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开始:2025-08-26

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成绩预发布时间 2025-12-28

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The flea

By 姚思蕊2022级 10-03 35次浏览

What does the image "the flea" signify? Do you think it is natural to connect love with a flea?

1 所有答案

  • 赵烨媛 10-09

    In John Donne's poem "The Flea," the flea is a clever and provocative symbol. It represents the intimate union of the speaker and his beloved. The flea has bitten both of them, mixing their blood. The speaker uses this to argue that their physical connection is already accomplished. He claims killing the flea would be "three sins in killing three"—murdering the flea, and destroying their joined lives.

     

    Naturally, connecting love with a flea seems strange. Fleas are pests associated with dirt and discomfort, unlike traditional romantic symbols like roses or doves. However, this is the point of Donne's metaphysical poetry. He takes an unlikely, even repulsive image and uses it to explore profound ideas. By doing so, he challenges conventional notions of love and intimacy. The flea forces the reader to confront the physical, biological reality of love beyond idealized romance. In this way, it becomes a powerful, if unexpected, vehicle for his argument.

     

     

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