The Flea
by John Donne
LO: to develop a critical
response to the poem The Flea
(AO1)
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.
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.
All students will be
able to recall the
narrative of The Flea
and make a personal
response to the text.
E+
Entry
level
C-D
A*- B
What is a
flea?
Aged 23
Aged 43
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 said
A 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 this
Our 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 since
Purpled 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 thou
Find'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.
metaphor
PAIRED TASK
Find as many techniques as you can in 5
minutes
EAL/ SEN- use a dictionary to find the key
words highlighted
simile
alliteration
5
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?
He said
angrily/
sorrowfully/
sweetly...
3
What do you think the
lady’s reaction is to what
is being said?
2
1
2
3
Pick a picture to represent the
couple in your stanza.
4
5
1
The Flea
by John Donne
LO: to develop a critical
response to the poem The Flea
(AO1)
Tell me about your stanza...
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 said
A 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.
5
Tell me about your stanza...
O stay, three lives in one flea spare,
Where we almost, yea, more than married are.
This flea is you and I, and this
Our 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.
5
Tell me about your stanza...
5
Cruel and sudden, hast thou since
Purpled 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 thou
Find'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 Flea
by John Donne
LO: to develop a critical
response to the poem The Flea
(AO1)
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.
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.
All students will be
able to recall the
narrative of The Flea
and make a personal
response to the text.
E+
Entry
level
C-D
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