexual intentions with his love interest by describing the relationship as being strengthened by a
flea that mixes their blood within itself. However, a flea is disgusting and it is only used to
support the speaker’s argument of how premarital sex would not cause rambunctious chaos like
blood mixing within a small creature.
The speaker builds up the connection with the targeted audience by using figurative
language. The speaker introduces the marriage bed and temple indicating that the speaker desired
intimacy with the subject of the poem, but the love interest denies the request as evident by “Oh
stay, three lives in one flea spare,” indicating that the interest is attempting to destroy the flea
and the three lives are his, hers, and the flea itself. By destroying the flea, the speaker’s audience
emphasizes how little she cares and wants the speaker to stop asking for intimacy.
Throughout “The Flea,” Donne uses specific diction that offers various interpretations.
The poem revolves around the denial of lust, hinted at by the use of the word “sucked.” Donne
uses this form of the word to insinuate a violent emotion towards the audience. The action
depicts forceful intrusion on part of the flea indicating how the speaker forces himself onto her
through his lust, but the speaker masks the interpretation by providing phrases, such as “our two
bloods mingled be” and “swells with one blood made of two,” which creates an interpretation of
bonding and marriage. However, the poem ends with the death of the flea, meaning that the
relationship has come to an end and the love interest successfully denies the speaker of his lust.
The structure of “The Flea” also holds significant meaning in the overall purpose of the
poem. The beginning contains the bonding of two people, represented by the blood mingling
within the flea. The central stanza introduces conflicts that plague the minds and emotions of the
speaker and love interest, such as the parents despising their connection. The final stanza
describes the conclusion of the connection between the speaker and love interest. This structure
is a universal thematic concept that may apply to various works of literature. This is most evident
in creation myth where life is created and seems to be harmonious until conflict arises and
humanity becomes flawed, leading to destruction. In this case, the conflict that arises is that the
speaker forces his lust onto the love interest, leading to the end of their connections.
Lastly, Donne uses irony to emphasize how the poem is a metaphor for sexual actions
that the speaker desires. The speaker decides to mix the blood of both people within a flea. The
flea is small and insignificant, yet strong connections are established within the creature. The
title, “The Flea,” suggests a fragile story because fleas are miniscule and destructive in nature. It
is ironic how the speaker tries to hide his lust by claiming early marriage within a flea, which is
not romantic. The flea shows how the speaker is willing to say anything in order to achieve his
desires, but the mixing of blood within a fragile and disgusting flea foreshadows the end between
the speaker and audience. The death of the flea was expected, indicating how humanity expects
connections between people to end if the driving factor in the relationship is sexual.
In conclusion, the speaker of “The Flea” creates a poem that embodies a universal
structure that foreshadows the end between the speaker and audience. Donne uses figurative
language and diction to introduce a different interpretation of “The Flea” regarding sex before
marriage and a forceful commitment. The use of irony with the mixing of the blood occurring
within an unromantic flea creates several instances of foreshadowing throughout the poem. The
poet utilizes the literary techniques to emphasize how insignificant a relationship built on lust is,
like the death of a flea.