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John Donne

John Donne
John Donne was born in London in 1572. He began to
question the Catholic faith and converted to the Church of
England.

Much of his poetry was published after his death.

Both poems on the course for 2015 come from the first
part of his life when he was still a young, single man who
was living life to the full.

Background
Poems about fleas were very common in Donnes time.
They were written to entertain. Donnes poem is witty and
imaginative. He takes a trivial incident to make a serious
point.

The serious point is that by sucking the blood of the

speaker and of the woman, the flea has become a symbol
of their union.

The Flea
In this poem, the poet is trying to persuade a woman to
sleep with him.

An example of a courting poem.

Metaphysical Conceit = Comparing two very different
objects in a clever way to provide an insight to a situation.

Metaphor based poem

Stanza breakdown
Stanza One: The flea has bitten the woman. The speaker argues that

the flea has bitten both of them and therefore mixed their bloods
inside its body. The speaker then tries to persuade the woman to let
him follow the fleas example. The speaker argues that what the flea
has done is not a sin. The poet longs for a intimate relationship and
argues that the flea has bitten the woman without courting or wooing.

Stanza Two: The woman wants to kill the flea but the poet wont let

her as he argues that they are married by the flea. The poet playfully
argues that they are married without any parental consent. The poet
argues that if the woman kills the flea she will have three murders on
her hands her own, the fleas and the poets.

Stanza Breakdown
Stanza three: The woman has suddenly and cruelly killed the
flea. The poets arguments have been in vain. The speaker tries to
turn the womans arguments against her. He agrees that neither
of them are weaker because she has killed the flea. He says that
his fears were unjusitifed just like how hers are. He is trying to
convince her that she will not loss honour.

The poem ends in the future tense which suggests that the poet
believes that he will have success.

The Flea

Song: Go and catch a falling star

The poets main point in this poem is that a beautiful
woman who is faithful and pure doesnt exist.

The poem suggests that it is impossible to discover a

woman who is both beautiful and honest, just as it is

impossible to carry out the other tasks listed in the poem.

The speaker is a cynic a person who does not believe in

the sincerity or honesty of others.

The listing style of the poem is to express the poets point

Stanza Breakdown
Stanza One: The speaker lists a number of tasks that we cannot do:
1.Catch a falling star
2.Get a mandrake (a poisonous plant with forked roots) pregnant
3.Explain what became of all the years that have passed since the world
was created.
4.Discover who caused the devils foot to be divided
5.Teach the speaker how to hear the singing of the mermaids
6.Prevent the sharp jabs of jealous people
7.Find a wind that will bring good fortune to anyone who is honest.

Stanza Breakdown
Stanza Two: The speaker claims that a woman who is beautiful and
faithful cannot be found anywhere. He says that even if a person set out
for 1,000 days and nights, they would not find what they were looking for.

Stanza Three: The poet says that he will set off himself on the journey.
They he changes his mind. He says that by the time he would reach this
woman she would have been unfaithful to her with two or three different
men.

The poem ends on a pessimistic and cynical note. The poet sees no hope
for honesty in a relationship.