During the 17th century the style of writing was changing from poems about death to ones whose subject was about living life to it's fullest extent. This kind of writing was also known as carpe diem. Robert Herrick and Andrew Marvell were two of the first carpe diem poets. Although their styles were similar their subjects differed.
Both Marvell and Herrick used metaphors in their writing. In To His Coy Mistress, Marvell writes, "Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness lady were no crime,"(414). This is a metaphor saying that if they had all the time in the world to spend together that he would not be so worried about getting married right away. Herrick says in To the Virgins to Make Much of Time, "And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying,"(416). This means that whatever man likes a girl today, tomorrow may like somebody else. Both Marvell and Herrick's poems are in the form of an argument, they are trying to convince the young women in the poems to forget their morals and live life like it should be lived. Both poets also used personification in their writing. Marvell personifies youth by comparing it to a drop of dew, "Now therefore, while the youthful hew sit on thy skin like morning dew,- (415). Here he is saying that like dew youth does not stay around forever. In Herrick's poem he gives the sun life-like qualities in the line, "The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, The higher he's a-getting, The sooner will his race be run, And nearer he's to setting."(416). Herrick is saying that if these girls don't live life now that they will miss their prime and will not have any fun while they live. Both Carpe Diem poets feel that young girls are not taking advantage of their youth and they are going to miss the best part of life.
Although both poems had the same ways of getting their point across, the writers were trying to convince their readers of different things.
