Marvell's "To his Coy Mistress" and Donne's "Flea"
The seventeenth century was an era of beautiful poetry. Two poets in particular, Andrew Marvell and John Donne, wrote carpe diem poetry full of vivid imagery and metaphysical conceits. Each conveyed the message of "living for the now." This message can be clearly seen in the poems "To his Coy Mistress" by Marvell and Donne's "Flea." By using clever metaphors and meter, the poems not only are symbolic, but have almost a physical aspect to them. Though both poems take a similar approach, it is Marvell that writes the more persuasive one, reaching deep into the soul to win his object of affection. The main theme of Marvell's poem is to "seize the day." The speaker is trying to convince the woman that it is much better to have sex now than to save her virginity for the future. The man wants to experience the pleasure now, while the woman would rather save herself until they are married. Marvell's message here seems to be that we shouldn't be worrying so much about exactly when and where to do things, but just to take things as they come and enjoy them. This theme relates to all aspects of life, not just sex. The rhyme scheme follows a standard AA, BB, CC, etc., couplet pattern. A few of the lines are irregular howeve
These lines actually produce the effect of slowing time down. "Languish in his slow-chapped power" rolls off of the tongue and takes effort to say. When spoken out-loud, the line reads almost as if it were in slow motion. Line 41 is almost entirely composed of stressed feet, requiring the reader to speak slowly as well. All of this speeding up and slowing down creates a roller coaster of rhythm, showing off more of the impromptu style with which the narrator exhibits. "To his Coy Mistress" is similar in many ways to Donne's "Flea." The speakers of both poems are trying to sleep with a woman by convincing them that it is the right thing to do. Donne uses the metaphysical conceit of a flea to symbolize the love shared between them. By comparing the blood union in the flea to sexual intercourse, the narrator illustrates that it is not such a big deal. When the woman kills the flea, she kills the bond between them. But the narrator stays determined, and proceeds to show how insignificant sex is, just as it was so to kill the flea. r. Lines 23 and 24 rhyme "lie" with "eternity," and lines 27 and 28 rhyme "try" with "virginity." It is interesting to not that lie rhymes with try, just as eternity rhymes with virginity. Marvell used this technique to change up the systemic flow of the rest of the poem. By highlighting these two couplets, the symbolism of those lines strikes the reader with greater impact than the rest o
Some common words found in the essay are:
Rough Strife, BB CC, Donne's Flea, Coy Mistress, John Donne, , coy mistress, aa bb cc, AA BB, bb cc etc, languish slow-chapped power, line 38, words line, bb cc, cc etc, rhyme scheme, aa bb, donne's flea, conceit flea, rest poem,
Approximate Word count = 972
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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