"Carpe Diem" - Seize the Day!

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses two poems that are both rhetorical attempts by a man to woo a woman's heart and body - "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick and "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell. The paper specifically focuses on the poems' expressions of the deeper truth about the short nature of human existence and the inexorable passage of time.

From the Paper:

"One wonders what Marvell's mistress responded to him, or what the maidens would have said to Herrick if they knew what he thought of them, when he saw them literally carrying rosebuds, or simply tarrying by the wayside under the care of a guardian. It is possible that they may have regretted their chastity, and wanted to enjoy their sensuality but society forbade them sexuality before marriage. In that case, it is a pity that they did not or could not listen to the poet's words. But it is equally possible that they had different desires, invisible to the poet--to see the world, to live more empowering lives outside of the control of powerful fathers, brothers, and later husbands or lovers. And that is the true sadness of the young women's fates, that they never had a chance to write poetry about their own desire to carpe diem. Even Marvell and Herrick did not carpe diem as much as they would have liked, as human life was shorter, and old age was more painful when they wrote their verse."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Herrick, Robert. "To the Virgins, to Make much of Time." Tftrain.com. 7 May 2007. http://www.ftrain.com/poem_to_the_virgins.html
• Marvell, Andrew. "To His Coy Mistress." Luminarium. 7 May 2007. http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/marvell/coy.htm

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