"The Flea"

In "The Flea" John Donne is able to use diction, and metaphor to persuade his lover into becoming intimate with him. The Flea, which the poem is entitled reflects the love that the speaker and his lover already share. the poem says it sucks me first and now sucks thee", which means that their bloods are already mixed together. From the speakers stand point the the blood which is mixed within the flea is just like them being intimate. In the sixteenth century of Donne's time it was believed that having sex with someone also meant their bloods were mixing. With this established in the first stanza the speaker continually uses the flea to illustrate what has "technically" already happened.

Donne's use of diction also adds to the speakers persuasive and pleading tone. In the second stanza Donne uses the words married, marriage bed, marriage temple, met , to illustrate the connection that the speaker and his love have together. Donne also uses the words spare, kill, self-murder sacrilege, three sins and killing, these words are used to make the speaker's lover feel as if she has committed a sin and she is the one who should feel guilty of a violation for not being intimate with him. the diction continues in the third and final stanza when Donne uses contrasting words, innocence and guilty. these words also make "the flea" something innocent and the lover in the poem the guilty one.

IN conclusion Donne was able to create a rather comical, persuasive plea for the speakers to convince his love to sleep with him. The diction was most successful in making it seem as the speaker's lover was the guilty one for wanting to hold on to her virginity until she is married. Personally i think that this poem is funny, creative and skillful in the use of diction and metaphor to illustrate the small difference between intimacy and a flea who has bitten two ppl. I do wonder if this poem was successful, if this was actually used by Donne.