When we think of a flea, a range of images and ideas come to mind. Some might reminisce about a childhood pet, while for others, a flea may conjure up more sinister thoughts, such as widespread illness; However, one topic that probably isn't at the top of the average person's list of immediately flea-related topics is premarital sex between two young lovers. Although, by conventional standards, a flea is far from a romantic metaphor for consummating a relationship, it is exactly the symbol that John Donne chooses to use in this poem. Through the use of literary symbolism, metaphors, and imagery centered on something so unrelated to its underlying meaning as a flea, "The Flea" depicts a desperate, albeit intelligent, young man formulating a clever argument to convince his beloved to sleep with him. Although there are a number of points in this poem where one might believe that it is simply a flea, the first two lines clearly reveal that the speaker has an ulterior motive behind what might otherwise be seen as a simple, somewhat impractical argument. Donne makes it clear that the flea is a complex metaphor for what really concerns him, and that it is certainly not a miserable flea. The phrase "mark... this" or "mark this" in the first line is the speaker's way of telling the person he is speaking to to take the example chip and realize the lesson he can from it. to pull. When he says, “Mark only this chip,” Donne emphasizes the insignificance of the chip by using the word “but” to mean something that resembles a chip only (Donne 1038). The second line further reinforces the idea that bullet points are of little importance; however, this line also reveals what the speaker'...... middle of paper ...... me and meter which further reinforce his main point. By the end of this complex poem, a flea has somehow become a logical romantic symbol, and comparing a flea to premarital sex doesn't seem as strange as it did at the beginning. The speaker's compelling, if unconventional, argument has come full circle from labeling the chip as something insignificant in the first stanza to describing it as sacred in the second stanza, and then bringing back the flea at his waist in the final verse to show that even things that may seem sacred are not in reality. Although Donne does not tell the reader how the girl reacts to the speaker's intelligent argument, even if it is rejected, it will not be for lack of trying. Works Cited Donne, John. “The flea”. Bedford's compact introduction to literature. Ed. Michael Meyer.9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. 1038-1039. Print.