Read these lines from "The Flea" by John Donne and answer the questions that follow:
Mark but this flea, and mark in this,
How little that which thou deniest me is;
Me it sucked first, and now sucks thee,
And in this flea our two bloods mingled be;
Thou know'st that this cannot be said
A sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhead;
And pampered swells with one blood made of two;
And this, alas, is more than we would do.
Question 1
Part A
Rewrite the lines in a plain style that is easy to understand.
Answer:
Observe this flea and see see how inconsequential it is you took from me. This flea took my blood, and then yours and our blood is mixed now. However, I won't regard this as a major loss or sin because the flea is fat with our blood, which is the least we could do for it.
Step-by-step explanation:
In this narration, the speaker compares the flea mixing their blood with sexual intercourse. He believes that since their blood is already mixed, it's no great dishonour if they were both to have sex.