Debating Love...

After reading Andrew Marvell's poem, "To His Coy Mistress", I was immediately convinced that Marvell is in fact arguing and debating the reasons to love. Most notably, there are three critical points to Marvell's meticulously calculated argument. These three points serve to create a formidable and threatening argument for immediate love and satisfaction. Moreover, from these three points, the first in particular was most akin to "debating rhetoric", for it is essentially a disclaimer, with the purpose of debunking or nullifying any oppositional arguments or ideas the opposite side may have. He tells this lady that if he did in fact have "world enough" he would love her endlessly. This statements serves to absolve him from all and any blame or regret for he has stated that he would love her "slowly" if he could. Further, if one would simply refer to the text, it is quite evident that the hyperbolic language serves to solidify this, most likely, false statement. Secondly, once he has freed himself from any blame he then turns around and blames "Time". For it is time's fault that he cannot love her inch by inch for all eternity and therefore because of time they must love now. It is a truly compelling argument. Moreover,once he has set the stage for who is to blame, he then begins to refer to the lady specifically. He states, "Thy beauty shall no more be found." This is a clear-cut warning to the girl. That her beauty and significance will be forever gone if they do not act now. This sense of fear and inevitability is furthered by the figurative language of the text. Specifically, his use of words such as worms, dust, ashes, and grave. The aforementioned arguments are then combined and summed up in the third and most important argument. This is what I like to call the "Carpe Diem Argumentum". The "seize the day argument" consists of two important ideas. One that there is not enough time in the world. And two, that there is too much in the world for one to do at any given moment. Therefore we must all seize the day. Marvell articulates this masterfully through numerous devices ranging from his numerous innuendos to his blunt and direct statements. In fact, most of these blunt statements can be found in the last paragraph of third argument. This because the last argument is the most real, the most current, and the most urgent. The combination of these three arguments serves to create an impeccable logical reason for immediate love and satisfaction. Thus, Marvell's success in debating love.