The Virgins Poem

Critical Essay #2: Poetry

Robert Herrick’s “To Virgins, to Make Much of Time” and Langston Hughes “Mother to Son”

Sometime, we give up easily on things even though we want it so badly. Some people may try hard enough to get things they like or wants, where some may just give up so easily. If we like or needed, then we must put an effort to achieve it. In this world, nothing comes so easily, if there is something we like, we needed then we have to go for it like there is none besides that. And then we can achieve whatever we want. In Robert Herrick’s “To Virgins, to Make Much of Time” and “Langston Hughes “Mother to Son,” speakers tone of voices are strong and encouraging. They both are encouraging young people not to give up easily and try to make most out of their chances. Robert Herrick encouraging all the youths to make most their young age and get marries while they are young so they can live happily. And Langston Hughes is giving advice to her son not to up easily with hard times. She wants him to be strong and fight with hard times.

In Robert Herrick’s “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”, the speaker is telling all the young boys to make most their youth. The titles of the poem are referring sexual pleasure and urging youth to make most of it. “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may-/ Old time is still a-flying”(Herrick1-2). The rosebuds are symbol of pleasure; we should go for it while we are young. Time will not wait and we may not have another chance to make it right. He used figurative languages to compare “flowers” to the young women. Women are also like flowers. Women blossoms like flowers, age with the time, and then eventually die. “The sooner will his race be run / and nearer he’s to setting”. He is suggesting you...

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...ouraging all the youth to make most of their age. He is suggesting youth to get marry when they are young so, they don’t have to spend alone later. Youth only comes once in a life and that is one of the best times of anyone’s life, so everyone should make their youth special. In Hughes poem, she is encouraging her son not to give up easily with life. She is telling her son, life is not easy and to achieve something he has to work for it. There is no certainty in life, life can be miserable, life is unexpected; but all we need to have is faith and courage to fight back and move forward no matter how hard it is.

In poems, one way or other way, they both are encouraging youth to be strong and to be courageous. They both are giving advice to youth but in different ways. Both the speakers have very strong tone of voice and both are very encouraging to the youth.