Customer center

We are a boutique essay service, not a mass production custom writing factory. Let us create a perfect paper for you today!

Example research essay topic: Sexual Intercourse Third Stanza - 1,343 words

NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote

John Donne's poems are similar in their content love, sex, and religion and dissimilar in the feelings they express. These subjects reflect the different stages of his life: the lust of his youth, the love of his married middle age, and the piety of the latter part of his life. The Flea presents the youthful restless feeling of lust with a true respect for women through the metaphysical conceit of the flea as a church in the rhythm of the sexual act. The speaker in The Flea is a restless, would-be lover who is trying to convince his beloved to give her virginity to him. In truth, it would be possible to envision the poet as a woman, but because Donne is male, and because this process of convincing is generally associated with men, it is easier to defend it being a man (and we lose little in assuming this). To convince his lover, the speaker employs a flea that is buzzing around the two to form three arguments.

The first stanza compares sexual intercourse to two people being bitten by the same flea. Both are connected by two bloods mingled; and the act of sex is defined by the mixing of fluids, not an act of love or lust. Yet the tone of the passage is one of playful curiousity, which suggests the smile on the face of the speaker as he envisions achieving his lusty goal. We can see the playfulness in his selection and treatment of the subject. A flea is not a normal object held in the light of love; in raising this conceit, we can see the unconventional way the speaker tries to sell his argument. He acts jealous of the flea because it received her blood before it woo.

The argument isnt intense or angry; it ends with a mock sigh: And this, alas, is more than we would do. The playful conceit of the first stanza lays the ground for the more outlandish claims of the second and third. The speaker next takes a more impassioned tone as he seeks to save the fleas life and embellishes his original conceit. As in the other stanzas, this arranges its four supporting arguments into three couplets and a triplet by rhyme.

However, whereas the first stanza fairly loosely held the ideas to couplets, the second shows more organization in thought. This further structure is necessary to support the conceit of the flea as a holy church. The support for this idea is arranged into the following four sub-arguments (connected by rhyme): one, do not kill the flea, because we have conceived within it; two, thus, the flea is like a marriage bed, and by extension, a marriage temple; three, despite your parents and your concerns, thats the way it is; and four, if you kill the flea, you commit three sins killing me, killing yourself, and sacrilege by violating the sanctity of the marriage temple. Note that Donne does present an argument to seduce his beloved in this stanza. His words are filled solely with reverence and concern for the flea. Through this we can see the earnestness and seriousness of the passion he has for his beloved: the sanctity of their relationship even their surrogate relationship within the flea is sacred to him.

Finally, the woman kills the flea, and the speaker uses this event to hammer home his final argument. He backs off the more intense tone of the second stanza and returns to the playful sentiment with mock indignation, protesting the fleas innocence to the crime for which he has been squashed. Finally, he returns the flea to its status as a bug, and tries once more for his would-be lover by asking for only the same blood that the flea has taken, quite painlessly. Thus, we can see the three stages of The Flea, separated by stanzas, as the speaker expresses his desire through the bug. The rhythm of The Flea mirrors that of sexual intercourse. We must define sexual rhythm before we begin the comparison; for simplicity's sake, let us assume that sex begins with foreplay, raises in intensity, climaxes, and then relaxes in its own enjoyment.

This rhythm is most obvious (and mirrored) in the life of the flea. It buzzes around, sucks some blood (foreplay), then the woman starts batting at it while the man protects it (intensity), and she finally kills it (climax). Then they discuss the life and death of the flea (relaxation). We can also see the rhythm in the tone of The Flea. As discussed above, the first stanza is playful, the second increases in seriousness, the death of the flea occurs before the third stanza, and finally, he returns, in part, to the playfulness of the first stanza while discussing it all again. There is also a distinct sexual rhythm seen in the meter, and sexual language in the diction.

Each rhyming couplet consists of one line of octameter followed by one of pentameter, and after three of these, the triplet has one line of octameter followed by two of pentameter. This uneven meter is presented to mirror a thrusting motion, with the end of two lines of pentameter being particularly strong (also, note that the climax comes immediately after two of these). In addition, particular metaphors that Donne features are extremely sexual. We see the lovers met/And cloistered in these living walls of jet. Although the direct meaning of the living walls is the inside of the flea, it is undeniable that this image is incredibly vaginal. These sexual elements reinforce the overriding sense of lust and desire within the speaker throughout the poem.

Note that this is feeling, not just factual. In employing arguments instead of merely descriptive language, we can see how Donne is a metaphysical poet. This is the feeling of lust, expressed through the mind of the speaker. As T. S.

Eliot says, in his essay The Metaphysical Poets, A thought to Donne was an experience; it modified his sensibility. This is why the rhythm of the poem is so sexual; it is also why the speakers arguments shift from stanza to stanza the way they do. A truly sustained course of lust, according to The Flea, must involve an overwhelming wave of emotions. We feel the simplicity of desire that makes the weaker argument of the first stanza flooding into the more passionate material of disparate elements flea and church compelled into unity by the operation of the poets mind. Finally, there is the readjustment in the third stanza that steps back from the passion of the second. This is the aftermath of lust in excess.

Thus, although the language is crude, the feelings aroused are acute. Despite the acute sexual overtones, we must recall and understand that Donne, like in his other poetry, is still very respectful to women. Specifically, the role of the woman in The Flea is not merely a sex object. Although the speaker is trying to convince her to yield, he also respects her. This is most evident in the power that he gives her his is only the power of words, the ability to make an argument. However, she has the choice of whether or not to give her virginity, and she has the choice of whether or not to kill the flea.

This murder, the only action in the entire poem, is reserved for her. [relate to benefit] this is real love poetry Donne employs common themes and objects of lust, love, and religion to express his own feelings about each. The focus in his poetry changes throughout his life, but these methods are consistently present. In The Flea, we see a poem about how desire pervades every part of the mans speech. However, this lust is also part of his religion. The sexual act cannot be disconnected with the sanctity of the church. And even though he desires her, his love and respect for women is always present.

The Flea is its own mingling of lust, love, and Christianity, married by Donne.


Free research essays on topics related to: sexual act, one line, third stanza, sexual intercourse, first stanza

Research essay sample on Sexual Intercourse Third Stanza

Writing service prices per page

  • $18.85 - in 14 days
  • $19.95 - in 3 days
  • $23.95 - within 48 hours
  • $26.95 - within 24 hours
  • $29.95 - within 12 hours
  • $34.95 - within 6 hours
  • $39.95 - within 3 hours
  • Calculate total price

Our guarantee

  • 100% money back guarantee
  • plagiarism-free authentic works
  • completely confidential service
  • timely revisions until completely satisfied
  • 24/7 customer support
  • payments protected by PayPal

Secure payment

With EssayChief you get

  • Strict plagiarism detection regulations
  • 300+ words per page
  • Times New Roman font 12 pts, double-spaced
  • FREE abstract, outline, bibliography
  • Money back guarantee for missed deadline
  • Round-the-clock customer support
  • Complete anonymity of all our clients
  • Custom essays
  • Writing service

EssayChief can handle your

  • essays, term papers
  • book and movie reports
  • Power Point presentations
  • annotated bibliographies
  • theses, dissertations
  • exam preparations
  • editing and proofreading of your texts
  • academic ghostwriting of any kind

Free essay samples

Browse essays by topic:

Stay with EssayChief! We offer 10% discount to all our return customers. Once you place your order you will receive an email with the password. You can use this password for unlimited period and you can share it with your friends!

Academic ghostwriting

About us

© 2002-2024 EssayChief.com