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Introduction to poetry poem analysis
Introduction to poetry poem analysis
Introduction to poetry poem analysis
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The Emotional versus the Rational: A Literary Analysis and Comparison between Sir Walter Raleigh’s “The Nymph’s Reply to Her Shepherd” and Christopher Marlowe’s “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”
"Seize the day, and put the least possible trust in tomorrow"—Horace
Horace’s statement on first glance, especially in light of treatment of thematic issues related to carpe diem poetry, might have a ring of truth to it, and might appear to be a reasonable and logical statement. It puts forward the viewpoint that one should "seize the day" since "tomorrow" is uncertain. Nevertheless, one can also argue from the viewpoint that because of the fleeting nature of time, it is not reasonable to seize the day since a person's accomplishments and achievements will be forgotten amidst the quick passage of time, and will not amount to very much in the long run. This difference in perspective, as it pertains to the passage of time and the treatment of the carpe diem motif, is revealed in the poems "The Nymph's Reply to Her Shepherd" and "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"; although it can be argued that the poems share certain similarities. In fact, even though both poems are in keeping with the literary traditions, structures and themes of carpe diem, love, and pastoral poetry, Christopher Marlowe's poem upholds the traditions of carpe diem, love, and pastoral poetry while Sir Walter Raleigh's poem violates these traditions because the (female) persona within his poem mimics the imagery within Christopher Marlowe's poem in a negative and cynical tone; she seemingly mocks the reasoning behind the argument of Christopher Marlowe's (male) persona, which expresses emotionally-charged romantic ideals, while using figurative language upholding th...
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...l not last very long. Hence, Raleigh undermines the tradition of love poetry which tends to idealize all forms of love regardless of long term consequences.
In conclusion, Christopher Marlowe's poem, "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" uphold the traditional associations attributed to carpe diem, pastoral and love poetry while Sir Walter Raleigh's poem, "The Nymph's Reply to the Shepherd" undermines and violates these traditions, and allows the female persona to critique the male persona's futile and weak attempts at persuading his love interest to make love to him; in doing this, Raleigh has moved away from traditional literary conventions not only as it relates to the treatment of thematic issues related to carpe diem, pastoral, and love poetry, but empowering the female persona to providing her with a voice to respond to her male suitor's attempt to woo her.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a play commonly viewed and known as a true love story; however, after analyzing several hints portrayed by the protagonists, it is evident that Shakespeare did not intend to make Romeo and Juliet seem like a true love story but a criticism of how superficial society’s view on love is.
to be taken literally just really to prove that what he says really does mean something and to emphasize the subject and the romanticism of the poem I intend to discuss the concept of the love poem first. Marlowe paints a picture of the romantic dream of love.... ... middle of paper ... ...effect depending on the way it is presented. It is also an image of time.
Ever hear of the phrase “carpe diem”? It is a common Latin phrase meaning “seize the day” or in plain English, make the most of the time you have. This phrase is very well portrayed in Robert Herrick’s most popular poem “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”. Herrick was an established poet in the mid-1900’s who lacked ambition but wrote remarkable poems. He was a graduate from Cambridge University, which took him seven years to complete, and a member of Ben Jonson’s circle of young friends (Herrick 380). Herrick was later appointed a priest at the parish of Dean Prior, in Devonshire. He carried this title at Dean Prior until he died at the age of 83 (Herrick 380). His education, unique living style, and his friends, all greatly influenced his extraordinary poems. In Herrick’s poem he describes carpe diem by using vivid words and images and by connecting the meaning and theme to personal feelings.
The concept of love has long been the preferred topic of conversation among prominent male poets. Towards the closing of the sixteenth century, however, the emerging of the female poet took place. With the introduction of Queen Elizabeth, an initial path was now cleared for future women poets to share their views on the acclaimed topic of love. Due to this clashing of ideas, the conflicting views of two exceedingly different sexes could manifest itself. Who better to discuss the topic of love then Elizabeth Barrett Browning, who expresses her ideas with intelligence comparable to the best male poets, and Emerson, world renowned for his poignant opinions? In accordance with the long history of conflict between males and females, both Emerson’s "Give All to Love" and Browning’s "Sonnet 43" convey the pleasure love brings, but while Emerson’s poem urges the retention of individualism in a relationship, Browning pleads for a complete surrender to love.
Relationships between two people can have a strong bond and through poetry can have an everlasting life. The relationship can be between a mother and a child, a man and a woman, or of one person reaching out to their love. No matter what kind of relationship there is, the bond between the two people is shown through literary devices to enhance the romantic impression upon the reader. Through Dudley Randall’s “Ballad of Birmingham,” Ben Jonson’s “To Celia,” and William Shakespeare’s “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?” relationships are viewed as a powerful bond, an everlasting love, and even a romantic hymn.
“To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Rober Herrick and Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress” have many similarities and differences. The tone of the speakers, the audience each poem is directed to, and the theme make up some of the literary elements that help fit this description.
Shakespeare’s story, Love Labour’s Lost, focuses the story on the endearing lust of men. Women are a powerful force, so in order to persuade them men will try to use a variety of different resources in order to attract the opposite sex. Men will often use their primal instincts like a mating call, which could equivocate today to whistling at a woman as she walks by. With the use of lies to tell a girl what she wants to hear, the musk cologne in order to make you appear more sensual, or the cliché use of the love poem, men strive to appeal to women with the intent to see his way into her heart. William Shakespeare is a man, who based on some of his other works, has a pretty good understand and is full of passion for the opposite sex. Nonetheless, whether it had been honest love or perverse lust, Shakespeare, along with most men, aimed to try to charm women. With keeping this understanding of Shakespeare in mind, his weapon of choice, to find his portal way into a woman’s heart, was his power of writing.
Authors use poetry to creatively present attitudes and opinions. “A Man’s Requirements,” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and “A Letter to Her Husband, Absent upon Public Employment” are two poems with distinct attitudes about love that contain different literary approaches. In both of the poems, love is addressed from a different perspective, producing the difference in expectation and presentation, but both suggest the women are subservient in the relationships.
Love and Friendship, contained within Juvenilia, is an example of a parody of sentimentalism. Jane Austen describes overly dramatic scenes, similar to those that one would have read in a sentimental novel. She starts off by addressing the sentimentalist concept of the “perfect heroine.” Laura, the main character who fulfills this stereotype, describes herself early in the novel. “In my Mind, every Virtue that could adorn it was centered; it was the Rendezvous of every good Quality & of every noble sentiment” (p.78,...
The poets integrated ?metaphysical conceits? as focal parts of these poems. Along with these, they used effective language as a basis for their convincing arguments, they included subjects of periodical importance (e.g. ?courtship? and ?religion?), and use very clever structures that are manipulated in order to make the poem read in the desired way. The very clear indication of the theme in question was strongly aided by the way in which the personas portrayed the emotions they felt and the way they showed their attitudes towards the subject. Considering all these factors, the poets made critical arguments to the mistresses in order to alter their views, thus changing their minds, on denying the poets the sex that they desired so strongly.
These two poems are alike and different in their own way. The Passionate Shepherd to His Love and The Nymphs Reply to the Shepherd are both trying to mirror each other on their structure of the poems. Both Christopher Marlowe and Sir Walter Raleigh had a very unique way of writing and making these poems so similar, but throwing in different types of love and view points.
At the start, the first stanza of the poem is full of flattery. This is the appeal to pathos. The speaker is using the mistress's emotions and vanity to gain her attention. By complimenting her on her beauty and the kind of love she deserves, he's getting her attention. In this first stanza, the speaker claims to agree with the mistress - he says he knows waiting for love provides the best relationships. It feels quasi-Rogerian, as the man is giving credit to the woman's claim, he's trying to see her point of view, he's seemingly compliant. He appears to know what she wants and how she should be loved. This is the appeal to ethos. The speaker seems to understand how relationships work, how much time they can take, and the effort that should be put forth. The woman, if only reading stanza one, would think her and the speaker are in total agreement.
responses to Malthius and Burke.? Studies of Romanticism, Fall 2001 v40 i3 p345(25). April 15, 2004
One of the last seventeenth century metaphysical poets, Andrew Marvell is known for his complex and allusive poetry (Press 208). In “to His Coy Mistress,” Marvell incorporates his belief in Neo-Platonism by focusing on the idea of carpe diem, which means, “seize the day” (208). He focuses attention on the transience of life and the inevitability of death to emphasize the urgency that men have to persuade women to engage in the act of sexual intercourse (Masterplots II 2209). In taking the idea of carpe diem and incorporating his Neo-Platonism beliefs, Andrew Marvell uses “To His Coy Mistress” as a warning to women of the male attitude towards love and relationships.
Snow, Edward A. "Marlowe's Doctor Faustus and the Ends of Desire." Two Renaissance Mythmakers: Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson. Ed. Alvin Kernan. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. Print.