Work for 10/10: "The Flea" by John Donne

The Prompt:  How does Donne use a conceit to develop his ideas about sex?

The poem: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175764

To begin,  answer these questions to acquaint yourself with your poem:

1.     What can you predict about the poem based on the title?

2.     For every pronoun, draw a line back and circle the antecedent.

3.     What does Donne describe the flea doing in the first stanza?  What does he compare the flea to?

4.     Why doesn’t Donne want his audience to kill the flea?  Use textual evidence.

5.     Interpret the twist at the end. 

Here is an example of the type of paragraph I expect, using your new poem, "The Flea":

Cowley compares himself to a picture. At first, the picture represents a younger version of himself. In the second stanza, he explains how her presence brings the picture to life, making it a "substance," and he becomes a "shadow" due to her absence. However, in the final stanza we learn that the love interest does not like "substance" in a romantic partner, so she will prefer the speaker, who has become "less than" the picture - "a picture's picture." Cowley uses the conceit of a picture to show how a lover's absence will drain life out of a person, but that women who prefer less lively men will find this attractive.

Inverted Syntax Read 20 Questions

Information and Essentials
What is inverted syntax? (Use your glossary).

What are two reasons a poet might use inverted syntax? (Read the whole article before answering).

Vocabulary
Show me you understand
"subject" and "predicate" by breaking a line of poetry down into the subject and the predicate.
BONUS: What is a subordinate conjunction? Why do you think it's called "subordinate"?


Connections and Inferences
What did the author do to figure out the subject of Donne's first line? How does this change our initial understanding?

Point and Purpose
Choose one other example from the text. Explain how the poet uses inverted syntax and to what effect.

Unit 1 Vocabulary

Unit 1: Chopin’s Choices

Academic Vocabulary

affirm

convey

depict

develop

employ

evoke

illuminate

illustrate

imply

typify

Content Vocabulary

omniscient

subjective

archetype

epitome

paragon

foil

synesthesia

litotes

denouement

Possible Prompts for Essay Exam, Monday 10/7

2006: Many writers use a country setting to establish values within a work of literature. For example, the country may be a place of virtue and peace or primitivism and ignorance. Choose a novel or play in which such a setting plays a significant role. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the country setting functions in the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

1973: An effective literary work does not merely stop or cease; it concludes. In the view of some critics, a work that does not provide the pleasure of significant “closure” has terminated with an artistic fault. A satisfactory ending is not, however, always conclusive in every sense; significant closure may require the reader to abide with or adjust to ambiguity and uncertainty. In a well-organized essay, discuss the ending of a novel or play of acknowledged literary merit. Explain precisely how and why the ending appropriately or inappropriately concludes the work. Do not merely summarize the plot.

2002: Morally ambiguous characters—characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good—are at the heart of many works of literature. Choose a novel or play in which a morally ambiguous characters plays a pivotal role. Then write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.