How do these poets view women?
The two poems portray women as shy and virgin. The women
are shown to be taking their time and seem to be in no hurry to settle down in
marriage; while the men who are courting them are getting impatient. Robert Herrick in “To the Virgins, To Make
Much of Time” and Andrew Marvell in “To His Coy Mistress” also describe women
as good-looking and attractive in their youth but with the passing of time
would faded and of no value just like wilted flowers.
What other symbols do they use to portray women?
Herrick resembles women to rosebuds and the sun; while
Marvell compares women to time and the passing of time. Both poets depict women
with a beginning; a peak of life; and an ending. Women are at the peak of
beauty in their youth and are most attractive to men; but towards the end of
their lives their beauty diminishes and so does their value.
How do each of the authors’ choice of symbols
reinforce their cultures’ view of women considered when these poems were
written the society social structure in the role of women?
These poems show how the society look at women. They are
valued and sought after when they are young and beautiful. However, they lose
their worth when they become old and wrinkled. This implies that women are only
viewed as objects of men’s desires and if they remain unmarried and grow older,
they become of no value.
