To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time Group

Question:

doreendela
doreendela
Student
College - Junior

Please explain some of the literary devices in "To the Virgina, Make Much of Time."

Rate question:

Posted by doreendela on Saturday November 1, 2008 at 3:14 PM and tagged with literary devices, to the virgins, to make much of time.

Answers:

  1. tpantuso
    tpantuso Student
    Doctorate

    one thing at work is synecdoche where the flower is representing purity and youth.  this metaphor is carried throughout the poem through parallelism.

    Rate answer:

    Posted by tpantuso on Saturday November 1, 2008 at 5:50 PM


  2. ms-mcgregor Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    This poem is considered one of the "Carpe Diem" poems. In Latin, carpe diem" is usually translated "seize the day." However, carpo in Latin can also refer to picking or plucking flowers or fruits, and this association goes well with the imagery he uses when he admonishes virgins to "gather ye rosebuds while ye may." In the first stanza, Herrick also employs personification when he says, "time is still a-flying" and "this same flower that smiles". The second stanza contains an allusion to the sun god, Helios, who each day raced his chariot across the sky. Herrick wirtes that ". . .the sun/ The higher he's a getting,/The sooner will his race be won. This also contains personification by comparing the sun to a racer. Herrick again uses personification when he implies that Time will always follow and bring the worst with it. The final imagery of the poem suggests that if virgins do not marry they will "forever tarry" or linger.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/virgins-make/
    http://www.enotes.com/virgins-make/text-poem

    Rate answer:

    Posted by ms-mcgregor on Saturday November 1, 2008 at 6:30 PM