Wednesday, October 6, 2010
A One-liner
"Thus, though we cannot make our sun stand still, yet we will make him run." The last line in the poem is an appropriate ending, for it sums up Marvell's entire poem "To His Coy Mistress."Basically, Marvell is talking about embracing the present state of love, lust, and beauty because nothing lasts forever. All of these things will ultimately deteriorate. And so in this case the "sun" about which he speaks represents all of these things-the brighter and more vibrant things in life. He implores us to seize the day, taking advantage of these relatively temporary but powerful elements while we can.
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I completely agree with your view that "love, lust, and beauty" don't last forever. I also agree that Marvell encourages his "coy mistress" to seize the day and to take advantage of the present moment. I also feel though that in the middle of Marvell's poem the speaker introduces an aspect of fear and terror in his prose that reinforces his urgency of carpe diem; I feel like when Marvell says that "worms shall try that long preserved virginity," that he is being harsh and trying to court his mistress by frightening her. Overall, the speaker does just what you said which is he encourages his "coy mistress" to take advantage of life's every moment.
ReplyDeleteAh, deterioration!
ReplyDeleteLiz-
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your point of view. You interpreted the last line in a very unique way that gave me another perspective on it! I love how you emphasize that Marvell speaks of transient aspects of life and how we should take the most out of each moment; Carpe Diem.
I think that this paragraph is a great summary of the last line. You really made the last line come to life and you gave it a good meaning. I just think that it is important to understand the urgency of the speaker, especially through the harsh words that he uses to describe seizing the day. But other than that, you made a great point and I agree with it completely.
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