To The Virgins

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In "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time", Herrick explicitly uses literary devices and structure to develop the themes present. The first stanza of the poem contains two distinct thoughts, separated by a semicolon. Herring uses this format to put extra emphasis on each statement made. The first sentence contains an implied metaphor of Time to a bird, through the word flying, implying that time is moving quickly away from us. The second sentence uses personification to draw the reader into a connection with the "flower that smiles today." This connection made also helps the reader make a connection to the finality of life and death as the speaker states that "Tomorrow [the flower] will be dying." This first stanza helps the reader analyse the theme of death and shortness of life present in the poem.

The second stanza continues the theme of the quickness of time, but through a new metaphor and personification. In the first line of the second stanza, the sun is described as "The glorious lamp of heaven," in that it is to guide our lives and thus represent them. The sun is then personified as to be running a race, once again bringing a feeling of speed and rush to life. The stanza …show more content…

In the speaker's mind, youth is the best of one's days, for as time would pass it can only get worse. He also uses an odd representation of the state of youth as being "warmer" in conjunction with blood. This comparison of the two in stating that they are synonymous in how they react with age is an interesting one, in that many people would not describe youth as warm. This stanza also contains a semicolon separation, between the two thoughts of youth being a warm time of ones life and age only bringing worse times. This separation brings a sort of hope and life for the moment attitude to younger reader or even ones beginning to experience the bad

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