1a. At the beginning of the poem, what quality does the speaker attribute to his mistress? What biblical allusions does the speaker use to express the longevity of his love?
2a. What is seen and heard at the beginning of the second stanza?
3a. What actions are suggested in the last stanza?
4a. Identify the emotions that the speaker is appealing to.
5a. Evaluate the progression of Marvell's argument. If stanza 1 and stanza 2 were transposed, would the argument be just as effective? Explain.
1b. Why is this trait troublesome to the speaker? Why does the speaker feel he can't wait for a long time to have his love come to him?
2b. Why does the speaker feel a sense of urgency?
3b. How does the speaker perceive time in the last stanza?
4b. What is the speaker's main argument in the poem?
5b. What themes from other selections in this unit conflict with Marvell's?
Metaphor and Simile. What metaphors and similes does Marvell use in the poem? What are the tenor and vehicle for each figure of speech?
Image. What image is presented in line 11? How does this image reinforce the speaker's message in stanza 1?
Couplet and Stanza. Review the cluster chart you made in Literary Tools. How are the couplets used in the poem? With what type of couplet does the poem end? How is the poem's theme developed in the three stanzas?
1. Write a letter to a friend encouraging him or her to seize the day and not put off any longer an important goal or opportunity.
2. Imagine you are the coy mistress being addressed in the poem. Write a letter to the speaker telling him whether or not you agree with his argument.
3. Imagine you write an advice column and the speaker has just written you a letter stating that his girlfriend has rejected him. Write an advice column giving the speaker ideas about how he should proceed to try to win her back.
Correcting Run-ons. Rewrite the following sentences, adding punctuation, removing words as necessary, and capitalizing words to create new sentences.
1. Andrew Marvell's poems are more than fanciful verses because he makes serious points, the reader would miss some of the poems' value by overlooking these points.
2. The mistress in the poem does not show fondness for the speaker, it is not clear whether she feels any or not, since her feelings are left for the reader to imagine.
3. Marvell prevented the poet John Milton from going to prison, without Marvell's help, Milton may well have been put to death.
4. It's easy to imagine that Andrew Marvell was a delightful tutor to Thomas Fairfax's daughter, his poems written at that time show a witty sense of humor and even some satire, though those qualities aren't immediately apparent in Marvell's character.
5. The Latin phrase carpe diem means "seize the day," Marvell's poem is one of the most famous statements in English of the carpe diem theme.
Researching Parliament. Research a topic about the British Parliament. For possible topics, see page 542 in your text.
Research Findings:
Sources Used:
Selecting Antonyms. Read the sentences below, and select the letter of the word that means the opposite of the underlined word.
1. Andrew Marvell was a reserved man, though his poetry showed his humor and wit. click to select answer a. quiet b. funny c. outgoing d. restrained
2. In many of Marvell's poems, his casual approach belies his serious message. click to select answer a. reinforces b. disguises c. belittles d. underlies
3. In "To His Coy Mistress," the speaker explains why there is no time to be coy. coy."> click to select answer a. evasive b. coquettish c. forthright d. hasty
4. According to the poem, we should take charge of time rather than languish under its power. click to select answer a. submit b. flourish c. suffer d. express ourselves
5. The theme of this poem is that we should enjoy youth, beauty, love, and life now, because they are only temporal. click to select answer a. short-lived b. quick c. eternal d. tempting
