Discuss Representations of Love In One or More Poems Read in Class.
Many different poets throughout history have represented love, perhaps the most common subject matter chosen in poetry, in many different ways, and many of these ideas certainly do not conform to what the current generation would consider love', mostly due to the advent of sexual equality and equal rights.
The poem To his Coy Mistress' written by Andrew Marvell is a perfect example of this, and clearly shows the opinion of love from his time period, although it is not possible to tell if it was the most common idea. The poem is clearly written to address a certain individual, due to its frequent use of the second person pronoun you' and has much in common with persuasive speech, as it is divided into a series of logical arguments in the first two sections and then a conclusion in the third. The purpose of this persuasion is to convince the woman to give up her quaint honour' and have sexual intercourse with the speaker. In the first section the voice the poet chooses to use (it is never clear if he speaks as himself or if the poem is intended as a satire) very traditional, romantic language and is complimentary throughout, such as My vegetable love should grow' and An hundred years should go to praise Thine eyes '. In this section of the poem love is represented as a beautiful thing that can last forever. He reinforces this point with near constant references to time, many of which span off in to eternity, an example of which Till the conversion of the Jews. While this seems very pure on the surface, it is also very chauvinistic. The woman seems to play no active role in this idealised relationship and is merely an object to be admired, wooed and conquered. Furthermore, not once does he compliment any aspect of her personality, and this shallowness is emphasises more by what he goes on to say in the second part of the poem, which he begins by claiming that he hears Time's winged chariot' approaching.