The Flea by John Donne

The Fleaby John Donne

LO: to develop a critical response to the poem The

Flea (AO1)

All students will be able to recall the

narrative of The Flea and make a personal response to the text.

Most students will make more detailed reference to text; discuss thoroughly and

thoughtfully characters/relationships;probe the sub-text with increasing

confidence;select and evaluate relevant textual

details.

Some students will make increasingly assured selection of relevant detail; are able to speculate/offer tentative judgements; are able to evaluate characters/relationships and attitudes/motives and may show appreciation of how writers use language to achieve specific effects.

C-D

E + Entry level

A*- B

What is a flea?

Aged 43Aged 23

Donne as a young man wrote

about...

pain

As an older man he became deeply religious and wrote sermons on sin, preparing for death and our place in God’s kingdom.

MARK but this flea, and mark in this,How little that which thou deniest me is ;It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.Thou know'st that this cannot be saidA sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead ;    Yet this enjoys before it woo,    And pamper'd swells with one blood made of two ;    And this, alas ! is more than we would do.

O stay, three lives in one flea spare,Where we almost, yea, more than married are.This flea is you and I, and thisOur marriage bed, and marriage temple is.Though parents grudge, and you, we're met,And cloister'd in these living walls of jet.    Though use make you apt to kill me,    Let not to that self-murder added be,    And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.

Cruel and sudden, hast thou sincePurpled thy nail in blood of innocence?Wherein could this flea guilty be,Except in that drop which it suck'd from thee?Yet thou triumph'st, and say'st that thouFind'st not thyself nor me the weaker now.'Tis true ; then learn how false fears be ;Just so much honour, when thou yield'st to me,Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.

PAIRED TASKFind as many techniques as you can in

5 minutesEAL/ SEN- use a dictionary to find the

key words highlighted

5

Imagery

alliteration

Form?Rhythm & rhyme scheme

simile

metaphor

Take a stanza each to attempt to answer the questions:

How is the speaker attempting to persuade the lady? (5) 5

What does the flea signify in this stanza? 4

What tone is adopted by the speaker? 3

He said angrily/ sorrowfully/ sweetly...

What do you think the lady’s reaction is to what is being said? 2

Pick a picture to represent the couple in your stanza. 1

1 2 3

4 5

The Fleaby John Donne

LO: to develop a critical response to the poem The

Flea (AO1)

Tell me about your stanza...5

MARK but this flea, and mark in this,How little that which thou deniest me is ;It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be.Thou know'st that this cannot be saidA sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead ;    Yet this enjoys before it woo,    And pamper'd swells with one blood made of two ;    And this, alas ! is more than we would do.

Tell me about your stanza...5

O stay, three lives in one flea spare,Where we almost, yea, more than married are.This flea is you and I, and thisOur marriage bed, and marriage temple is.Though parents grudge, and you, we're met,And cloister'd in these living walls of jet.    Though use make you apt to kill me,    Let not to that self-murder added be,    And sacrilege, three sins in killing three.

Tell me about your stanza...5

Cruel and sudden, hast thou sincePurpled thy nail in blood of innocence?Wherein could this flea guilty be,Except in that drop which it suck'd from thee?Yet thou triumph'st, and say'st that thouFind'st not thyself nor me the weaker now.'Tis true ; then learn how false fears be ;Just so much honour, when thou yield'st to me,Will waste, as this flea's death took life from thee.

The Fleaby John Donne

LO: to develop a critical response to the poem The

Flea (AO1)

All students will be able to recall the

narrative of The Flea and make a personal response to the text.

Most students will make more detailed reference to text; discuss thoroughly and

thoughtfully characters/relationships;probe the sub-text with increasing

confidence;select and evaluate relevant textual

details.

Some students will make increasingly assured selection of relevant detail; are able to speculate/offer tentative judgements; are able to evaluate characters/relationships and attitudes/motives and may show appreciation of how writers use language to achieve specific effects.

C-D

E + Entry level

A*- B

Choose from the list of words on the board write at the bottom of your page

to remind you of key features.

Love Lust Friendship Control Pain

Passion Hate Emotion Manipulation Religion

Power Security Honour Obligation Equality

Marriage Physical Family Sex Blood

Disease Jealousy Infidelity

5