Marvell uses different methods of persuasions. He bombards her as the poem is very long and has no stanzas, so she has to keep reading and listening to his arguments. He has also divided the poem into three sections. The first section is about him romancing and flattering her. He shows his love for her by using time, place and exaggeration. ‘Had we but world enough, and time / This coyness, lady, were no crime.’ shows Marvell using time. He is telling the woman that if they had all the time in the world her shyness would not matter. ‘They by the Indian Ganges’ side / Should’st rubies find: I by the tide / Of Humber would complain.’ This shows Marvell using place and distance to persuade her. He tells her that she could sit by the Indian Ganges, and he would sit by the Humber in England and wish for her. He then goes on to say, that if she wishes; she can keep him at arms length, and that his feelings will wait until she is ready. This makes her feel that he is not pressuring her in to anything she does not want to do. Marvell uses a lot of exaggeration, for example ‘I would / Love you ten years before the flood..’ He is referring to the bible, making him seem religious and that he supports the religious beliefs of sex after marriage, emphasising that he can wait for her. However, to love someone ten years before flooding is literally impossible, but he appeals to her romantic side by saying that he will love her for many years. ‘Two hundred years to adore each breast.’ Once again this shows him using an overstatement.
After the first section of appealing to her romantic side and whisking her off in to a different world of “what ifs?”, it is as if he abruptly changes the tone, and brings her back into the real world. He frightens her by bringing death into the poem. He tells her that all they have to look forward to is death; “ .. And yonder all before us lie / Deserts of vast eternity.” He disturbs her “.. then worms shall try/ That long preserved virginity..”. By telling her the things that will happen to her once she is dead. He tries to persuade her that she needs someone to hug her now because once she is dead there will be no-one there; “...But none, I think do there embrace.”
In the third section he uses excitement to convince her. He speeds up the poem by using simpler language so the reader can say it faster. He also uses words with a sense of urgency such as :.. Times winged chariot hurrying near”. He tells her to grab life and live it to the full, not to waste it “...Rather at once our time devour … “ He excites her and tells her to have fun; “...Now let us sport us while we may…”, “ Thus, through we cannot make our sun/ Stand still, yet we will make him run.” end the poem, leaving it open yet telling her to make the most of time while we are here. He also uses repetition, for example the word “love” is repeated four times, He uses the word as the main point of his feelings and that by them having sex is because of love not lust.
Nevertheless, this poem does not show what the woman thinks. The ending is left open for our imagination. But I think the woman will now agree. He has given her no room to think about or doubt their love. He has not said anything about why she might not want to make love but just gives reasons why they should. He has made her feel that she is really loved by him and that he really respects her. He doesn’t give her any room to make her own decisions. He just floods her with his own opinions. I feel that he is too opinionated and does not really take into consideration the woman’s feeling but this poem is set in the 17th Century and the man would be in charge of the woman. The woman would be under her father’s control until she was married, then she would be controlled by the husband.
Metaphors are Lowery’s main method of persuasion. He uses metaphors by comparing problems in his relationship with more simple things that can be cured. In the first stanza he turns the problem in to a wound/ cut and explains that it heals “The cut will mend, and such/ is our relationship.” He uses the image of mending a cut to show how they can repair their relationship. In the second stanza he uses an ordinary sketch of a burn and indicates how it relates to their problem “In time it will disappear…” making her believe it can work. In the third stanza he uses a hair cut to define and make her believe him, “But the hair grows before long/ It is always the same. Our beauty together is such.” In the last stanza he relates to something more violent, yet once again ordinary. This suggests it was an extensive argument, “The storm is frightening/ But it will soon be gone/ People will forget it ever existed.” He uses the storm to tell the woman their argument is bad but it will soon blow over and will before ever forgotten.
I think the man is persuasive but as we have the woman’s argument we know he was not successful. As Lowery divides the man’s side into four parts, he gives the woman time to argue back. She makes her point of view very clear to him; she does not give him any room to argue his point further. Finding the negative side of everything shows that his persuasion has not worked. She does not give a thought, or question to his views. She just fires back her “No” by turning his metaphors around. He uses the last line of each stanza to express how he wants his relationship to be “our beauty together is such”. However, she uses “now” at the end of most sentences which suggest there is a bond there now but it indicates that she can’t imagine any future with him. The word “Now” is not at the end of the stanza, showing that she has had the final word and their love has finished. I think whoever has had the final word would have dictated how the future would open out. As it was the woman, the relationship had ended: “The tree is forever dead./Such is our love.”
‘To His Coy Mistress’ and ‘Our Love Now’ both present men using persuasion to get want they want. I don’t think ‘Our Love Now’ is as persuasive as “Our Love Now” because I already know the woman’s response. The man uses simple and ordinary metaphors; this helps the woman understand fully, which then makes it easier for her to relay her judgement. I think the poem was his last chance to persuade the woman, and I think it must have followed lots of other methods of affiliation and this is final, but deep down he already knows his lover has made her mind up because her response is clear and straight. He does not use or relate to the ‘happy’ times they must have had, so I think he has already tried that method, but it had not worked. I think ‘To His Coy Mistress’ presents the most influential argument. Although we don’t hear the woman’s response, I think she fell for his persuasions. He gave a very strong, consistent argument, allowing no time for the woman to sort out in her own head, her feelings for him. The way the argument is constructed implies he is forcing her to have sexual relations. He does not give her a choice, but uses his power over her to get his own way. I think he almost bullies her into making love to him as he never stops bombarding her with his opinions. In ‘To His Coy Mistress’ the poet uses a variety of methods. The way the poem is constructed makes it sound as if it is written flippantly, but the reader can see through him. I don’t think the woman would see this as it is covered by clever examples. However, after studying the poem you can see this. He makes her feel secure, makes her think he loves her and tells her what he wants yet does not put it so bluntly that in undermines his otherwise very successful persuasions.
