Philosophy to His Coy Mistress, Term Paper

That is not what King Henry II had in mind when he gave the ring to Eleanor of Aquitaine. He had in mind love, devotion, and using every moment possible for the best in life. In "We Real Cool," the young pool players are not in fact seizing the day, they are wasting their lives doing exactly what they want to do, rather than doing what will pay them handsomely in the long run. The King and his lady did not shirk their duties, they simply made time to enjoy each other, and that is what seizing the day is really all about.

In "A Late Aubade" the author shows living in the moment from another perspective. He shows the main character of the poem in bed with a lover, and thinks about all the other things that they could be doing instead. He writes, "Think of all the time you are not / Wasting, and would not care to waste, / Such things, thank God, not being to your taste" (Wilbur 731). Thus, by seizing the moment and spending the afternoon in bed, she is not wasting her time in mindless tasks that will not mean anything to her in the future.Instead, she will remember her time on this afternoon, and know she spent it wisely and well. Looking back at perfect moments in time is a bit of what seizing the day is all about, and each of these poems certainly has details that the characters will look back on and remember. Even the pool players in "We Real Cool" will certainly someday look back at their wasted time in the pool hall - if they survive - and see it for what it was - wasted time in wasted lives. That is exactly the opposite of what carpe diem is about, and what it should be. Each of these poems embodies seizing the day in one way or another, and each one is more memorable because of it.

References

Ackerman, Diane. "A Fine, a Private Place." p. 732-734.

Brooks, Gwendolyn. "We Real Cool." p. 744.

Marvell, Andrew.….....