That particular line is original and unexpected because it describes a strange, revolting and intimidating way for him to threaten and pressure his mistress.
Another striking idea that is used is the personification of time.
“But at my back I always hear, Time’s winged chariot hurrying near”. – Line 21.
He is again threatening her, but this time with the loss of her beauty and he implies that if she gets any older, time will have run out. The poet uses another technique – syllogism. I have never seen this used before, and it is an original technique of persuasion to give his arguments about why they should have sex now.
The philosophy in the poem is “Carpe Diem”, which means “Seize The Day”. Another technique used is hyperbole.
“My vegetable love should grow” – Line 11
The meaning of the quote I chose to example hyperbole is as follows. When he mentions his “vegetable love growing”, he is implying that he is attracted to and aroused by his mistress. This was striking, as I didn’t expect a metaphor such as that one to be used in a love poem. There are five main semantic fields in this poem which are time, body, power, death and sex. There are quotes below of each semantic field in the order that they are written above.
“Times winged chariot”, “breast”, “birds of prey”, “eternity”, and “virginity”.
The most powerful thing described in the poem is time, as it cannot be stopped. The man is trying to gain power over her and he wants her submission.
“Rapunzstiltskin also uses striking images. There are feelings of lust from both characters in the poem. The maiden has feelings of resentment, anger, disappointment and frustration. However, both sexes’ feelings are described in the poem – not just the man’s. This poem is original because of the mixing of traditional fairy tale elements with modern ideas.
“I love you?” – Line 46, is a fairy tale story element and “Sort of gorgeous” – Line 17, is modern.
This poem is almost allegorical, as it had hidden meanings about what its theme is. I think that the poet is trying to challenge traditional gender roles and the tower that the maiden is trapped in, is a metaphor for being confined to a gender stereotype. This metaphor was interesting and original because it took the fairy tale element of being trapped in a tower and I had never heard it used before.
The ampersand used at the very start of the poem, suggests that it is half way through a story. It also gives an informal, chatty and colloquial style to the poem.
“Fireman in some soap opera.” – Line 17
The feelings in “i wanna be yours”, are contrasting. They could be about lust, or they could be about passion and the more romantic aspects of a relationship. This is the third poem that I have studied about a man wanting a woman.
This poem has a completely modern style. It is written like a song, which is informal and very original. It could be compared to “Rapunzstiltskin”, as they both use colloquial language and have an informal attitude. The rhyme scheme and repetition used adds rhythm, and makes it cohesive. When the poet changes the pattern, it is striking and adds emphasis. It is a way of stressing or highlighting the points he wants to be important in the poem.
Another way that this poem is original and striking is when he compares himself to everyday objects. As readers, we can relate to the items he mentions. As the woman involved sees the objects all the time, she will be reminded of him constantly. The twist at the end describes a love triangle between the man, his partner and another woman.
“i don’t wanna be hers i wanna be yours.” – Line 30
This takes the reader by surprise, and was an original ending.
All three poems were successful in conveying feelings in striking and original ways, but using different techniques. “To His Coy Mistress” works as a poem of persuasion, but not in the way that we would expect. It is mainly about a potential lover who is being bullied and threatened into sex by a man.
“Rapunzstiltskin” is successful in making a point about breaking stereotypes and gender roles, and uses original, quite modern metaphors to describe fairy tale story elements.
The poet showing how much he wants to be with the woman achieves the success of “I wanna be yours”, and he uses unusual comparisons of what he wants to be.