“The Flea” by John Donne‚ written in the 17th century and first published in 1633 is a poem about persuasion‚ in that the narrator is trying to convince his partner to have sex with him. It isn’t a love poem‚ neither is it particularly crude or sexual. Donne manipulates the imagery of the flea into a conceit‚ in that the speaker is metaphorically using it as a persuasive tool in his bid to form a sexual union with the female. This in conjunction with the rhythm and rhyme scheme really puts emphasis
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John Donne and “The Bait” John Donne was born in 1572 into a Roman Catholic family. For most of his life he was an outsider‚ a Catholic in Protestant England. Yet‚ after traveling abroad and studying theology‚ Donne converted to the English church. During that time‚ some of his poems display his interest in and critiques of English society‚ as well as his quest for true religion. In 1596-97‚ Donne joins a military expedition against Catholic Spain‚ which inspired him to write two poems about life
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Paragraph 1. elements in British poetry remain constant 2. William Shakespeare and John Donne a. common themes of love and adoration 3. environment and customs affect a poet’s work II. Renaissance and 18th Century Comparisons 1. Renaissance a. drinking‚ gambling‚ gossip‚ theater b. Puritanism‚ a Calvinist attitude within the Anglican church c. issued a fine for not conforming to the established religion; not going to Protestant services d. betrothal: the two people join hands. Man gives her
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How does Donne treat physical and spiritual love in his works? Answer: As a Metaphysical poet‚ Donne often uses physical love to evoke spiritual love. Indeed‚ this metaphysical conceit in much of the love poetry is not explicitly spelled out. To this end‚ Donne’s poetry often suggests that the love the poet has for a particular beloved is greatly superior to others’ loves. Loving someone is as much a religious experience as a physical one‚ and the best love transcends mere physicality. In this
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in his prose book “The Dyers Hand and Other Essays” suggests “What makes it difficult for a poet not to tell lies is that‚ in poetry‚ all facts and all beliefs cease to be true or false and become interesting possibilities…It may not‚ perhaps‚ be absolutely necessary that he believe it‚ but it is certainly necessary that his emotions be deeply involved‚ and this they can never be unless‚ as a man‚ he takes it more seriously than as a mere poetic convenience.” It is Donne’s sensibility and his personal
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“The Flea” by John Donne Donne’s poem “The Flea” is about a man trying to convince a woman to have sex with him. As he is convincing the woman he compares the loss of the woman’s virginity to a flea since the flea has already been intimate with both his and her body and now their blood mingles within the flea. Not only is the speaker saying basically the woman has already had sex in a way‚ he’s also trying to show her how insignificant sex really is by using the flea as an example. At the end of
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JOHN DONNE‚ we sometimes forget‚ was an Elizabethan. Scholars do well to warn us against over-simplifying the pattern of literary change into a simple succession ofmovements and ’reactions’‚ and to remind us that in periods of heightened vitality developments in different directions often exist side by side.1 By no means all of what we now consider typically Elizabethan poetry was in existence when Donne began to write. It remains true‚ nevertheless‚ that Donne chose to do something different
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display of mutual affection. However‚ the poem‚ “The Flea” written by John Donne‚ changes the tradition of the romance perspective of sex by discussing intimacy in a straightforward manner.The poem is more of a crude satirical seduction rather than a romance poem. This lyrical piece is not a romance poem but a realistic approach to sex being an instinct‚ thus demonstrating a crude carpe diem viewpoint. To begin with‚ the speaker in John Donne’s poem has a crude carpe diem approach in which he tells the
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The Power of John Donne’s Poetry Louis Hunt John Carey’s description of Donne’s “power” is laudable‚ and to a certain extent‚ accurate. Carey captures the masculine nature of Donne’s tone; the vividness of Donne’s imagery; the subtle coercion of Donne’s metaphor. Carey also notes Donne’s application of syntax and rhythms‚ writing that Donne’s words‚ “are packed into the poems like boulders… Inversions and interjections fracture the run of the lines‚ necessitating a strenuous advance.” Carey
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Canonization by John Donne Love is true and pure‚ a divine experience‚ a way to live more and to surpass even death. It is a sublime fantasy that is real and better than the material world. Love is life’s paradox. This is the idea that John Donne is expressing in the poem The Canonization. It is a reply as well as a declaration that the poet makes to the world- a world that treats lovers harshly. He scorns the worldly‚ he questions the inquisitive‚ he proves the myths true‚ he places his love high and
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