Within both of these poems, the poets use different types of poetic techniques to show how time can affect the relationship of two lovers. The language used in the two poems is very different but they both show the same prospective of time. In ‘hour’ the language used is very blunt and in to his coy mistress’ the language is more creative and imaginative. This is shown in hour when the poet says, “time hates love”, whereas in to his coy mistress’ the poet says “we cannot make our sun stand still”. Both of the poets are trying to say that time is in control and it is very powerful.
In ‘hour’ Duffy uses personification and simile; this is shown in, “love’s time’s beggar”. This suggests to us that time is love’s enemy and love is begging time. The word beggar almost makes you feel sorry for love. The poet personifies time as loves enemy. In to his coy mistress’ Marvel uses metaphors. For example, “Time’s winged chariot hurrying near”, this suggest to us that death will be near. There are lots of imagery used in the two poems. For example, in ‘hour’ Duffy says, “but even a single hour bright as a dropped coin, makes love rich”.
This suggests to the reader that even one hour with your loved is very precious and should cherish the moment. We also see love being powerful than time for the first time. In “to his coy mistress” imagery is used in the first section of the poem, when the speaker says “thou by the Indian Ganges side should rubies find; I by the tide of Hummer would complain”. Ganges is thought be to be a sacred place India whereas the Humidifiers in north of England tend to be boring to Marvel. So this suggests to the reader that He is complimenting her as she is unique to him in a desirable way.
She is the only person who fulfils the qualification in his vicinity. The both poets use different form and structure to the poems. In ‘hour’, Duffy only has one type of view which is time is always stopping love. This is followed the whole way through the poem. The first opening says, “Loves times beggar” and in the last stanza it says “time hates love “. Duffy uses at the start and at the end to show straight away that time is the enemy of love. By structuring the poem like this, the reader will have the same opinion throughout the poem.
Duffy also uses short sentences, “time slows, for here… “. Duffy has added a comma next to “slows” to show slowness. Some of the sentences in her poem run off, “summer sky and a grass ditch”, this suggest that she is excited. ‘Hour’ also follows the structure of a Shakespeare sonnet. In to his coy mistress’, Marvel makes his point at the end this is because in the first stanza he talks about what if they had all the time in the world, in the second what would happen if she doesn’t sleep with him. Finally in the third stanza he tells her what she should do.
By structuring his poem in that way Marvel shows the lover preparing his argument to his mistress to seize the day and not to hold back. In the first stanza Marvel doesn’t use violent words as he does to the second and third stanzas. Marvel has written the poem in rhyming couplets. Both of the poets show different feelings and attitude. In ‘hour’ the speaker wants a relationship which holds them together and wants nothing else but in to his coy mistress’ the speaker wants a sexual relationship. In ‘hour’ the writer is frustrated with time and love being together.
We see this when speaker says, “time hates love”. It also shows us that the speaker wants a simple kind of love meaning without material possessions, this is shown when the speaker says, “spend it not on flowers or wine… ” In to his coy mistress’ he is cynically flattering his mistress in order to get his own way. This is shows when he says, “two hundred to adore each breast”. The poem also suggests that the speaker wants a violent love this is shown when the poet says, “and now, like amorous birds of prey, rather at once our time devour”.
Overall tot poets have the same prospective of time but have different opinions on relationships. In ‘hour’ the speaker doesn’t want to waste time and wants to cherish every moment by being together. On the other hand to his coy mistress’ wants a sexual relationship. So the speaker says that time is running out for them to have sex and that they do not have all the time in the world. Both of the writers say that time will go fast so don’t waste it. We will also feel time going fast when we are having fun or in love, so we should cherish every minute of our life as it will never come back once it is gone.
