Example research essay topic: 17 Th Century 21 St Century - 1,092 words

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... ans on this earth for reproduction, or that He will take care of them. All of these excuses bring religion into the matter, which could be an effective tool in reasoning with women to consent to sexual intercourse. Donne's second poem, "The Flea, " brings many strategies of seduction to light. The poem begins with the image of a flea that represents sexual. For the remainder of the poem, Donne uses the "flea" as a metaphor implying that intercourse is as small and insignificant as a flea.

Donne begins the first stanza, "Mark but this flea, and mark in this/ How little that which thou deny " st me is" (1 - 2). He is telling his woman that whether or not he sleeps with him is inconsequential, suggesting that sex in general is a trivial matter. He continues the first stanza in the same manner, comparing sex to a flea's bite, or nothing significant at all. He writes to his woman, "Thou know " st that this cannot be said/ A sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhead" (5 - 6). In essence he is saying that sex is not a big deal. In the second stanza, Donne urges the woman not to kill the flea because it will kill both of them as well as their relationship: "Though use make you apt to kill me/ Let not to this, self murder added be/ And sacrilege, three sins in killing three. " (16 - 18) The third stanza opens with Donne asking the woman why she crushed the flea when it did nothing to her: "Cruel and sudden, hast thou since/ Purpled thy nail, in blood of innocence?" (19 - 20).

However, a few lines later Donne adds that it does not matter that she crushed the flea, trying to make her think that his love for her is true regardless of whether or not they have sex. This could be to convince her that he really is worth sleeping with. He writes, "Yet thou triumph " st, and say " st that thou/ Find " st not thyself, nor me the weaker now" (23 - 24). This points out that even if she killed the flea, their love would still stand strong. This would allay any fears the woman might have about the effects of sexual intercourse on their relationship. And as his final plea, Donne tells his woman, "Just so much honour, when thou yield " st to me/ Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee, " (26 - 27) or that she will not lose any honour by sleeping with him.

This also is trying to alleviate any concern the woman might have about losing her virginity and the effects of sex on the relationship. In the 21 st century, men use these and similar ploys to get women to consent to sexual intercourse. The idea that sex is not a big deal is widely used to allay the apprehension of sexual relations. The unfortunate element is that this is becoming so widespread that intercourse is taken lightly these days. But the idea is still commonly heard. The other technique Donne used, in asking his woman why she wouldn't sleep with him but then saying that the answer isn't important, also holds true today.

Men will frequently pressure their woman to sleep with them but always reinforce the idea that whether they sleep with them or not is unimportant. The actuality of the situation is that the man is often trying to seem caring and thoughtful so as to sweet-talk the woman into having intercourse. This is not always the case but by acting out of concern and consideration the man is inadvertently saying that he is worth sleeping with, and that will work just as well. Furthermore, Donne's argument that killing the flea will in turn kill the feelings in the relationship is similar to the prevalent notion that by not sleeping with someone it means that you do not love them.

Donne explains that refusing intercourse will kill him. Today, it translates into killing the love, or in other words, "it must mean you don't love me. " At the present time, the argument "if you loved me then you would sleep with me" prevails. Associating love with doing sexual favors is common practice: the more you love someone, the more willing you should be to perform sexual acts. This is a conventionalized idea in modern relationships and it is seen frequently.

Lastly, Donne's arguments that honor will not be lost as a result of intercourse is taken to a higher level today. Sex is becoming more and more of a prize of sorts; the more popular or attractive you are, the more sex you should be getting. In turn, you are more popular and attractive if you have sexual experience. It even goes so far as to define social status for men: the more women they sleep with, the "better" they are.

The themes presented in 17 th century seduction poems are relevant today, in the 21 st century. Men will still go great distances to get a woman in bed, and in today's society, sometimes the role is reversed. Either way, when sex is desired, the same ploys are used to get it. Going after sweet spots in a woman's heart is common practice. Professing unconditional love, like Marvell in "His Coy Mistress, " is still used to get women in bed. It makes them feel secure in a relationship, which in turn makes them more likely to have sex with their partner.

Building up the relationship, like Donne in "A Valediction: forbidden Mourning, " will also make a woman feel secure in a relationship in modern times by establishing dependability; it also romanticizes the relationship. If a woman feels she is being swept off her feet by Prince Charming, she will be more likely to get in bed. Allaying a woman's fears will also convince her to consent to sex, much like in Donne's first stanza of "The Flea. " He reassures his woman that sex is not a big deal. These days sex really has become quite inconsequential and men do not have difficulty pointing that out to a woman they are trying to sleep with. Generally, many of the basic ideas expressed in 17 th century poetry are similar to those presented today in relationships. Making excuses, finding arguments, allaying fears, and professing true love are all still utilized to speed along the occurrence of sexual relations.

Research essay sample on 17 Th Century 21 St Century