The two love poems, "The Flea" by John Donne and "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell were written since 1600 with the common goal of wooing their respective women. In Donne's “The Flea,” the poet demonstrates his attempt to bewitch his woman by convincing her that they had previously had sexual intercourse through an insect (the flea). The bug had bitten them both, consequently mixing their blood and reinvigorating the display of sex within his body (perhaps, this was the scientific understanding of "sex" at that time). In Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress," he uses time as a tool in his quest for romantic commitment. Time is his weapon to persuade his woman to share their adoration now, while they are both young and seductive. Although Donne's approach to persuading the woman essentially varies from Marvell's, both poems have a similar point and strive to achieve their common goal by using exemplification, diction, and structure in the body of the poems. The common subject, carpe diem (Latin: seize the day), is the central theme of the two poems, just like their most imperative similarity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, the two poems use exemplification basically as an approach to create distinctive symbolism and convince the reader to grasp the topic carpe diem to achieve their goal. In Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress", he exemplifies a moment where he tries to woo his woman. He composes verses full of generous symbolism to express to the reader what is on his mind. For example, he states: "But behind me I always hear the winged chariot of Time racing by." This statement is a keen example of the use of personification in Marvell's poetry and serves to appeal to the reader's sensation of sound to create a distinctive and alluring image. Donne's sonnet "The Flea" uses the same abstract apparatus in his piece, in any case, exemplifies an insect, which has bitten both the speaker and his potential significant other, as opposed to time. For example, he states: "This flea is you and I, and this is our marriage bed and the temple of marriage." By saying that the flea is not only an "insect" but also their marriage bed, Donne effectively used embodiment in his poem as a tool to win his argument. While Donne exemplifies an insect and Marvell represents time, both are effective in using this artistic tool in their carpe diem poems. Secondly, the diction or style of a poem discovers what is imperative to the author and establishes the rhythm and mental state of the said poem. In Donne's poem, “The Flea,” the author communicated his affection with a concise poem, describing exactly what he felt was important to advance his goal. Marvell's poem is something more, but at the same time short enough to make the decision of words a significant apparatus to remember. In the two poems the word decision serves to establish the rhythm as well as to convince the reader. An instance of this is found in the opening two lines of Donne's poem: “Mark, but this flea, and note in this/How little is that which you deny me;”. This is a true case of expression because, in the first lines of the poem, the poet as early as tries to persuade the reader that the demonstration of sex is as immaterial in size as an insect. The author immediately captures the reader's attention and presents his thesis in a few words. Marvell also appears to be an expert at decision-making.
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