these all-important years are allowed to slip away then indeed catastrophe may overwhelm us all.
Churchill is saying that its paramount that we deal with this threat now before it's too late. The US and Britian have to be proactive rather than reactive about this threat.
nothing they admire so much as strength
They will love to have influence over as many as they can.
not the Liberated Europe we fought to build up.
They fought all these years in WWII to establish peace. The Soviet policies would offer little chance for this in years to come.
putting themselves up to auction between the Soviets and the Western Democracies.
This is a really bad scenario in Churchill's opinion. The Soviets sticking around and having an opportunity to expand their influence in Germany is not what the US or British leaders will want as an end to WWII.
pressure
Key word here. These Eastern European countries feel threatened by this pressure.
were very small
change is active. people need to be alert to this.
seeking everywhere to obtain totalitarian control.
This is what can gain the attention of the public. Although the communist parties have previously been smaller, they are rapidly growing and looking to gain control in these countries where possible.
increasing measure
Churchill believes that this is something that is continuing to spread. He infers that if something isn't done about this, the influence will only become greater.
I must call the Soviet sphere
The "Soviet sphere" is what Churchill describes as anywhere that the Soviets have influenced in Europe.
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.
This is widely regarded as the most famous line in this speech. The "iron curtain" is what Churchill uses to describe the Soviet Union's control over Eastern Europe and their communist influence.
Flea
The Flea is the title and the central metaphor of the poem.
Except in that drop which it sucked from thee?
Another rhetorical question here that implies an irrational concern
Wherein could this flea guilty be
Rhetorical Question - implying that her concerns are irrational.
self-murder
Donne uses a lot of religious imagery throughout as well, this is one of a few instances.
enjoys
The flea being able to "enjoy" something is a use of personification from Donne. Donne writes as though the flea can have a human like emotion in this case.
killing three
Hyperbole here as Donne exaggerates the significance of the flea, emphasizing the point that their sexual union would be a great loss or sin
Let not to that, self-murder added be
Subtle pun - Donne refers to the woman's rejection as a form of self-murder, suggesting that by denying him, she is harming herself.
marriage bed,
symbolism for sex
marriage temple
another example of symbolism for sex
Off
Repetition of "Off" again
far fairer world
another metaphor - suggesting that the woman's body is more beautiful than the world
The foe oft-times having the foe in sight, Is tir’d with standing though he never fight.
Irony here - this can be read as playful commentary
Off
repetition with the word "off" - continues after our section as well
heaven’s Zone glistering
metaphor here