Poetry, Gross Gory and Garish:

Poetry is only ever a message overly exagerrated and overly coated with words. It is intention wrapped by specifically crafted words. “The Flea” by John Donne is a perfect example of this. His poem, which is crafted around the intention of seduction, is coated with extended metaphors and references to religion, sex, and death. It wonderfully coats the indecency of the subject in a poem that at first glance seems to be about a loving couple. The extended euphemism for such a polar idea to what is presented is interesting to see. It is only humanly natural to cover up our flaws and things we deem taboo. To convey it with garnish and frosting paints a pretty picture of what is meant to be harsh. Dressing up disturbing ideas in a supposed idyllic nature is a wonderful thing to disturb the reader. By making the reader feel guilty about thinking differently, although it was intended. It is a technique that not only shocks the reader into realising the true nature of the piece but also allows different interpretations to take place that can link to the main idea put forth by the reader. It leaves space for the reader’s interpretation to take place but also imposes the flipside to their interpretation by merging the intended message with the inferred one. A truly interesting technique that I will carry forward.

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