Question

2
what does the phrase \purpled thy nail\ refer to in this excerpt from \the flea\ by john donne?
cruel and sudden, hast thou since
purpled thy nail in blood of innocence?
a. an injury the speakers beloved incurred as he wooed her
b. the shared blood of the speaker and his beloved in the flea
c. the loss of the beloveds innocence symbolized by the flea
d. the beloveds sudden cruel treatment of the speaker

Explanation:

In John Donne's The Flea, the poem centers on a flea that has bitten both the speaker and his beloved, mixing their blood inside it. When the beloved kills the flea, her nail is stained with the mixed blood of both (the "blood of innocence" refers to the flea's innocent life and the shared blood). Option A is incorrect because the injury is to the flea, not the beloved. Option C misinterprets the symbolism; the flea symbolizes unity, not the loss of innocence directly. Option D is wrong as the phrase refers to the blood from the flea, not cruelty toward the speaker.

Answer:

B. the shared blood of the speaker and his beloved in the flea