Question

This is all for the poem "To His Coy Mistress" They're all short answers.

1) What is the speaker trying to convince his mistress to do?
2) Why is she being "coy"?
3) Outline the author's argument in the form of a syllogism or a logical argument where the conclusion is inferred from the two previous truths. Use if, but, and therefore, to form your syllogism.
4) Explain why the poet uses the term "vegetable love"
5) What simile in section 3 contrasts with "vegetable love"? How so?
6) What image in section 3 contrasts with the image of the distance between the Ganges and the Humber?
7) Explain what the poet means by line 24 "Deserts of vast eternity"?
8) For what is sun a metonymy?
9) What philosophy is the poet advancing with this poet?
10) What might acting on physical desire symbolize for the author?
Thanks!

Answer 1

In 'To His Coy Mistress,' the speaker argues his mistress should surrender her coy behavior because time is fleeting, using metaphors like 'vegetable love' to describe slow, eternal growth, contrasted by urgent, fiery passion, and endorsing a Carpe Diem philosophy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The poem To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell presents

1. the speaker's argument to persuade his mistress to act on her passion and not waste time being coy.
2. The mistress might be coy because she is adhering to societal norms of modesty or playing hard to get, which was a common social behavior during the time the poem was written.
3. The speaker's argument can be presented as a syllogism: If we had all the time in the world, your coyness wouldn't be a problem, but we are mortal and do not have such time, therefore we should seize the moment and not waste time.
4. The term "vegetable love" implies a love that would grow slowly and infinitely if time was abundant.
5. The simile contrasting with "vegetable love" in section 3 refers to the instantaneous action of passion, like a ball of fire, which contrasts the slow growth of vegetables.
6. The image of the two lovers physically close and in an intense, immediate embrace ("amorous birds of prey") contrasts the image of the distance between the Ganges and the Humber, presenting a sharp contrast between vast distance and close intimacy.
7. The phrase "Deserts of vast eternity" in line 24 signifies the emptiness and endless waiting if they continue to postpone acting on their passion.
8. The sun serves as a metonymy for time, which is consistently passing and cannot be stopped.
9. The poet is advancing a Carpe Diem philosophy, which encourages the enjoyment of life before it's too late.
10. Acting on physical desire may symbolize the liberation from societal constraints and fully embracing the human experience.

Answer 2

1) The speaker pleads with his mistress to let him touch her and to lose her virginity to him.
2) She is being coy because they aren't married, and being sexually involved with him would stain her honor as a woman.
3) If they lived for eons, it would be OK for her to put him off. He would use the eons to love her from a distance. But their lives are short. Therefore, she should enjoy physical love with him.
4) Vegetable love wouldn't be physically active like an animal; it would grow in one place instead.
5) "Like amorous birds of prey, rather at once our time devour" describes a fierce, active, physical love.
6) "Roll all our strength and all our sweetness up into one ball" suggests they should be so close they are one.
7) "Deserts of vast eternity" don't contain any physical satisfaction.
8) The sun stands for time. Time will pass and they will die; they have no control over that. This is expressed by "we cannot make our sun stand still". 9) The poet urges her to "carpe diem" or "seize the day".
10) Acting on physical desire means being truly alive for him.