G.C.S.E English and English Literature Coursework Poetry Assignment

G.C.S.E English and English Literature Coursework Poetry Assignment

We have been set the task to compare the ways in which the poems I

have studied deal with the passing of time. The three poems are “To

his Coy Mistress”, “Ozymandias” and “To the Virgins to Make Much of

Time”. All three of the poems clearly deal with the passing of time in

different ways. “To his Coy Mistress” is about a man telling a woman

that if he had all the time in the world, he would spend it with her.

In the “To the Virgins to Make Much of Time” a man is trying to

persuade a woman to make much of her youth with the time she is given.

“Ozymandias” is about time in a different way by saying no tyranny can

beat time like the statue in the poem. This poem is different to “To

his Coy Mistress” and “To the Virgins to Make Much of Time”. It’s not

about love or anything else to do with the other poems but the passing

of time.

In the “To his Coy Mistress” by Andrew Marvell the poet wants to

persuade his coy mistress to have a fiscal relationship with him.

Marvell splits the poem into three different stanzas, each one with a

different purpose. The first stanza is an introduction, Marvell speaks

about what he wants to do with the Mistress, he speaks about time, and

how it is not on their side. The second stanza introduces that time is

their enemy; he uses fear in this section to try and persuade her. And

in the final section he changes the person in which he writes in he

now talks about 'we', he speaks about how when the couple are together

they can tackle the problem of time. This is very well thought out

because it is clear what he wants, he splits up the stanzas

effectively and makes the whole picture clear in your head, and this

is a...

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...o are about

someone who has most of hers yet to come. However they use different

tactics to show the passage of time to the reader, and explore how

time lasts as long as a person does. The poets both use day tones to

help them convey this, they are day the time that has or will pass. In

Ozymandias the day is for something that was once hugely impressive

but over time has deteriorated into nothing, whilst in the other two

poems the mourning is for something that over time to come will lapse

into nothingness – person’s life.

I thought that “Ozymandias” was the most appealing. I think this

because it’s different to the other two poems and sometimes different

is better. It shows use that even if something is hugely impressive,

over time it will deteriorate into nothing. I think it shows this in a

very effective way and could appeal to many different people.