To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time Compared to O Me! O Life! Essay

Walt Whitman, Robert Herrick: tremendously famous poets to this day who have both captured the idea of living each day to the fullest in O Me! O Life! and To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, respectively. Despite these poems being written an approximate two hundred years apart from each other, they do carry the alike theme of carpe diem, conveyed in two unique ways. These poems differ when the poets show their style through the authors focus, meaning, tone, and poem structure.

These two poems emphasize different aspects of the theme and show how the authors focuses differ. In Whitmans O Me! O Life!, the opening refers to life struggles and dire times that one may experience. His poem then proceeds to provide an answer for all this, saying to make the most of things and that we all are individuals who have something to add to this world: Answer. / That you are here--that life exists, and identity; / That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse. (Lines 8-10) The change in tone in this area puts emphasis on the two concluding lines which hold the authors purpose for writing the piece. On the other hand, Herrick simply encourages the reader from begin to end to grab the chance and to experience all of life while you can. His thoughts are conveyed in a sexual manner with losing ones virginity representing fully experiencing life. He emphasizes this by dwelling on the theme from start to finish. Nonetheless, these poets keep the same theme-oriented focus.

The meaning of the two poems on the surface seem to be very similar, both creating a seize the day scheme. The authors have slightly skewed visions on this theme and how it should be achieved. In Herricks verses it is more simply put across with these words For having lost but once your prime / You may for ever tarry. (Lines 15-16) that one should live life before its to late, carrying a youth is wasted on the young tone. Instead of viewing this poem as a desperate attempt to persuade a young woman to sleep with him, the meaning is deeper than this and is explaining to the reader the importance of appreciating life as it comes and how fast it can fade away. Herrick puts emphasis on exactly how quickly it can fade away with lines 3 and 4 And this same flower that smiles to-day / To-morrow will be dying. One gets the idea that they wouldnt want to leave this world with things they may still have wanted to do, he also implies that youth can disappear so suddenly. Walt Whitmans vision of carpe diem in his poem embodies the inspiration for one to be an individual. This is captured in the final lines of his piece That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.(Line 10) This single line carries the meaning of the entire rest of the poem, standing for having your own identity and making the most of life with it. Whitman turns this poem from life and its struggles to this masterpiece and essentially answer to life and a method on how to live it. This change happens when he writes Question-What good amid these, O me, O life? showing that one must sometimes stop and question life to find the answer. That you are here (Line 9) may be his simplest answer in the fact you are alive to take advantage of it, in some sense he is telling people to do something with their own lives. There is a meaning and purpose to life and Whitman would never want us to lose sight of that. When broken down the differences in theme focus show the full meaning that these poets intended.

The tone these poets use are different in sound, technique, and manner. Whitman begins with the disapproval of oneself and an unenthusiastic view of life, in a pessimistic tone. The poem then lightens up with the answermoving words that can really motivate an individual. This provides a positive give what you have to give, you are who you are outlook on life. Herricks poem, To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, maintains a suggestive tone throughout the text. Herrick offers the reader his wisdom, logic, and insight when giving his advice on the topic, whereas Whitman allows the reader to ponder on these thoughts to get what you need out of the poem. Tone sometimes does more for the poem than the literal meaning of its words; it allows the authors to really show their style.

The structure of the two poems is the most obvious difference at first glance. Herrick presents his thoughts in very traditional style, set up as a 4-stanza quatrain poem, with a simple A-B-A-B alternating rhyme pattern. Whitman, on the other hand, who is known for his free verse, uses a unique way to emphasize his work through the structure of the poem. He highlights his solution with the standalone word of answer. On paper, it is centered in the eighth line of the poem with extra space above and below, becoming the first thing one would notice when looking over this piece. Poem structure is a style technique that poets use for significance in accenting their words.

These poems share the same central theme, but that is where the association ends. Beyond this, the authors styles take over and their work is influenced by what they have to offer. When two different poets communicate their views about the same theme, their style begins to expose itself and is more apparent, as it is here in Herricks and Whitmans case.