The Flea by John Donne is a poem about a man who is tying to woo a woman that he is interested in. The poem has a rhyme scheme of aa, bb, cc, ddd. At the beginning of the poem, it is stated that there is a flea that has bit both this man and woman. The man proceeds to use the flea biting the both of them as a way to persuade the woman to be with him. The man says “And in this flea our two bloods might mingled be” meaning that they are basically already joined together. One can also assume he is trying to have sex with her because he says “loss of maidenhead” meaning loss of virginity. He then speaks of a possible pregnancy by saying “one blood made of two.” At the end of this poem he reader can assume that the woman denies him because she kills the flea. In turn killing the so-called bond that he had claimed they had.
John Donne’s next poem, Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, is a poem about a man having to leave his wife for a period of time. This poem is a romantic poem. John Donne uses metaphors to get his points across. For instance he compares him separating his wife to a men dying and separating from their dead bodies. Physically they are apart but spiritually they will always be together. He then compares their relationship to that of the two hands of a compass. They are two separate things but they move as one. Donne uses similes, also. He says that the “expansion” of their souls is the same as the expansion of gold. John Donne also states “thy firmness makes my circle just.” A circle is a symbol of perfection and something that is never-ending, such as the love between a husband and wife. In terms of writing style, he uses a lot of alliteration and uses an abab rhyme scheme.
Rita Dove takes a different form of writing into her poem, Fox Trot Fridays, by adding the flow of the well-known dance. The pacing of the poem is similar to the fox trot. The poem itself is about how Friday is a day of relaxation and finally taking all the stress away. Rita Dove uses a simile saying that it is as “Smooth as Nat King Cole’s slow satin smile.” This relates to the idea of an easy going day and the slow rhythm of the Fox Trot. Rita Dove also brings in biblical references such as the creation of man and woman by stating “rib to rib.” Dove brings us back to a time where heartache was nonexistent and humans lived in a true paradise, the Garden of Eden. She wants the reader to really understand that Friday is when you take the stress of the week and place is somewhere else.
Billie Bolton really takes a different style in writing poetry, by making it in the style of a memo. While reading Memorandum, you get into a rhythm of how it should be read and a pace is set for the rest of the work of literature. Each section of this “memo” is a stanza and they each portray a different feeling that she has towards her terrible boyfriend.
These poems are different in style and technique but all have one similarity. They all express the feelings that one has towards a lover. The Flea discusses the issue of sex, Valediction: Forbidding Mourning discusses the idea of leaving one’s lover for a period of time, Fox Trot Fridays talks about how Friday night brings upon the feeling of unbroken hearts and Memorandum talks about this woman’s disdain of her boyfriend’s ways.
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