| Andrew Marvell - try of Andrew Marvell. H ind direct style are perfect Intro rua Inrropucrion There is something very modern about the poe ly suited to ‘er three hundred years ago, but his sophisticated imagery a the tastes of the twenty-first century reader The poet is tryin nt ing to convince a girl to be his girlfriend. Read the poem and decide for yor convinced by his argument. ° ie 1 will be | a @ TBRDE To his Coy! Mistress Had we? but World enough and Time, This coyness! Lady were no’ crime. We would sit down, and think which way ———# otossany To walk, and pass our long Loves Day. (Gee note on p. D2) ‘Thou by the Indian Ganges side s 7 ae ‘Should’st rubies find®: I by the Tide aera ied Of Humber” would complain. I would i his love. In modern Love you ten years before the Flood: 4 a aotaal And you should if you please refuse Sonal relationship ‘Tl the conversion of the Jews’. witha maried man (2 eee But at my back I always hear eee at ‘Times winged Charriot hurrying near. be ‘And yonder" all before us lye 6. Should'st rubies find: Desarts™? of vast Eternity. ee | >. Number er at Now therefore, while thy youthful hew'® | flows through Hull, Sits on thy skin like morning dew, | ae ‘And while thy willing’® Soul transpires 2 este ethane He, om Ea oy, ‘Now let us sport us!® while we may; Tovived it. The poet ‘And now, like am‘rous birds of prey”, : means ‘very ancient Rather at once our Time devout, tienes? ‘Than languish in his slow-chapt pow'r'®, 9. Till. Jews: until the ‘end of time. It was Marvels Coy Mistress m Siete Dec a P Christianity on - oy 10. Times ... hurrying near: the fying 13:hew: colour (‘hue’) 16.sport us: enjoy ourselves 15.walling: full of desire that we devour our time neni now, rat Spproaching fast dew: drops of water that 17.birds of prey: bids which Ise te Ph cover there in form on outdoor suaces at ‘kllandfeedon other animals "SY that slowly devour pee oe WRather..pow'rtisbeter yn gins Glow-chape, the distance with slow "Y Moving jaws)Let us roll all our Strength, and all Our sweetness, up into one Ball: And tear our Pleasures with rough strife”, Through the Iron gates of Life. Thus”, though we cannot make our Sun Stand still, yet we will make him run”), Andrew Marvell 19.And tear ... strife: ‘and enjoy our " pleasures ith eat Beaton coud a ‘feife volent bate) otis: inthis 2 sgt ran even Bee eannat SP we ee son) ween (oa ang ite with sreat intensity COMPREHENSION 1 In the world the poet describes in lines 1-10 there are no limits to time and space and therefore he and his lover do not need to hurry their love. Say whether the following lines refer to time or space. Lines 3~4 Lines 5 Lines 8-10: ANALYSIS 1 Focus on the imagery* of lines 11-12. The poet says that ‘Times winged Charriot’is directly behind him. ‘What does this striking image suggest about his perception of time? How does it contrast with the view of time presented in the first verse? 2 How would you define the tone of the opening verse? MHumorous mPlayful ml Facetious MAngry Mi Persuasive fl Other: What is the tone of lines 11-14? Humorous i Ironic Solemn Other: .. Pessimistic ml Sombre Do you agree that there is a sharp change of tone from the first verse to the second? 3 In lines 13-14 the poet looks to the future and to life after death. What image does he use to convey his vision? Do you consider the image to be optimistic or pessimistic? Justify your choice. 4 Consider lines 15-18 in which the poet focuses on the woman's youth. He compares her complexion to morning dew. Is the choice of the part of the day significant? at In lines 1718 he describes her soul as ‘willing’ and associates it with fire. What does this suggest about the lady's feelings for the poet? '5 Underline the verbs in lines 19-28. Are they predominantly static or dynamnic? Do they suggest that the poet and his lover will take action or remain "ims of time? ; motionless vi why he feels the 2 Inlines 11-14 the poet explains ee Teed to act immediately. Try to explain his argu in your own words. 3 In the final section the poet suggests that he and his mistress should seize the day and become lovers. In doing this what will they conquer? 6 In the final verse the poet suggests that although they cannot stop time, they can master it by living each moment of their lives intensely. The concept of the victim becoming master is conveyed through a series of contrasts. Link each of the words in column A with a contrasting word or expression in column B. A 8 amorous sweetness devour run strength birds of prey pleasures slow-chapt stand still strife 7 Does the tone of the final part of the poem differ from the rest? How would you describe it? Triumphant ml Optimistic wm Sarcastic mPlayful ml Other: 8 Identity the rhyme scheme of the poem. Is it Ist re throughout? Count the syllables in each line, Wher” kind of line does Marvell use? Wtetrameter* Mi pentameter* tm hexameter* Find examples of Inline pauses* (marked by comme and run-onlinest, What effect do they have on the oem? Choose from the following or add your own, They make the rhythm less regular and | aes eg therefore less mM They make the poet's language more simi natural speech. ee ‘They interrupt the flow of the poem. W They add to the musicality of the poem, 1 Om=n. “a "THE PURITAN AGE - Poetry ‘ 5 Hyperbole of Hyperbole (Greek for ‘overshooting’) is an overstatement or a deliberate exaggeration, tend * 4 used either for serious or comic effect. It is frequently used in everyday speech in °F expressions such as: rd ‘Tve told you.a million times not to put your fet on the sofa!” ‘ ‘There are thousands of reasons why studying Greek and Latin is useful’ a In literature, hyperbole is used to catch the reader’ attention. Its two fundamental uses are diametrically opposed: to underline the gravity of the point the writer is making or _ = 0 add an element of humour, WME Find examples of hyperbole refering to space and time inthe fist verse of the poem To his iat Coy Mistress, BF nti & 2 42) |s the hyperbole used to underline the seriousness of the point the poet is making or to add 37 atouch 7 os fouch of playful humour? MEXZEREREIE Experiment with hyperbole. write thre sentences in which you use hyperbole for comic vp effect. ‘82 The English lesson was so boring the birds in the trees outside fel asleep. Mr Wakefield's nose isso large that it enters a room a full minute before the rest of his body. $4. White I was waiting for the bus | |grew a three-inch beard. fo} u) | Marvell is urging a woman to become his lover. He believes that because life isso short, each day should be fully enjoyed. This concept was first developed by the Latin poet Horace: ‘Carpe Diem, quam minimum credula Postero’ (‘Seize the day, and believe in the future as little as you can’). This timeless theme inspired the Italian prince and poet Lorenzo De Medic! inthe fifteenth century: Quant’é bella giovinezza Youth is so gay che si fugge tuttavial How quickly it sips away! Chi vuol esser lito si Be happy while you may di doman non c’ certezza! For tomorrow might be your last day! and the sixteenth-century French poet Pierre de Ronsard: Cueillez, cueillez votre jeunesse: © « Pick, pick your youth, Comme scetefeuy lavellesse Like this flowers, old age Fera ternir votre beauté. Will spoil your beauty. Now itis your turn, Add two or three more examples of ‘Carpe diem’ situations to the following: have an important test on Monday and I should be preparing for it. My friends are going to a football match, I think: Carpe diem! And | go with them.