The Theme of Carpe Diem in Robert Herrick's To the Virgins to Make Much of Time

As Wendy Martin says “the poem leaves the reader with painful impression of a woman in her mid-fifties, who having lost her domestic comforts is left to struggle with despair. Although her loss is mitigated by the promise of the greater rewards of heaven, the experience is deeply tragic.” (75)

     The meaning of the first stanza is do the things you need to get done because tomorrow the opportunity may not exist. It states this by saying gather rosebuds while you can because that beautiful flower “tomorrow will be dying” (Herrick 385). The next stanza talks about the Sun’s life from dawn to dusk. By describing it’s race against time it is telling a person that there is not much sunlight so make the most of it To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time and Carpe Diem

While the lustful lover of Marvell’s poem also bases his “love” on physical beauty, the speaker in Herrick’s poem neither condones nor condemns this societal standard, but simply acknowledges its existence. Because he realizes beauty plays a huge role in society’s standards for marriage, he urges the virgins he addresses to “go marry” (14). He explains that they “may for ever tarry” if they do not marry “when youth and blood are warmer” and they are in their “prime” (16,10,15). After all, who wants to marry some gnarly old woman?

This last stanza uses more elevated language to express more complicated emotions such as awe, humility and repentance. The early verses express simple anger in simple terms. This last stanza differs noticeably from the first two in the language it uses and the sentiments it expresses. To start off he admits he has made a mistake “I see that I’ve been carried away” l.43. This is the first time he uses a 1st person narrative. It helps the reader believe he is sincere. The poet adopts a humbled tone when he expresses embarrassment at his earlier attack on the “coward trees” and feels ashamed: “foolish in my judgments” l.46. Instead of denying his previous statements he takes responsibility for them.

In both poems there is a sense of urgency. Certainly, the theme of carpe diem is in Herrick's verse as he utilizes the sun and its measure of a day as a metaphor for the swift passage of time. Even though Herrick and Marvell take different approaches toward the sun as a timekeeper, both their poems stress the need to enjoy love while there is yet time.

The first stanza concludes by stating, “The carriage held but just ourselves/And Immortality” (Lines 3-4). These lines are used to acknowledge that there is a difference between death and time, because while they work in unison they still are not one and the same. Time has control over our lives during both mortality and

If the speaker knows for sure that she could see her lover again, she would be willing to wait for years, decades, and even centuries if she knew for sure that they would meet. Based on the text, the speaker only wishes to have a confirmation that their reunion will be certain. What happens between now and the moment they meet will not be of any significance. Moreover, the speaker states that she would willingly endure anything in order to have that confirmation, even death. Altogether, these two stanzas direct the reader to the overall theme of the

To what extent may an argument be framed as believable or serious? Persuasion on seizing the day is a common theme in Robert Herrick’s poem, “To the Virgins, To Make Much of Time” and Andrew Marvel’s “To His Coy Mistress”. The arguments within the poems can seem unrealistic, a little hyperbolic, with an underlying intent to acquire a woman to sleep with them. The concrete position of all the arguments within the two poems seems to be, getting a woman to sleep with them. The two poets posses similarities between the two pieces of poetry, however argue the topics in different ways. Beauty is not forever lasting, coyness put aside, while pleasure embraced, and time is of the essence; are all points made to intrigue women to be with them. To focus on those points a little: The beauty of a woman is compared to aspects of nature. Herrick’s poem only looks at the physical qualities of a woman, unlike Marvel’s, which references personality along with physical traits. Sexual passion embraced, and coyness set aside? The poets, both urge women to act upon sexual urges while they stay youthful, but if a woman was told they are not going to be desired when older, would they actually want to be with someone who tells them that? Time is moving quickly and its made known within the poems. Herrick is an advocate to relate everything to physical aspects, so of course he says a woman’s beauty diminishes quickly. Marvel does not relate beauty and time together, instead he would

The first stanza is addressed to ‘old men’ and how they should not simply slip away and die quietly, they should fight death until the end. Poetic techniques

I think its talking about people thinking about their youth and realizing that they took their youth for granted now that their older and can’t do as

Death is the major speaker of this poem, its persona shows how cruel and violent it can be, however she also speaks of getting everything out of life you can before death. Starting with line twenty three of the poem she begins talking about living a full life before death, "When it 's over, I want to say all my life/I was a bride married to amazement/I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms." (23-25). Being a bride married to amazement is a comparison to commitment, being with the same person every day. However in this case with a lifestyle instead. Doing amazing and memorable things every possible day you can, not letting life pass you by. This also fits perfectly with the next few lines

In order to occupy her child, the mother dresses her daughter up to go sing in the children’s choir at church in the fifth stanza. She brushes her hair, bathes her, and puts on her gloves and shoes. Randall appeals to the senses in this stanza; he uses a metaphor here to inform the reader a visual that the family is African American. She has “night-dark” hair and small brown hands. She is dressed in white and smells of sweet rose petals. The mother takes the girls mind off of the Freedom March and fixes it on the children’s choir. The tone is one of content. The sixth stanza is a

The first four stanzas are questions and answers in the form of dialogue; the daughter asking to be in the freedom march and the mother telling her it is too dangerous. The mother tells her that the dogs will be fierce, the guns will fire, and there will be clubs and hoses. In these stanzas the author uses repetition and word choice to create the tone of a wary mother telling her daughter ‘no’ and the daughter’s youthful innocence. When the daughter says: “Mother dear” (line 1) it conveys a young child trying to inveigle her mother into letting her be in the march. The repetition of “No, baby, no, you may not go,” (lines 5 and 13), has the tone of a vigilant mother talking to her young child. Randall also uses an understatement to support the issue of racism and the question of freedom. After the mother says there will fierce dogs, clubs, guns, hoses, and jails, she says that those things: “Aren’t good for a little child.” (line 8) This is a tremendous understatement. No one, of any age, should be treated in such a hideous way, especially ‘free’ people at a freedom march. The author ends this section with foreshadowing and dramatic irony. The mother says: “No, baby, no, you may not go, / For I fear the guns will fire. / But you may go to the church instead / And sing in the children’s choir.” (lines 12 - 15). This is dramatic irony and foreshadowing

Carpe Diem is another major theme never found in courtly love poetry, but rather in cavalier. Cavalier poets urge young lovers to “seize the day”, enjoy the present moment because youth and beauty will fade soon and forever. The theme of brevity of life also serves the carpe diem, since the best in life ends “Corinna’s Going a Maying” insists on enjoying youth and love and not to be shy, because all pleasures of life come to an end when death comes. [Cavalier poets did not take life seriously, because this life is too short, so one should enjoy it.

‘To His Coy Mistress’ Is a love poem by Andrew Marvel. The poem is ‘carpe diem’ which translates to seize the day, this means the poem does not take its time its blunt and straight to the point. The poem contains a thesis, antithesis and synthesis, the main argument points of the poem. The poem is split into three stanza’s which are used to persuade the woman to give up her virginity before her beauty dies. It is a conventional poem for its time in the 17th century.