My Fanciful Accounts

Spent the past week writing a grant. Doesn't leave much leftover on the creative front (as if;). I wrote this essay waaaaay back in the day. Found it while cleaning out drawers and thought I'd share. As much as things change, the more they remain the same.


Exploring Flea Bite Morality

In John Donne's "The Flea," the lover presents to his lady love a humorously preposterous argument that losing one's virginity is no more than a flea bite. When the lady attempts to kill the flea, her lover further argues that to kill the flea would be to destroy him, her, and the "marriage temple" (line 13) where they were united by the flea. The lady love reacts to this argument by killing the flea. She triumphantly declares that no one is "weaker now" (line 24) as a result of the flea's death. Instead of admitting defeat, the lover uses his lady's words to further his argument. Since nothing of importance has been lost by the death of the flea, the lady would, therefore, suffer no more than a flea bite if she would just surrender her "honor" (line 25) to him.

"The Flea" consists of three, nine-line stanzas. The rhyming pattern is that of aabbccddd. The lines alternate between eight syllables and ten syllables per line. Donne utilizes the language device of alliteration several times. For example: "A sin, nor shame," (line 6), or "Tis true; then learn how false, fears be;" (line 24). In the first example the 's' sound is repeated. In the second example the "t" and then the "f" sounds are repeated.
Figure of speech, specifically the extended metaphor, can be seen in the way the flea remains central to the argument throughout the twenty-seven lines, never once diverting from the argument. The flea is seen, firstly, as a way to unite the lovers without moral protest. Next, it is argued that killing the flea would be seen as a criminal act, not once, but three times:
       
          Though use make you apt to kill me.

          Let not to that self-murder added be,

          And sacrilege, three sins in killing three. (lines 16-18)

Indeed, it is the flea's death with lack of consequences that the lover will use to cement his argument:

          "Tis true; then learn how false, fears be,

          Just so much honor, when thou yield'st to me,

          Will waste, as this flea's death took from me. (lines 24-26)

Since nothing happened when the flea died, yielding her "honor" (line 25) to him will have the same consequence as a flea bite.

With focus and humor, the poet has used a flea bite to convince the lady love to forfeit her virginity to her lover. Why use flowers and tender words when a flea bite will do? Donne, in "The Flea," makes his argument convincingly and logically. It appears the lady love will have to either succumb to her lover's logic or come up with her own extended metaphor of refusal. Each stanza, though brief, is concentrated in its meaning. The comparison of lost virginity to a flea bite is witty, original, and surprisingly logical.

That being written, how weird is it that I miss doing this kind of stuff?