Marvell uses, ‘ echoing song,’ ‘ Marble vault,’ which are all phallic symbols. These symbols represent things, which sound more pleasant and less grotesque. Using phallic symbols shows the Mistress what could really happen, it disguises the truth to make things sound more pleasant, which is appealing to the Mistress, as it makes her understand what could happen but it does not make her feel squeamish and disgusted. I do not think that the subjects expressed using phallic symbols were necessary; I found them grotesque and vulgar because I understood the real meaning and the Mistress would have done to. Even though they were expressed subtly; I still found the meaning disturbing and I would not want to loose my virginity to a man so sexually obsessed.
Marvell’s main point in this poem is that time is not on their side. He uses time because everyone knows that it is uncontrollable, ‘ Thus, though we cannot make our Sun / Stand still, yet we will make him run,’ the sun is a symbol of time. He makes so many references to time, which could make the Mistress feel desperate which this will hopefully make her sleep with him. ‘Times winged Charriot hurrying near,’ I think that this is extremely effective as I sometimes think that time gallops along. I associate galloping with horses and horses would have been pulling the Charriot. This is persuasive because it shows how clever Marvell has been to incorporate such vivid and powerful images to support his point. These images make me picture things in my mind and make everything a lot more realistic. ‘ Thy beauty shall no more be found / Nor in thy marble Vault shall sound / my ecchoing Song; then Worms shall try / That long preserv’d Virginity,’ Marvell explains to the Mistress that soon her beauty will fade and no one will love her, he is pressurising her to sleep with him, but doing it in a subtle way. He is using her beauty, as he understands how important this is to women. He also shows that he understands how important virginity is to women and he speaks about how the worms, when she is dead he explains how they will take that virginity away from her. This is almost bribery and he is making her realise how disgusting and horrific this would be. I think that this is very successful as Marvell has been harsh but truthful, and this warns the Mistress. This is very persuasive as it is harsh and not what the Mistress would want to hear, it makes her think that maybe no one else will love her and that the worms may take away her virginity so she may as well do it now.
To link with time there is a saying, ‘ Carpe Diem’, which means, ‘ To seize the day.’ This is what Marvell is pleading her to do and he uses Carpe Diem as a central tool to try and persuade her. ‘ Then worms shall try that long preserv’d Virginity,’ he is explaining that even though it is very important to you in the end it does not mean that much, he is persuading her just to go for it, ‘to seize the day.’ This phrase was very important in the 17th century because it was the time of the plague and the Fire of London and many people were dying. The life expectancy was a lot lower than what it is today so Marvell is trying to get her to make the most of the opportunities she has and to enjoy life. I think that this is a very persuasive technique because it shows you reality and the real world, it makes you understand what life is really like and makes you scared and frightened of being unloved, disagreeable and unsightly. Marvell uses fear to get to her; he tries to frighten her into having sex. People of this era have a fright of death and Marvell highlights and emphasises this fear by making many references to it. This would be seen as persuasive because the Mistress will become scared and unhappy of what the future will bring, so she will be persuaded into sleeping with him.
There are many factors to this poem, which could be found to be persuasive, but there are also factors, which could be found unpersuasive.
The poem is extremely forceful and abrupt; I think that this is very unattractive and unpersuasive. Marvell is so powerful in his language and his words, and he is so pushy that he has to sleep with her immediately, that the Mistress may feel that Marvell does not truly love her because if he did he would give her time and space. Even though Marvell says that he would love her for eternity and would wait for her if he had time this could come across as ‘ sucking up’ getting the Mistress on his side so that she would sleep with him. The Mistress could interpret this love poem as a hoax and that he does not really love her, he just wants to fulfil his sexual desires.
Marvell throughout the whole of the poem makes references to her physical aspects, ‘ Thine eyes,’ ‘ Two hundred to adore each breast,’ he never makes any links to her personality this would make me think that the only thing Marvell is interested in is my looks. I would find this hurtful and disrespectful; I would get the impression that he is using me to fulfill his sexual desires.
In this poem the structure and form is very important. The stanzas are very long and are only divided by indentations, no break. This is effective as it represents a letter, a long romantic letter written to the Mistress. Marvell uses pairs of rhyming couplets throughout the whole of the poem. This is very successful because it gives the effect that the lines are entwined, united together and this is parallel to how Marvell feels about the Coy Mistress. He uses them in pairs because there are two lovers and these two lovers are the things entwined within one another in eternal love. I would find this very romantic and delightful.
Marvell splits the poem into three different stanzas, each one with a different purpose. The first stanza is an introduction, Marvell speaks about what he wants to do with the Mistress, he speaks about time, and how it is not on their side. The second stanza introduces that time is their enemy; he uses fear in this section to try and persuade her. And in the final section he changes the person in which he writes in he now talks about ‘we’, he speaks about how when the couple are together they can tackle the problem of time. This is very well thought out because it is clear what he wants, he splits up the stanzas effectively and makes the whole picture clear in your head, this is another very persuasive technique.
Marvell uses a regular rhythm and pattern, this monotonous rhythm represents the ticking of the clock, backward and forward and how time never stops and how it runs constantly faster and faster, this is effective as it is exactly what Marvell is trying to tell the Mistress.
‘To the Virgins, to make much of Time,’ by Robert Herrick is a poem that tries to persuade the virgins of the world to marry, and have sex. Unlike, ‘ To his Coy Mistress,’ this poem is aimed at no one specific but to all the virgins in the world. By not aiming it at anyone specific it is a lot more persuasive. He does not put any pressure on the individual to sleep with anyone quickly he gives them the option and allows them to make the decision. This is very different to Marvell, as Marvell puts the pressure on the individual immediately. By giving the individual the option to choose it makes the poem a lot lighter and spacious. I find Herrick’s way of persuading the individual a lot more effective because when I am given the right to do something I feel a lot happier to do it then if I am forced like Marvell has done.
Similarly to, ‘ To his Coy Mistress,’ Herrick underpins the idea of Carpe Diem, ‘ Seize the day.’ Herrick is putting forward the point that time, mentioned also in, ‘ To his Coy Mistress,’ is not on their side, ‘ Old Time is still flying,’ ‘ The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun,’ again the sun is being used as a symbol of time. I think that the two poets used the sun as the symbol of time because the sun is so immensely powerful and no one can alter it. Similarly to Marvell’s poem, Carpe Diem was very important because it was written in the 17th century. This was the time of the plague and the Great fire of London so life was very special; life expectancy was also very low at this time, so people were encouraged to make the most out of their lives. Herrick has used Carpe Diem effectively in this poem, he has made the reader aware of the fact that time is the enemy but he has not been too forceful, Marvell however, made this mistake. I feel that Herrick gives a lighter touch to emphasise the importance of Carpe Diem and I find this a lot more appealing, I feel at ease and not pressurised and this is a very good thing.
Herrick makes references to flowers, ‘ Gather ye rose buds while ye may,’ ‘ And this same flower that smiles to – day,’ flowers are very feminine, delicate and dainty and this shows that Herrick knows how to communicate with women. He does not use powerful images like Marvell does, ‘ through the iron gates of Life’, but he uses fair and pleasing images, ‘ And this same flower that smiles to-day.’ This is persuasive as it is delicate and light which makes the whole poem seem light hearted and easy accessible. When I think of flowers I am happy and joyous, this is the image that Herrick wanted to create so he has been successful.
Herrick makes a direct approach to the poem, he does not use phallic symbols or euphemism he just goes straight to the point, this gives an easier poem which can be digested more easily, it makes it a lot more interesting as it does not have to be thought through. By creating this it makes the poem suitable for all ages, as this is whom it is directed to, no one specific. I think that this adds to the positive persuasiveness of the poem. I was so much happier reading this more direct poem. I understood everything that was written down and I did not misinterpret anything; this however, is something that may occur in Marvell’s poem.
Similarly to ‘ To his Coy Mistress,’ Herrick uses fear as a way of persuading individuals to loose their virginity and marry. He however, is a lot fairer, ‘ That age is best, which is the first, When youth and blood are warmer,’ he is saying that marriage and sex is a lot better when you are younger. Herrick gets straight to the point and he does not say that you become unattractive and unlovable, he just says that for your own purposes sex is better when you are young and healthy and that you reach a peek with attractiveness and as you get old you begin to loose your beauty, he never says that you loose it altogether. This poem is a lot more thoughtful and kinder than Marvell’s and is in touch with femininity. This could be an advantage or a disadvantage, the woman who reads Herrick’s poem would find it a lot softer and welcoming however, they are not warned of the consequences that being a virgin may bring, even though Herrick has tried to tell the virgins that sex is better when you are younger, it is done in a very light hearted way, in a way which appears as though it is not supposed to be taken seriously. For me, I feel that this is an advantage, immediately I begin to trust Herrick more than Marvell. Marvell came across as being so desperate but Herrick has come across as a kind, intelligent man who knows a lot about what women want.
Something that is very different to Marvell’s poem is that Herrick is actually promoting the idea of marriage, ‘ And while ye may, go marry.’ In this era sex before marriage was a sin, so Herrick is abiding by the culture of that time. For females this would be very appealing and they would take this poem seriously because they understand Herrick’s good morals.
Herrick does not put much pressure on the women, he allows them to make up their own minds and he does not assume anything, which is very different to Marvell, as he does not allow his Mistress to make up her own mind. In the third stanza he is writing ‘ we’ as if he assumes she will accept his offer. Because Herrick does not put a lot of pressure on the women his language differs to the language used by Marvell. Marvell uses very sophisticated language, and sometimes it comes across as being rather abrupt and rude, ‘ Thy beauty shall no more be found’; Herrick however, uses basic, but effective language, I feel that the language he uses shows signs of purity or softness and this is linking with the women’s femininity which I find to be persuasive.
Herrick uses feminine imagery throughout the poem, The glorious lamp of heaven,’ This is effective as it makes the reader feel at ease, not stressed with pressure, he has written in touch with women.
In Marvell’s poem he also uses imagery however, the imagery he uses is coarse he uses it to make the Mistress realise what will happen in the future, he makes her realises of what a bleak future she will have if she does not sleep with him.
Personification is used in Herrick’s poem, ‘ And this same flower that smiles to –day,’ it is effective as it shows that flowers, which are beautiful have the same expressions as humans and if Herrick wants to create imagery by using flowers he makes them have similar expressions to humans to create realism. This is a very powerful technique, you can almost imagine the flowers smiling in the sunshine, it represents happiness, which can be linked with youth and fertility. The scene Herrick sets is of a beautiful spring day, gorgeous flowers and the beaming yellow sun. Absolutely idyllic for women, they are stunning images and make you feel happy that you are female and personally for me, it makes sex and marriage sound a lot more appealing.
Herrick’s way of writing is so effective and makes me imagine that I am in a dream, floating away, I feel at ease and this allows me to take seriously everything he says.
Similarly to Marvell’s poem structure plays a very important role in the poem.
There are four short and sweet stanzas, each and ever stanza has a new point to make, this is the same with Marvell’s poem. This is good because it shows a good, solid structure in the poem, which makes the poem a lot clearer to the reader, so they get a better picture in their minds.
The rhyming scheme is ABAB, this beat sets a light mood, and it makes the poem a lot more accessible and not so deep and moving. The beat is almost like a clock ticking, backward and forward, backward and forward, symbolising what the poem is all about, time. This rhyming scheme runs throughout the whole poem, similarly to ‘ To his Coy Mistress,’ I think that these two poems do this because personally I think that it is a lot more romantic, if there was no rhythm the poems, particularly ‘ To his Coy Mistress,’ would be like a long story and the reader would loose interest. With this distinct rhythm it keeps the reader reading on and creates an atmosphere.
The way in which Herrick made many references to flowers was sweet and idyllic for women. The images Herrick made were of beautiful spring days, gorgeous flowers and the beaming yellow sun. Everything was natural and dainty. Flowers are very delicate and this is what made the poem so successful. All the images Herrick makes are stunning, happy and elegant images, it makes you feel happy that you are female and makes sex and marriage sound a lot more appealing.
