"To His Coy Mistress" Response
by
davejones1997 (student)
David Jones 10A2 Response to ‘His Coy Mistress’ Dear Mr Marvell, I am writing in response to the poem you sent me. I have to say it is quite flattering for the majority of the poem but I did find certain areas quite intimidating and would make me wonder if I would want to be with you. I can see that you feel very passionately about me and the words you use make me wonder if we were meant to be together but it is too forward, as I barely know you. With time our relationship may blossom, I am not sure. I will give you a more in-depth idea on how I can see how much you like me though. During the first line “Had we but world enough, and time” straight away brings in the theme of urgency as you try to emphasis how short life is and how people should always make the most of it. This also makes me, wonder of your age. We are yet to meet and the way you try to express brevity may suggest you are an old man. The next line you say “This coyness, lady, were no crime” gives me the impression you are trying to impress me with the language as you would normally say shy but this sounds as a insult so you use coy as it sounds more of a compliment but it keeps the meaning. Saying we’re no crime tells me that you are feeling quite insistent but it also makes me believe that you think I am nervous of our relationship. The next two lines then start to emphasis slowness as you mention words such as “walk” and “sit”, both theses words are usually used when you want something to be
slow instead of run as that would give more of a urgent feel. Also when you write “and pass our long love’s day” it shows that you would want to spend all your time with me. The word, day, emphasises shortness of time available. You then mention the Ganges and the Humber; this could mean we will both in a better place even if we are distant. You then say that you will love me “ten years before the flood”, this could imply that you loved me before you were born but fitting with the rest of the poem, I ...
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slow instead of run as that would give more of a urgent feel. Also when you write “and pass our long love’s day” it shows that you would want to spend all your time with me. The word, day, emphasises shortness of time available. You then mention the Ganges and the Humber; this could mean we will both in a better place even if we are distant. You then say that you will love me “ten years before the flood”, this could imply that you loved me before you were born but fitting with the rest of the poem, I think it suggests that we do not have much time before the end. The next two lines contradict the last as you try building a sense of patience as you tell me to say no “Till the conversion of the Jew’s”. This is a quote from the bible and it references to just before the end of the world. Although this could have two meanings because it would imply we would have to make the most of it after I said yes, meaning you do not want to be with me long and I could be an achievement. You use strange terminology in the next too lines. I believe you are trying to express how you are sensible you are as you saying love is something that isn’t immediate and takes time to develop. In the sense you cannot buy love, you have to earn it. It also attempts to show closeness, as one. The other two things it could mention, may be first the seeds have to be sowed, showing care and compassion but also vegetable in the way all vegetables are unique but they are the same so belong together. You show in the next line your grandness of language with words such as vaster, this means bigger and an Empire is huge, this implies the world, also a empire takes hundreds of years, and slower could mean creating there own world that would takes 1000’s of years. For the next three lines you try to impress me with large numbers, e.g. hundred years, two hundred, thirty thousand, they are also all consecutive, this could imply we need to take steps otherwise our relationship would become disjointed. Also the timings of the six lines show how you want to earn my respect by not rushing and also showing you also want a romance in the relationship. On the next line you come across as if you are trying to make me a Goddess because you call me a lady but you also say I deserve this state, that would mean I am good enough to be there but in a way I feel offended as it could mean I deserver to be with you and this is a remark that makes you sound high and mighty but me as a women below you. “Nor would I love at lower rate” carries on with the previous few lines, trying to say you wouldn’t want to progress our relationship any slower. “But at my back I always hear, Time's winged chariot hurrying near” is the start to when you get more insistent as you are saying that our time slot together has nearly expired before I have even made my mind up, showing your hope/passion for dominion and not real love. “And yonder all before us lie, Deserts of vast eternity” shows the possibility’s of life and how we can choose whatever path we choose but the word desert makes you wonder if they are going nowhere as a desert is baron, dry and identical. This shows that our relationship may become empty and something that was once fun but now getting old. You do use grand words in this however such as vast and eternity to show how I am important to you. The next eight lines again echo the hope for a lifeless love with the only thing required is making love. It also tries to expand on how coy you see me as you think my secrets are secluded in a vault made of marble. This does however show me as a wealthy lady who likes to flaunt what I have. “That long preserv'd virginity, and your quaint honour turn to dust” tries to impose that I am a specimen, who’s secrets are yet to be unlocked. The word quaint means artificial. In this case meaning my honour is all very nice but worthless to you, this turns me into a insignificant cog in a machine, who’s feelings don’t count but only my purpose. The next two lines try to signify that we will be together for all our lives, and even together after death entwined throughout history. It could have a completely opposite meaning however and mean my beauty will fade and if I maintain my virginity until the grave, Ill just lose it to the worms. There my honor will turn to dust & your lust into ashes. You then start to look at me in a kinder light again. When you start talking about the fire of life and the hue of youthfulness in the next four lines I can see that you do not want to waste time as we are young and while we are young we have a fire in our heart, a form of energy, that can never be retrieved once lost, that is meant for me. The way the dew has formed on the skin could also imply you want us to grow old together as the fire of us being together verses the dew on the skin would be a never ending battle, but would carry on no matter what. It could also mean however that our relationship may tire and get destroyed by the constant battles. ‘Sits on thy skin like morning dew’, is also a simile, this helps brings references to the poem and brings life and richness. In the next few lines you use very passionate language with words such as amorous, meaning strong desire and you reference us to birds of prey. This makes our bond sound strong, wise and a force that can never be broken. You do turn it on the head again however by using the word devour, this makes us seem like a too hasty relationship as it means to eat hungrily and very fast. The next section starts to sum up what you think we should do. You start with “Let us roll all our strength, and all, Our sweetness, up into one ball” showing togetherness but also how we should cast aside all differences and just look at the positives and putting them into the ball. The next couple of lines show me how life can be a struggle but with the right dedication you can get through the iron gates. The gates show how there will be always obstacles in your way trying to keep you in and them being made of iron shows how they are stubbon and will not buckle. The last two lines of the poem, Thus, though we cannot make our sun, Stand still, yet we will make him run”, give a sence of how the relationship is improving as I have said yes because it used to be timed chariots chasing us but now we are turning around and facing a much larger threat. I think the overall poem was a very cleverly written wooing letter, however I think there is an underlying meaning. This could be that you need a relationship to survive or all you need is determination in life to sucseed.