Using Herrick's "“To the Virgins, to Make Much Time” and Milton's "When I Consider How My Light is Spent" write a well-developed response. Compare the message and intention of each. Do these poems appeal to human emotion or human logic to convey their ideas? Use textual evidence to discuss and write an original, concise thesis statement to support your position. 250 words.
Compare and Contrast Poetry:
Using Herrick's "“To the Virgins, to Make Much Time” and Milton's "When I Consider How My Light is Spent" write a well-developed response. Compare the message and intention of each. Do these poems appeal to human emotion or human logic to convey their ideas? Use textual evidence to discuss and write an original, concise thesis statement to support your position. 250 words.
12 Comments
Kira M
11/13/2013 12:59:59 am
The message in To The Virgins by Herrick seems to be that you can't be coy forever, you need to settle down and find love while you're still young and beautiful. It seems to appeal to human logic to try to convey the message because in the time this was written, some women liked to be courted for a very long period of time before settling down with a man. So the speaker in this poem is trying to tell young women not to waste their youth being coy, they should try to fall in love quickly so they can enjoy their beauty with their loved one. In Milton's "When I Consider How My Light is Spent" I believe the message is to enjoy your life while you still can, appreciate everything. Milton became blind but he continued to write, this poem is a result of that. Milton appeals to human emotion with his talk of leaning towards the thought of taking his own life. He talks of God and I believe that his faith is what helped him carry on through his life, when he met his "maker" he wanted to be able to say that he continued his life even without his sight. Milton doesn't want anyone to take the beauty of the world for granted.
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Bradley R.
11/13/2013 01:00:57 am
In Herrick's poem, "to the virgins", he talks about using youth and the time you have. He believed to not waste one's youth. He also believes that you must get married young. He sees marrying as an act for young people. Milton has the same idea but a different appraoch to the idea. He understood that what he did in the world would not matter in the eternal place of heaven. He also said that if you stand still you will never get what you want. He said you should use your time to find someone that compliments yourself. In Herrick's poem he talks about becoming mobile in youth and Milton is the continuation of that saying that you should use the time to find someone you can be with forever. Herrick represents this idea with this statement. "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may," then he later adds this "and while ye may, go marry." Then this idea of contiuation or pontification is shown in Milton's poem. "when i consider how my light is spent," then continues with "Who best bear his mind yoke, they serve him best." This is showing that Milton was registering his past and then begins to question God what happened. The reply that God gave said that Milton should find someone that compliments him and can handle him. So Herrick says go find someone while you are young and then Milton says find someone that is unique and good for you. The two poets both talk about the issue of youth being wasted on not getting married. During their time marriage was large and they spoke of this by using imagery, analogies, and question-answer devices to help explain the idea. These devices express and amplify two ideas manly. The idea is youth not being wasted, expressed with ideas of young ages and warmth, and the idea that during this youth spend time finding the right person for it will be worth it. The old men that write on these poems speak with experience and should be listened to.
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Frida E.
11/13/2013 06:10:46 am
In Herrick's "To the Virgins, to Make Much Time" he is addressing the poem to a group of virgins. The speaker is explaining to them that they should live life as they can, because time will pass quick. He thinks that whatever happens after our youth isn't worth living for, basically that your youth will be the best time in your life. In the end of the poem he tries to encourage the virgins to use their time and get married before they lose their beauty. In Milton's "When I consider How My Light is Spent" the poet is describing how he is living his life in a colorful world that is now dark for him. In the line "When I consider how my light is spent" he is referring to his blindness, and that is why he wrote a poem about the beautiful world that he could no longer see. The thought of suicide was there, but this idea drove him sick; thinking that his talent would become useless made him scared. Milton refers to death with sarcasm, and it's easy to understand how hurt and angry he is. He loved to write and the blindness made it very difficult for him, but his faith remained strong and he stayed tough. In the poem he states that he will serve his maker even though he is suffering, this poem shows how loyal Milton was. His faith in a higher power seemed to give him the courage he needed to be able to live with his blindness. I think these two poems appeal to human emotion more than they appeal to human logic. We get to read about Herrick who believes that youth is your only golden time, which can refer to his own emotions towards "the older age" and how he feels about it. In Milton's poem we get to read about how his blindness has affected his world, but that his feelings for God kept his courage going. These poems appeal more to human emotion because the poets describe their emotional feelings rather than their logical thinking.
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Dennis K
11/13/2013 07:22:01 am
In “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick, Herrick is asking the virgins out there if they could hurry up. He’s trying to convince them to get married now that they are still pretty and still enjoyable. He compares different things to make this clear, for example:”and this same flower smiles today, tomorrow will be dying.” He just wants the ladies to hurry up. In “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent” by John Milton, Milton is talking about his blindness. He says:”Ere half days in this dark world and wide, and that one talent which is death to hide”. He now sees the world as dark because of suffering from blindness. He seems to complain about life, but later says that he will be patient for the day that may come that he will get chided, and asked by the Maker about his life which he refers to as the ‘true account’.
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Victor B
11/14/2013 05:53:58 pm
In the Poem To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time by Robert Herrick he is talking about how youth its very precious and that you need to marry while you still have your youth and beauty because if you wait til your old you wont be as good looking as you should so people wont want to marry you thats why he is saying to marry at a young age. Then in When I consider How my Light is spent by John Milton is talking about how he spent half of his life in light which means being able to see then the other half in darkness because he is blind now. Because he is blind he feels almost has if there is no reason to live anymore but he makes a stronger bond with god that brings him closer and guides him in faith. He realizes that its his time when god wants him to go to heaven so he will make the best out of life with what he can. I believe this uses Human Logic and Emotion because it is true your youth and beauty is young and when you can see for half your life then its taken away from you that's very dramatic. Then Human logic because he is making a stronger connection with god spiritually because he knows he will guide him in the way he needs to go
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August W.
11/16/2013 11:44:18 pm
In Herricks "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time", Herricks main message of the poem is that the beauty and youth you posses are great and vast in the moment, yet as time drags on your beauty and youth will fail you "That age is best which is the first, when youth and blood are warmer; but being spent, the worse, and worst times still succeed the former." (Herrick), and that while you are young and posses youthful beauty you should we as soon as possible "and while ye may, go marry". Then in Milton's "When I Consider how my Light is Spent" the main message of the poem is: how is one supposed to do their bidding if they are given an impossible handicap? "And that one talent which is death to hide lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent to serve with my Maker" (Milton), which Milton later proposes an answer to by stating "'God doth not need either mans work or his own gifts" (Milton). In Herricks poem he attempts to use emotion and the logic of aging to support his topic, because women of the time knew that a young and hard working man did not want an old and aged bride, but Herrick also plays to emotion stating that beauty and youth is key to marriage and that love does not over come all obstacles such as age. Meanwhile in Milton's poem he mainly uses logic to appeal to the reader in support of his topic, and says that despite his blindness and wish to continue work he believes God expects of him because of his born talent, that God does not need work to be done by his children but wants them to remain faithful even in times of darkness and hopelessness.
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Cullen
11/16/2013 11:45:08 pm
Both Herrick and Milton look at life juxtaposed to death, with the topics of living your life while you may observed in both. In the end, neither one of the authors respect death or look at death as the ending point. They both look at death as if death was a real entiry, choosing to pick people from life, more specific about this is Herrick. Death is ruled as inevitable in both of the poems but Herrick basically says just because you are going to die, don’t let death kill you. “Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, and dost with posion, war , and sickness dwell....” Herrick says that the good die young as well as Milton, and they both look at that as God’s Angels being called to Heaven. “One short sleep past, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.” When Milton asks God why the world is so dark, and why we all die out of his desperation, he hears a reply from Patience, explaining to him not to question God, because God has a reason for it all. “God doth not need either man’s work or His own gifts. Who best Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best. His state Is kingly: Thousands at His bidding speed, and post o’er land and oceanwithout rest; they also serve who only stand and wait.” Both men are shown to be religious, and make death appear as a dark thing, the imagery used behind death is that of a dark, malicious, draining thing that is out to get human’s and condemn them to a fate. Both men however look at their own post mortem experience as a lighter, better place than Earth, which they achieve by being faithful to God, which in turn allows them to beat death. The idea of Herricks that death wil die, discusses that if everyone made it to the Kingdom of Heaven, no one would really die as they would all live on eternally. Milton also expresses this idea when he expresses the multitude and growing number of Angels reigning after death. In conclusion, they both believe death is the loser, because they will live on forever
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saverio.young
11/17/2013 12:15:03 am
Meaning for To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, The poem is to a group of virgins. He's telling them that they should gather their "rosebuds" while they can, because time is moving fast. He thinks that one's youth is the best time in life, and the years after that aren't so great. The speaker finishes off the poem by encouraging these young virgins to make use of their time by getting married, before they're past their prime and lose the chance. When i consider how my light is spent means that He is describing how he is living his life in a "wide" world which is now "dark" because of the loss of his sight, which he refers to as his "light that is spent" or now used up. "When I consider how my light is spent" the poet is referring to his blindness. He cannot even use the one way out which is to commit suicide even though his soul likes this idea. He refers to death with sarcasm as a "talent", something that is not normally done.I think both poems are more of human emotion.
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Berk Dikici
11/17/2013 04:52:54 am
The poem “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick, is telling a group of virgins not to waste their time and not to be coy. He tries to make the reader clear with this quote “Then be not coy, but use your time, and while ye may, go marry “ that time passes fast and while you are young and beautiful use your chance and go marry. On the other side the poem “When In Consider How My Light Is Spent” by John Milton is about a guy getting blind and is “mad” God that he cant use his talent, “And that one talent which is death to hide”. Later in the last line he starts to come up with a thought which represent the solution for his problems. The solution is that God doesn't need him and his talent, he has thousands of angels that will jump at his command to go from one end of the earth to the other without rest (“God doth not need Either man’s work or His own gifts”).I think the poem by Robert Herrick appeals more to human logic, he is right by telling them not to waste their time, because “It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much” quote by Lucius Annaeus Seneca. The poem by John Milton appeals more to human emotions, because he is writing about blindness and I think John Milton involves his own feeling, emotions into the poem.
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Monsieur Clement
11/18/2013 08:40:15 am
Robert Herrick's "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" and John Milton's "When I consider how my light was spent" are both works of poetry from the mid-seventeenth century, but they greatly differ in the messages that they convey. Robert Herrick's poem has one basic message, which can be summed up in one word: carpe diem. This means "seize the day," taking advantage of every moment, while being proactive. In lines 3 and 4 of his poem, it reads, "And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying." This states that most things are temporary and before you know it, they will expire. If we wait too long, then opportunity shall disappear. In the quote, "That age is best which is the first, When youth and blood are warmer," Herrick comes to the conclusion that we must do all we can while we are young. He truly captures the importance of seizing the day. John Milton sends a different message in his poem, "When I consider how my light was spent." Milton tells us that our actions are pointless and that if we stand and wait, then good things will happen. He develops his message with the dialogue in the story, such as, the quote, "'God doth not need Either man's work or His own gifts.'" This tells us that God does not need anything from us. Milton and Herrick's conclusions on how best to live life are different, for Milton says, "...stand and wait," while Herrick goes on to say, "...use your time." While neither side is exclusively correct, they both are sound, logical pieces of advice. There is a time to seize the day and a time to be patient, but when are those time? That is one of the great questions in life, that came unpaired with a proper answer.
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MitchellD
12/1/2013 02:47:00 am
"To the Virgins" is a poem more about human logic where as "Light is Spent" is more towards human emotion. "To the Virgins" is centered around human emotions. In the poem the virgins are women who are simplify indecisive in relationship matters. By the virgins not flat out saying yes or no, the poet is indicating that sometimes human logic should be broken to further the happiness of everyone. "How my Light" is spent on the other hand is about the human emotion. Milton was in a state of his life where he was completely blind. His idealism propelled his writing forward.
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Alec J
12/11/2013 12:27:08 am
While Herrick, in his poem “To the Virgins to Make Much of Time”, uses more of a logic reasoning approach to convey his message, Milton’s “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent” is more of an appeal to human emotion.
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