Ironic Symbolism in the the Flea and Unkknown Citizen
Chloe McKee
English 112- Formal Essay 1
February 28, 2011
Morals, Personality and True Identity
Ironic Symbolism is used to define the conflicts within “The Flea” by John Donne and “The Unknown Citizen” by W.H Auden by having a significant object, which is a flea and a monument, which represent a conflict that is portrayed throughout the poem. The flea represents three different arguments that are introduced in each stanza based on sex and the morals behind it. The monument in the “Unknown Citizen”, symbolizes the model citizen only based on statistics and not the true identity of the human such as their personality. Both these authors create a compelling conflict with arguments and evidence which can be portrayed through the ironic symbolism of the flea as well as the monument. John Donne’s “The Flea” is a seductive poem in which the author introduces a flea as a symbol of morals, sex, marriage and a reference to Jesus and his innocence. By the end of the poem the author has created a very convincing argument as to why sex with him should be considered. He has proved that it is not only a big deal, but that it would just show their compassion for one another. He argues that if she did not then he is worried that she will be breaking her own morals. The symbol of the flea changes throughout the poem and represents three different sides that are evidence to his argument. The first argument portrays sex as insignificant and that it could not be reflected as a dishonor. He says that sex cannot be seen as bad considering a flea bite is not thought of as a sin. A critic of Donne believes that “the man was depicted as the enemy who only had sex on his mind. He thought that he could trick the women into believe that sex was not against her beliefs because supposedly if she had killed the flea it is not considered a sin so how is sex” (Mansour). After diminishing the significance of the lover’s virginity, Donne moves on to images of combined blood. The flea has sucked
English 112- Formal Essay 1
February 28, 2011
Morals, Personality and True Identity
Ironic Symbolism is used to define the conflicts within “The Flea” by John Donne and “The Unknown Citizen” by W.H Auden by having a significant object, which is a flea and a monument, which represent a conflict that is portrayed throughout the poem. The flea represents three different arguments that are introduced in each stanza based on sex and the morals behind it. The monument in the “Unknown Citizen”, symbolizes the model citizen only based on statistics and not the true identity of the human such as their personality. Both these authors create a compelling conflict with arguments and evidence which can be portrayed through the ironic symbolism of the flea as well as the monument. John Donne’s “The Flea” is a seductive poem in which the author introduces a flea as a symbol of morals, sex, marriage and a reference to Jesus and his innocence. By the end of the poem the author has created a very convincing argument as to why sex with him should be considered. He has proved that it is not only a big deal, but that it would just show their compassion for one another. He argues that if she did not then he is worried that she will be breaking her own morals. The symbol of the flea changes throughout the poem and represents three different sides that are evidence to his argument. The first argument portrays sex as insignificant and that it could not be reflected as a dishonor. He says that sex cannot be seen as bad considering a flea bite is not thought of as a sin. A critic of Donne believes that “the man was depicted as the enemy who only had sex on his mind. He thought that he could trick the women into believe that sex was not against her beliefs because supposedly if she had killed the flea it is not considered a sin so how is sex” (Mansour). After diminishing the significance of the lover’s virginity, Donne moves on to images of combined blood. The flea has sucked
Cited: Auden, W.H. "W.H Auden "The Unknown Citizen"" The Literary Link. Web. 07 Feb. 2011. <http://theliterarylink.com/un.html>. Donne, John. ""The Flea"" The Literary Link. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://theliterarylink.com/un.html>. Mansour, Wisam. “Donne’s The Flea.” The Explicator 65.1 (2006) 7+. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. Meyer, Bruce. “An Essay on “The Unknown Citizen”.” Poetry for Students. Detroit: Gale. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.