Persuasion For Copulation By Way Of Fea Bite
.Wendy Crawford
HUM 3310 Interpretation of Fiction
Professor Kevin Miller
Module 2: Poetry Explication
Indiana Tech University
May 17, 2012
Persuasion for Copulation by Way of Flea Bite : One Man’s Inventive Justification for Sex
A common belief held during the sixteenth century was that during sex the two lover’s blood combined (source?). John Donne’s The Flea, is the story of a man’s use of a flea bite to convince a woman to have sex with him. Their blood is mingled by a flea bite from each, so they might as well complete the physical aspect of copulation. This paper describes how a flea bite is used by the main character to attempt to seduce a woman to have sex with him. The poem’s theme is one of seduction, focusing on …show more content…
The stressed and unstressed syllables alternate to form a rhythm, “Mark but this flea, and mark in this” (Donne, 712). In this opening line the stressed syllables are “Mark”, “flea”, “mark”, “this”. The following line is not stressed as much “How little that which thou deny’st me is”. Here only “How”, and “thou” are stressed the other words are not stressed. Notice the stressed words also rhyme. This poem alternates between iambic tetrameters and iambic pentameters. And after this fine-toothed analysis, move to what it means. This is the interpretation level you need to bring all you writing to in any literary …show more content…
At the time it was a commonly held belief that when two people had sex that their bloods literally mingled together during the act. “And in this flea our two bloods mingled be” (712). Furthermore virginity was expected to be kept until marriage and the main character attempts to sooth the maiden by telling her that she has committed no sin. “Thou know’st that this cannot be said, a sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead”(Donne, 712). Premarital sex was considered taboo during this time period.
Works Cited Donne, John. “The Flea”. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Eds. Jerome, Beaty, et al. 8th ed. New York: Norton. 712-713. Print Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 17 May. 2012 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/280450/iambic-tetrameter>. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 17 May. 2012
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/280446/iambic-pentameter>.
Jerome, The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Jerome, Beaty, et al 8th ed. New York: Norton. 712.
HUM 3310 Interpretation of Fiction
Professor Kevin Miller
Module 2: Poetry Explication
Indiana Tech University
May 17, 2012
Persuasion for Copulation by Way of Flea Bite : One Man’s Inventive Justification for Sex
A common belief held during the sixteenth century was that during sex the two lover’s blood combined (source?). John Donne’s The Flea, is the story of a man’s use of a flea bite to convince a woman to have sex with him. Their blood is mingled by a flea bite from each, so they might as well complete the physical aspect of copulation. This paper describes how a flea bite is used by the main character to attempt to seduce a woman to have sex with him. The poem’s theme is one of seduction, focusing on …show more content…
The stressed and unstressed syllables alternate to form a rhythm, “Mark but this flea, and mark in this” (Donne, 712). In this opening line the stressed syllables are “Mark”, “flea”, “mark”, “this”. The following line is not stressed as much “How little that which thou deny’st me is”. Here only “How”, and “thou” are stressed the other words are not stressed. Notice the stressed words also rhyme. This poem alternates between iambic tetrameters and iambic pentameters. And after this fine-toothed analysis, move to what it means. This is the interpretation level you need to bring all you writing to in any literary …show more content…
At the time it was a commonly held belief that when two people had sex that their bloods literally mingled together during the act. “And in this flea our two bloods mingled be” (712). Furthermore virginity was expected to be kept until marriage and the main character attempts to sooth the maiden by telling her that she has committed no sin. “Thou know’st that this cannot be said, a sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead”(Donne, 712). Premarital sex was considered taboo during this time period.
Works Cited Donne, John. “The Flea”. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Eds. Jerome, Beaty, et al. 8th ed. New York: Norton. 712-713. Print Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 17 May. 2012 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/280450/iambic-tetrameter>. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 17 May. 2012
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/280446/iambic-pentameter>.
Jerome, The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Jerome, Beaty, et al 8th ed. New York: Norton. 712.