Poetry 2222

In the comparison of You, Andrew Marvell and To His Coy Mistress we can see that despite being written by two different authors they both share a common theme - time. In 'To Coy his Mistress" Andrew Marvell provides us with two nameless beings and illustrates a man's attempt to seduce a woman into making love to him. As we progress through the poem he describes the death of the two of them and what a shame it would be if their virginity was taken by the worms rather than each other. Here we see the passage of time play a pivotal role in his seduction. In comparison 'You, Andrew Marvell' by Archibald MacLeish uses the passage of time to illustrate a more worldy view from making love. MacLeish describes the disestablishment of empires and the abolition of their glory. Through the use of day and night cues and the coming of 'night' MacLeish describes the end of time. Essentially what both poems talk about is how we must make the most out of our lives because, as MacLeish says, we never know, "How swift.. the shadow of the night comes on." So make the most of it. Id like to finish with the words from a leading transcendentalist and poet I admire - "Life is what you make it. So Let us make it right."