Comparison of Andrew Marvell to his shy mistress and of Robert Herrick to virgins, to make the most of timeSince the dawn of time, love has played a huge role among humans. Everyone feels the need to love and be loved. Some people attempt to fulfill this desire with activities and possessions that will not satisfy them – with activities they should not participate in and possessions they should not possess. In Andrew Marvell's poem, "To His Coy Mistress," the speaker encounters an emotion that some would call love, but which better fits the designation of desire for a woman. In contrast, the author of Robert Herrick's poem "To the Virgins, To Save Much Time" urges virgins to marry, to make a lasting commitment in which love plays a vital role. Comparing these poems reveals differences between love and lust. Despite the contrasting depictions of love and lust, both poets describe the underlying theme of carpe diem – “seize the day” – by using the sun to show the brevity of a person's time on earth and in using societal norms to support their arguments. Although some may argue that the speaker of Marvell's poem loves his mistress, he seems to experience no emotions other than lust. The speaker simply mentions the word “love” three times, all in the first stanza. Nowhere does the speaker connect this so-called love to his girlfriend's personality traits, but always to her physical appearance. The speaker explains that if he had all the time in the world, he would worship for “one age at least” every part of his body and “the last age should show your heart” (17-18). The speaker's emphasis on his girlfriend's body instead of focusing on her personality and heart – her most important traits – ...... middle of document ...... he uses similar arguments to try to persuade the person(s) they are speaking to. More precisely, the two speakers convey the concept of carpe diem through the analogy of the sun. However, they approach their situation in a biased way. Although they have the opportunity to focus on true love, they fail to seize this opportunity. Instead, the speakers focus on society's definition of love as beauty, demanding a response based on a woman's superficial outward appearance. Works Cited Herrick, Robert. “To the virgins, to save a lot of time. » Literature An introduction to critical reading. Lee A. Jacobus. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. Marvell, Andrew. “To his shy mistress” and other poems. New York: DoverPublications, Inc., 1997. New American Standard Bible, The Lockman Foundation, 1995. Available at http://www.lockman.org