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blogs.dickinson.edu blogs.dickinson.edu
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Flea
The Flea is the title and the central metaphor of the poem.
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Except in that drop which it sucked from thee?
Another rhetorical question here that implies an irrational concern
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Wherein could this flea guilty be
Rhetorical Question - implying that her concerns are irrational.
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self-murder
Donne uses a lot of religious imagery throughout as well, this is one of a few instances.
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enjoys
The flea being able to "enjoy" something is a use of personification from Donne. Donne writes as though the flea can have a human like emotion in this case.
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killing three
Hyperbole here as Donne exaggerates the significance of the flea, emphasizing the point that their sexual union would be a great loss or sin
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Let not to that, self-murder added be
Subtle pun - Donne refers to the woman's rejection as a form of self-murder, suggesting that by denying him, she is harming herself.
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marriage bed,
symbolism for sex
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marriage temple
another example of symbolism for sex
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