Comparing and discussing two poems written by two different people in two different times on the subject of time and change.

The language used in poem 1 is instructive/advisory and is aimed at young women. The old language used (e.g. “and while ye may…”) reflects the century that it was written in and conveys its target audience with the language. Even though the language used consists of some old English, the theme still has a certain amount of relevance for audiences today. It is more poetic than conversational and creates an imagery that is associated with nature and humanity. The poem is very straight forward/direct and is constantly giving advice throughout. It uses a mixture of personification, metaphors and figurative language. An example of a metaphor in the poem is “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may” this gives the feeling that the poet is trying to tell young women to make the most of the time they have and not to waste it. The language in poem 2 uses some forms of old English e.g. “but now ‘tis…”, metaphors, personification and figurative language. Poem 2 is written in first person narrative and is a reflective poem of his life. It is in directive and gives the impression that it is a dark reflection of how his life was.  He uses personification to describe things that were important to him and enhances the poet’s experience for the reader. The poet’s constant use of “now” emphasises the fact that the past was better which helps the reader understand more about the changes that had occurred in his lifetime. The use of descriptive language used throughout the poem makes the account more personal and is in strong contrast to poem 1’s use of language and the way it is directed at the reader. The poets attention to detail conveys the feeling that when he was younger, he took pleasure in all that was around him and what he feels now is in contrast to the past, which draws the reader in deeper.

The differences in the language used in the poems are mainly the way they use words to attract the reader. Poem 1’s language is light with straightforward advice and encouragement. Poem 2’s language seems dark and in directive drawing the reader in to decipher some of the poet’s hidden meanings, e.g. “often wish…borne my breath away” suggests that the poet wishes for death to put an end to his life.

The imagery used in the poems enhances our images and the way we see the poems. They both use nature to describe people or important things and talk about how time passes in different styles from the other. Poem 1’s reflection on time is to enjoy life while you are young and have a lot to offer people. Poem 2 refers to the time that has passed and how bearable life is when you are youthful. They both use figurative language to create images of youth being the greatest time of your life. An example of figurative language in poem 1 is “Glorious lamp of heaven” and means that when you are young, you are full of life and as bright as the sun. It shows youth as being a wonderful thing full of light, wonder and beauty.

The structure of poem is instructing or advising young women what to do throughout the poem. The poet also gives reasons for the advice he gives e.g. “Youth and blood are warmer” is the poet trying to tell women that when they are young, they are full of life, warm and bright, but with age, you become cold and dead-like inside. The rhyming scheme in the poem is regular couplets and has a regular rhythm with four lines per stanza. The stanzas are divided into different sections, but are still describing the same thing. All stanzas are describing the subject matter of ageing and telling young women to live life to the fullest. The structure of the poem supports the theme as it is mentioned throughout the play in the same context, using metaphors and personification to make the meaning clearer. Unlike poem 2, poem has no repetition of words and just repeats the theme and meaning of the poem in every line.

Poem 2’s structure is different from poem 1 in many ways. It is structured into the poets past, present, and has eight lines per stanza. The poem has no rhyming scheme or rhythm but has a similar pattern in each stanza. Each stanza starts with “I remember, I remember” and continues with his memories from the past, of the house where he lived, his beliefs etc. The stanzas end with the poet returning to his present state of mind. He compares his life, from child to adult and the title of the poem suggests it is a dark reflection of his childhood bliss/ignorance from the perspective of his adult maturity, now he has discovered the true meaning of life. In the last stanza, the poet describes how he feels “further of from heav’n than when I was a boy”. This suggests the distance from heaven is a physical quantity, or spiritually emotional. The way he describes each memory in detail helps the reader imagine his feelings at the time, which are in a string contrast to the poets feelings at the end of the poem.

Each poem is constantly putting the idea of time and change across in its own, unique way. Poem 1 is telling people not to waste youth and to make the most of the assets young “virgins” have. Poem 1 is describing his own personal experiences and what seems to be a dark, bitter present. They both talk of ageing and time changing. Both poems talk about youth being the best time of anyone’s life and that when you are older, you let yourself go, become cold, bitter, dull unlike youth.

The tone in each poem is different and has no similarities. Poem 1 is has a minor reflective elemnt unlike poem 2. The main tone of poem 1 is instructing, telling people who to live their lives and marry while they can. Poem 2 is a melachonic tone and is more reflective towards the poet’s life and his experiences.

My personal feelings towards the poems are very different. I like poem 1 more as it is personal and allows the reader to dive into the poet’s life and understand what he describes. Because it is a personal poem, it feels more real, and you can understand it more. It is a reflective poem, comparing the ignorant bliss of childhood, to the maturity of adulthood. I can tell that the poet doesn’t like his present much as throughout the poem he dwells on the happy times of his youth. I think the death of his father when he was a young boy may have inspired Thomas Hood to write the poem.

Poem 1, I feel, is a little too authoritive. It is always instructing young people what to do with their time and how to spend it, as well as a instructive advice. I feel the poem repeats its message too many times but this helps to put the point of the poem across more strongly for people to underrstand what it is about.

I think both poems put the point of time and change across strongly in their own, unique way and it helps people to understand what the actual subject matter means and is trying to demonstrate. The poems are written well and both discuss how ageing affects you.

Poem 2 make sme think of my childhood and my most precious memories whereas poem 1 makes me think of my future and what could happen. Both poems have the impact to make you think of the past, present and future and lets you know that all three are different and its down to you as to what you do with your life and time.