Comparison between To His Coy Mistress, and A Narrow Fellow in the Grass - Essay Example

A comparison of "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell and "A narrow Fellow in the Grass" by Emily Dickinson - I need the paper to have many examples and quotations. The poem "To His Coy Mistress" written by Andrew Marvell is one of the most appealing and influencing poem written during the seventeenth century. Andrew Marvell is a very prominent writer of carpe diem poems and his work is cherished by all to date. His work is usually quite solemn and serious but the poem which we are concerned with today that is "To His Coy Mistress" is very good example of a persuasive poem in which the poet is trying to convince his lover for a physically intimate relationship. The poems start in a very expressive manner but later unfold to be quite serious which is done to bring about the intensity of the poem and theme so that the lover submits to her man. On the contrary "A narrow Fellow in the Grass" is written by a female poet Emily Dickinson who initially wrote for her amusement and her loved ones but did not take writing as a profession. This poem somehow found its way and was published without her knowledge in Springfield daily Republican with the title of 'The Snake'. This poem was greatly admired by the masses and is Emily's most prominent work. The poem does not particularly mention that it has been written for a snake but as it points out certain aspects which are quite similar to a snake therefore it is assumed that snakes are the topic of concern in this poem The theme behind the poem "To His Coy Mistress" is undoubtedly time and sexual desires. Throughout the course of the poem from the start to the end the theme that remains constant is time. The poet is well aware of this transitory world. He knows that life is uncertain and nobody knows when, where and how one will die therefore according to him one should have access to all the pleasures of life before one has to leave this world. This poem is meant to highlight the relationship time has with carpe diem poems. In this way the poet encourages his mistress to seize any opportunity that comes her way as one should not wait for the upcoming day and take charge of everything at the spur of the moment. In this poem the poet is referring to a lady with whom he wishes to be involved in sexual activities. "If time is the super villain of Andrew Marvell's 'To His Coy Mistress' then having sex is the super power he needs to gain control over his enemy." (Shmoop, 18) He persuades her by alarming herthat time can rupture her 'quaint honor' and 'long preserved virginity'. He suggests that she should hand over her virginity to him (by handing over her virginity it is meant that she needs to give him access to her body) before it is too late and it decays.This poem shows a physiological state of the poets mind which shows that he is very desperate to have sex with her therefore he tries all ways to convince her for it. On the other hand, the poem "A narrow Fellow in the Grass" is a poem written by Emily Dickinson in which she expresses her love for nature and its species. Usually people drew their attention to topics which dealt with humans, life, suffering and happiness during that time but she took a step forward to talk about animals and nature. The theme behind this poem is the respect Emily had for nature. She believes that the animals are the people belonging to nature, she holds this opinion that snakes are a part of our nature therefore they deserve to have the same respect and independence. Like all other species snakes have their own importance which shouldn't be undermined. Hence one should not takes snakes are any other creature for granted as they have their own environment and are of no harm what so ever. She also mentions the element of fear which people usually possess from such creatures which she relates to the fear despite all the love she has for them persist. She avoids using various labels and therefore takes them the way they are. This poem also breaks the bars set by stereotypes and the gender disparity as it has portrayed Emily's sense of adventure. (Mitchell, 37) The poem "To His Coy Mistress" is an epitome of love in which nothing has been given more priority than love and affection. As one grows physically and mentally there comes a time when he requires the love of a partner who fulfill all his/her physical and other desires. At a certain point this love becomes so strong that one cannot help think about it and ask for it. Therefore this poem shows the connection between lovers. And such a relation is merely based on love and lust. On the other hand in the poem "A narrow Fellow in the Grass" portrays love but in a very different manner. Usually it is seen that man associates love to an ideal or a lover who becomes an emblem of beauty and grace but in this poem affection is shown towards nature and the creatures that dwell in it. The love shown in this poem is for snakes which are usually a symbol of fear and disgust. The poet love this creature whose movement and actions inspire her but despite that there is fear also prevailing inside her. Although the snake is a very fascinating creature for her but still it is not possible to love a creature like a snake. An interpretation of this can be hat love is not merely a bed of roses where everything will be all magical and perfect but in reality love is more like a journey on thorns and a battle that one has to fight in order to make their way through. The style of Marvells writing is very professional and is very stylized. Marvell does not have a simple monotonous way of writing but his style keeps on changing with the requirement of the stanza. Initially he is persuasive and tries to convey the story of his love filled desires to his lady. In order to do that he takes a lot of pauses to communicate the speakers thoughts. Later he becomes harsh and conveys his message in such a manner that the lady becomes submissive. Finally in the last stanza he lets go of everything, words flow out resulting in an enchanting climax. He has written the poem in such a manner that it communicates the essence of sex in itself. All the stanzas amalgamate into one consolidated stanza eventually. Therefore the poet not only chooses the exact and precise words to express his feelings but also delivers them in such a way that it enthralls the reader. Hence in simpler words the structure used in tripartite suits the poem when it comes to logic and style. (The Broadview Anthology of British Literature, 770) The style of Marvell is quite different from that of Dickinson. Emily contradicts the professionalism and style of work as shown by Marvell as her work tends to be more like a nursery rhyme foe children with six stanzas comprising of four lines each. His works seems to be an interpretation of some other person of whom she is advocating through her own work. Another perspective that has been highlighted in Marvell's poem is death. Irrespective of the fact that this poem is written to express the love a man has for a women and hence the physical demands that arouse with it. He still manages to maintain the sensitivity of the topic by incorporating death in such a manner that it advocates the intensity of the topic. As well as that he also mentions that life is an experience which involves sweetness, strength and strife which he learns in a huge passage of time but all this can be experienced by just having sex which indirectly he considers to be a complete institution in itself. Whereas Emily compares humans to snakes which have the same movement, the first time one meets a snake can be pretty startling and unexpected. In short the writer sees life in these snakes, she considers then to be humanly and remind her of her own childhood and experience instilling concepts like fear, affection, sustaining. Hence in a nutshell, these poems are quite different from one another but basically both comprise of the message of love. They are stylistically very different from one another and therefore are written in a very different manner. The poets have been successful in conveying their messages and these poems are the most prominent work of their times. WORKS CITED: Shmoop. "To His Coy Mistress: Shmoop Poetry Guide - Shmoop - Google Books."Google Books.N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2013.  Mitchell, Domhnall. Measures of Possibility: Emily Dickinson's Manuscripts. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2005. Print. "The Broadview Anthology of British Literature, Second Edition: Volume 2: The ... - Google Books." Google Books.N.p., n.d. Web. 9 May 2013.  Read More