Style and Tone in Two Poems “To His Coy Mistress” by...

In this essay I will compare two poems: â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† by Andrew Marvell and â€Å"The Ruined Maid† by Thomas Hardy. I will look at the style and the tones that are used in both of these poems in order to compare them. â€Å"To His Coy Mistress† is one-way argumentative conversation featuring one horny young man trying to convince his reluctant mistress to give up her virginity to him before she gets old. He uses the argument that she needs to have sex now because her youth and beauty will fade as she ages. He thinks they should seize the moment because life is short and she would not want to die a virgin, and he will not want her when she gets old. The beginning of this poem tells the main argument, â€Å"Had we but world enough, and†¦show more content†¦He says to her â€Å"Thy beauty shall no more be found in thy marble vault†¦ then worms shall try That long preserved virginity, And your quaint honour turn to dust...But none, I think do embrace.† The vivid imagery Marvell uses here is haunting. He is just telling her that her beauty will be gone; he will no longer want her; the time will expire; her body will be buried; she will decompose; turn into ashes. Her honor and his wait will mean nothing. In the last part the man goes right back to his selfish desperate plea for sex. â€Å"Now therefore, while the youthful hue sits on thy skin like morning dew ...Now let us sport while we may. He is saying while we are still young; you are still beautiful and there is still time. Let’s do it! On the other hand, â€Å"The Ruined Maid†, is a conversation between two women. I think the entire poem is ironic because the story is about a chance meeting between two old acquaintances Melia, the ruined maid, and another lady she knew when she was a farm girl and lived poorly. Melia is the complete opposite of what her acquaintance thought she would be as a â€Å"ruined† woman. She was considered ruined because she had lost her virginity out of wedlock or she works as a prostitute. The lady approaches Melia in disbelief because Melia is wearing nice clothes and looks prosperous; she picks out all the things that have changed about Melia, throughout the poem. For instance, her initial response is â€Å"OShow MoreRelatedEssay on Comparison of To His Coy Mistress and The Ruined Maid2054 Words   |  9 PagesComparison of To His Coy Mistress and The Ruined Maid To His Coy Mistress is written by Andrew Marvell in the 17th Century. Marvell was one of the so-called metaphysical poets - a term of mild literary abuse coined by Dr. Johnson. The Ruined Maid was written by Thomas Hardy in 1866. It is important to analyse the theme, language, tone, characters and style of both poems in order to compare and contrast them. To His Coy Mistress is a lyric of seduction. It is about a young man who