Question

compare themes
the poems \to his coy mistress\ and \twenty - one love poems (poem iii)\ express the ancient literary theme of carpe diem, latin for \seize the day\. this was one of the most popular themes of cavalier poetry written in the 17th century by poets such as andrew marvell. carpe diem is often taken to mean that one should enjoy life as much as possible for the present moment. compare how the poems develop this theme. what reasons do they give for the necessity of enjoying the present moment?
reasons we must \seize the day\
\to his coy mistress\
a
\twenty - one love poems (poem iii)\
b
analyze the texts
discuss these questions in your group.
1 compare how does the speaker of each poem feel about the passage of time? how are the speakers feelings similar? how do they differ?
2 evaluate which speaker is more reasonable in his or her urgency about the relationship? why do you think this is the case?
3 analyze how does each speaker respond to the inevitability of death?
4 synthesize according to these two texts, how does being in love affect our perception of age and the passing of time?

Explanation:

In "To His Coy Mistress", the speaker emphasizes the short - ness of life and the inevitability of death as reasons to seize the day. Time is running out, and if the mistress delays, they will lose the opportunity for love. In "Twenty - One Love Poems (Poem III)", the focus is more on the intensity and immediacy of love itself as a reason to enjoy the present. Love is a powerful force that makes the present moment precious.
For the sub - questions:

1. In "To His Coy Mistress", the speaker is anxious about time passing as it limits the opportunity for love. In "Twenty - One Love Poems (Poem III)", the speaker seems more focused on the present joys of love rather than fearing time's passage. Similarities lie in the recognition of time's importance in the context of love, differences in the degree of anxiety.
2. This is subjective. The speaker in "To His Coy Mistress" is urgent due to the finiteness of life. The speaker in "Twenty - One Love Poems (Poem III)" is urgent because of the intensity of love. One could argue either is reasonable depending on whether one values the finite nature of life or the power of love more.
3. In "To His Coy Mistress", the speaker uses the inevitability of death to pressure the mistress into love. In "Twenty - One Love Poems (Poem III)", death is not as directly addressed, but the focus on the present implies a desire to make the most of life while alive.
4. Being in love makes time seem more precious in both poems. In "To His Coy Mistress", it heightens the awareness of age and time passing due to the fear of losing the chance for love. In "Twenty - One Love Poems (Poem III)", it makes the present moment of love more vivid, regardless of age or time passing in a more general sense.

Answer:

A. In "To His Coy Mistress", the reason for seizing the day is the shortness of life and inevitability of death limiting the time for love.
B. In "Twenty - One Love Poems (Poem III)", the reason for seizing the day is the intensity and immediacy of love itself.

1. In "To His Coy Mistress", the speaker is anxious about time; in "Twenty - One Love Poems (Poem III)", the speaker is more present - focused on love. Similarities in recognizing time's importance in love, differences in anxiety level.
2. Subjective. The first is urgent due to life's finiteness, the second due to love's intensity.
3. In "To His Coy Mistress", death is used to pressure for love; in "Twenty - One Love Poems (Poem III)", less direct, focus on present implies making most of life.
4. In "To His Coy Mistress", heightens awareness of age/time due to fear of losing love chance; in "Twenty - One Love Poems (Poem III)", makes present love moment more vivid regardless of age/time.