Analysis of Theme through Diction in Robert Herrikc's Poems.
ABSTRACT
Dalam tugas akhir ini saya akan membahas tema dari tiga buah puisi karya
pujangga Inggris, Robert Herrick, melalui pilihan kata atau diksi. Ketiga puisi itu
berjudul, “To the Virgins to Make Much of Time,” “To a Bed of Tulips,” dan “Upon
a Delaying Lady.” Ketiga puisi ini membahas tentang konsep Carpe Diem. Konsep
Carpe Diem khususnya di dalam ketiga puisi tersebut mengingatkan manusia tentang
pendeknya waktu yang mereka jalani dalam hidup ini, sehingga mereka diharapkan
untuk menggunakan waktu hidupnya sebaik mungkin.
Robert Herrick hidup di jaman Raja Charles I, dimana pada jaman itu terjadi
perang saudara dan juga wabah penyakit yang mematikan. Kondisi tersebut
menyebabkan semua penduduk Inggris dihantui dengan kematian yang sewaktuwaktu dapat merenggut nyawa mereka. Situasi tersebut melatarbelakangi para
penulis pada jaman itu terutama para penulis Cavalier termasuk Robert Herrick.
Melalui ketiga puisi tersebut, Robert Herrick berhasil menggunakan konsep Carpe
Diem melalui pilihan kata atau diksi yang sesuai, sehingga pesan tentang konsep
Carpe Diem tersebut dapat dengan mudah diterima oleh pembaca.
ii
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS .....................................................................................
i
ABSTRACT ..........................................................................................................
ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ............................................................................
Statement of the Problem ...........................................................................
Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................
Method of Research ...................................................................................
Organization of the Thesis .........................................................................
1
3
4
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THEME THROUGH DICTION
IN ROBERT HERRICK’S POEMS ......................................................
5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ................................................................. 19
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................ 24
APPENDICES
Robert Herrick’s Poems (1591 – 1674) ...................................................... 28
Biography of the Author ............................................................................. 31
i
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Robert Herrick is a 17th Century great English poet. He is considered to be
“… the greatest song-writer ever born of English race” (Swinburne) and one of
the famous Cavalier Poets. Cavalier poet is a group of Englishmen poets with
loyalty to Charles I (1625–49). Their background as soldiers, courtiers, gallants,
and wits influences their writing style in producing elegant lyrics. Unlike the other
Cavalier Poets, Robert Herrick has a different background; yet, his style in writing
his elegant lyrics and carpe diem philosophy have made him as one of them
(“Cavalier poet”).
One of Cavalier Poets’ characteristics is they express Carpe diem concept
in the most of their works. Carpe diem is a Latin phrase, which expresses а
philosophy to appreciate living the life to the fullest. Carpe diem concept
persuades people to live every moment in their lives fully and effectively because
life is unpredictable and very short (“Literary History”).
1
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In Herrick’s poetic style, he focuses on the speed of time. When the other
Cavalier Poets do not really show the haste to use the time but tend to convey that
human should appreciate it, Herrick is the one who cares about that haste. The
over-riding messages of Herrick’s Carpe diem works show the urgency of time;
thus, he always urges that time is very short and we have to make the most out of
it. Herrick loves to use parts of nature and natural events in his works as the
analogy to compare and support the concept of time which is very short and
limited. For example, in several poems, Herrick uses the daily cycle of sun,
flowers, the spring time, or the life of the lark to portray time through human life.
Throughout his life, Robert Herrick has written 1400 poems, which are
divided into 2 volumes in a book, they are Hesperides, and His Noble Numbers.
Like any other poets, Herrick’s works are products of his age. The poems reflect
biographical facts of his life and the times in which he lived. The topics of secular
works that he has written are carpe diem concept, love, family, and his loyalty to
Charles I and Ben Jonson in his Hesperides. He also wrote religious poems in His
Noble Numbers which reflects his life as a country priest in Dean Prior,
Devonshire (Dunagan).
Herrick’s style in writing was strongly influenced by Ben Jonson, the
classical Greek and Roman writers. The influence of Jonson goes beyond these
poetic tributes. Most poets who admire Ben Jonson follow his recommendation
for writing well. Jonson recommends reading the works of best authors,
particularly the Ancient. This leads Herrick’s style to be influenced by the writing
style of classical writers, for example the writing style of legendary Greek poet,
Anacreon, and with the writing style of Roman’s poet such as the writing style of
2
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Horace and Martial (“Robert Herrick 1591–1674”).
In Herrick’s Hesperides, Herrick addresses his poems mostly to women. It
might be that Herrick is influenced by "platonic love, another characteristics of
Cavalier poetry, where the man would show his divine love to a woman, where
she would be worshipped as a creature of perfection" ("Cavalier poet"). Moreover,
he often directly addresses his poems to specific names, for examples: Julia (like
his mother’s name), Anthea, Electra, and Corrina (the names are originally from
Greek). In this thesis, I analyze three Herrick’s works which represent the notion
of carpe diem and all addressed to women. The titles are “To the Virgins to Make
Much of Time,” “Upon a Delaying Lady,” and “To a Bed of Tulips.”
I am going to analyze Herrick’s poems through diction to reveal the theme.
“Diction is the choice and the order of the words within a poem. Words can often
serve multiple purposes … . When discussing dictions, the reader should consider
the different meanings that the words may have and how their arrangement in the
poem contributes to or alters those meanings” (Prudchenko). To understand the
meaning of the poem, it is very appropriate to look further the word choice of the
poem because “word choice conveys and emphasizes the meaning or theme of a
poem through distinctions in sound, look, rhythm, syllable, letters, and definition”
(“Literary Analysis: Using Elements of Literature”).
Statement of the Problem
The problems I would like to discuss are as follows:
1. What are the themes of the poems?
2. How do the dictions of the poems help revealing the themes?
3
Maranatha Christian University
Purpose of the Study
The purposes of writing this thesis are:
1. To show the theme of the poems.
2. To show how dictions help revealing the themes.
Method of Research
The method that I used was library research. I started by reading three
Robert Herrick’s poems entitled “To the Virgin to Make Much of Time,” “To a
Bed of Tulips,” and “Upon a Delaying Lady,” I searched the explanation about
carpe diem concept and how that concept works in most of Robert Herrick works.
Then, I analyzed the poems by using formalism approach. I chose the dictions and
choice of words which reveal the theme in of each poem. I took some references
and resources from the Internet and books to support the analysis and assist me to
write the thesis. Finally, I drew a conclusion from my analysis.
Organization of the Thesis
The thesis is divided into three chapters. In Chapter One, I present the
Introduction, which contains The Background of the Study, The Statement of the
Problem, The Purpose of the Study, The Method of Research, and The
Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is analysis of theme through diction in
Robert Herrick’s Poems. Chapter Three is Conclusion. The thesis ends with
Bibliography and Appendices, which include three Robert Herrick’s poems and
biography of Robert Herrick.
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CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analyzed the three poems of Robert Herrick, “To the Virgin to
Make Much of Time,” “To a Bed of Tulips,” and “Upon a Delaying Lady,” I
would like to draw some conclusion from my analysis. In my opinion, all of those
three poems are worth analyzing. After determining the dictions to reveal the
theme of each poem, I have discovered a great deal of knowledge on how Robert
Herrick as a Cavalier poet lived and applied the concept of carpe diem.
In the first poem, “To the Virgins to Make Much of Time,” Herrick urges
women to make the most of their time by living their youth and getting married
while they still have plenty of time and opportunity to do it. Through analyzing
the dictions, I reveal the theme of the poem that is “Women should live out their
youth by urging themselves to get married while they still have the
opportunity to do it because youth is limited and short.” Herrick addresses this
poem to young women, as can be seen from the word virgins which clearly refers
to them. In this poem, Herrick talks about the concept of time. Herrick uses the
word rosebuds which symbolize youth because both of them do not last long. He
19
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also compares the brevity of human life to the short cycle of the sun. In this poem,
Herrick seems to remind and urge young women that the best time to live their
lives is when they are still young. At their young age, they still have plenty of
time and opportunity to be able to do anything they want, they could get married
at their young age as it can be seen from the word marry.
In the second poem, “To a Bed of Tulips,” Herrick reminds young women
about the brevity of human lives; therefore, he urges young woman to appreciate
and immediately live their youth before everything is too late. The theme of this
poem is, “Time flies so fast so women need to appreciate and live their youth
to the fullest while they still have time before they turn old and the death
comes.” In this poem, Herrick chooses the words tulips and virgins to represent
that this poem is clearly addressed to young women. Herrick portrays the brevity
of human lives through the word fading-time and the concept of time between the
life of human’s and tulips through the word tulips because both have limited life
span. The words wither, bemoan, and die are also used to emphasize the effect of
time that flies so fast; therefore, before young women lose their time, they should
immediately live their youth to the fullest.
Through the third poem, “Upon a Delaying Lady,” which theme is “A
woman should not waste an opportunity that comes to her by responding the
love from the man she loves, or else that opportunity will leave her.” Herrick
urges a woman not to waste her time to take the opportunity that comes to her.
Based on the analysis of the poem, the woman will probably get the opportunity
to be with the man she loves if she immediately decides her feeling towards the
man. Through the word lady, Herrick directly addresses this poem to the woman.
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Herrick uses the words delay, stay, and slow to represent the time wasted by the
woman. The words spark and the peeping fire in this poem represent and show the
man’s love. It also can be seen as the opportunity that comes to the woman. The
dictions spark and the peeping fire which turn to frost and snow represent the
result of wasting time. In this context, Herrick seems to portray that time is short
just like the peeping fire which might be greater if it is continuously blown or turn
to frost and snow if it is ignored. It seems like the time or the opportunity that is
wasted in vain, it will not be had back.
There are some similarities through the dictions which are used and the
themes which are revealed in each poem. The first similarity is, all Robert
Herrick’s poems that has been analyzed are addressed to women. It can be seen
from the dictions that Herrick uses in each poem to represent young women, they
are: virgins, rosebuds, tulips, sisterhood, and lady. These dictions refer to the
characteristics of women.
The second similarity is, all themes are about the concept of Carpe diem or
living the life to the fullest that means living every moment in life fully and
effectively. The similarity is shown through each poem in which Herrick always
urges young women to live and appreciate their lives by living it to the fullest or
taking opportunity that comes to them. Robert Herrick is a Cavalier poet, who
lived in the reign of King Charles I in 17th Century. He seems highly influenced
by the situation that happened at that time. The people of England, especially
soldiers and people who are loyal to Charles I lived in the middle of English Civil
War and deadly diseases. That condition explains that at that time what will
happen in their lives is unpredictable and every day might be their last day to live.
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That condition explains the reason why Herrick as a Cavalier poet believes in
Carpe diem.
The third similarity is, as a Cavalier poet, Herrick believes that time is
short and limited for human beings so everyone has to live every moment in their
lives fully. Through those poems, Herrick focuses on the speed of time and shows
different analogies through each poem by using the dictions that describe the
limited and swiftness of time. They are: old-times, sun through its cycle, today
and tomorrow, dying, tulips through its life, fading-time, wither, die, frailties, and
the peeping fire which turns to be frost, and snow.
Another similarity is Herrick uses some analogies as analogies by using
the dictions that show element of nature in each poem. For example, in the first
poem, Herrick uses the words: rosebuds and sun. In the second poem, Herrick
uses the words: tulips and flower. In the third poem, Herrick uses: spark, the
peeping fire, frost, and snow.
Last but not least, I would like to say that those three poems of Robert
Herrick are proven as worth reading poems because they have provided me the
knowledge about the lives of the Cavalier poets in the 17th Century in England.
They also have given me the knowledge that Carpe diem concept in these poems
has a deeper awareness and understanding that bring a different & unique nuance
of life than other literary works. Through those Carpe diem poems, I learn that
Carpe diem is a powerful expression that applies in certain aspects in life to all,
making the most out of life is the main goal for most people. We have to
appreciate our precious time and make it becomes worth living. If we waste it, all
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that we can get is only regret because once the time has passed we cannot be able
to turn it back.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary text:
Jokinen, Anniina. “The Works of Robert Herrick.” Luminarium. Luminarium.org.
2 June 2006. Web. 17 Feb. 2012.
References:
“Age.” Def. 1. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 7th ed. 2006. Print.
“Bemoan.” English Dictionary. Collins, 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
“Biography of Robert Herrick.” The Biography of Robert Herrick – Life Story.
PoemHunter.com. Web. 19 Mar. 2012.
“Cavalier poet.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc, 2014.
Web. 6 Dec. 2014.
“Cavalier poet.” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc,
2015. 14 Sep. 2015.
“Come.” Def. 1. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press,
2014. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
“Come away.” Def. 1. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University
Press, 2014. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
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“Coy.” Def. 2. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Web. 7 Dec. 2014.
“Delay.” Def. 1. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press,
2014. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
“Delay.” Def. 3. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press,
2014. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
“Desire.” Def. 1. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 7th ed. 2006. Print.
Dunagan, Patrick James. “The Complete Poetry of Robert Herrick.” The Rumpus.
7 Jan 2015. Web. 1 Sep. 2015.
“Dying.” Def. 3. English Dictionary. Collins, 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
“Fade.” Def. 2. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 7th ed. 2006. Print.
“Fate.” Def. 1. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 7th ed. 2006. Print.
“Fly.” Def. 1. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
“Frailties.” Def. 1. English Dictionary. Collins, 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
“Frost.” Def. 7. English Dictionary. Collins, 2014. Web. 25 Sep. 2014.
“Glorious.” Def. 1. English Dictionary. Collins, 2015. Web. 4 Sep. 2015.
“Go.” Def. 5. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
“Heaven.” Def. 1. Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford English Dictionary Second
Edition on CD-ROM. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. CD-ROM
Hsieh, Julia. “A Biographic Outline of Robert Herrick (1591-1674).” FJU
English: Creative, Critical, Cross-Cultural, Productive. Fu Jen University
Department of English Language and Literature. Web. 1 Sep. 2015.
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Maranatha Christian University
Jokinen, Anniina. “The Works of Robert Herrick.” Luminarium. Luminarium.org.
2 June 2006. Web. 17 Feb. 2012.
“Literary Analysis: Using Elements of Literature.” Online Writing Lab. Roane
State Community College. 5 June 1995. Web. 7 May 2012.
“Literary History.” Online Learning Center-Glencoe.com. The McGraw-Hill
Companies, 2007. Web. 6 Dec. 2014.
“Marry.” Def. 1. English Dictionary. Collins, 2014. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.
“Mean.” Def. 2. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press,
2014. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
“Needy.” Def. 7. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 7th ed. 2006. Print.
“Prime.” Def. 3. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press,
2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
“Prime.” Def. 6. English Dictionary. Collins, 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
Prudchenko, Kate. “Discussing the Diction of a Poem.” Synonym. Demand Media,
2007. Web. 25 Aug. 2014.
“Rate.” Def. Idioms. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press,
2014. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.
“Robert Herrick (1591-1674).” Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, 2015.
Web. 4 Sep. 2015.
“Rosebud.” Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
“Slave.” Def. 3. English Dictionary. Collins, 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
“Smile.” Def. 1. Oxford Dictionaries Language matters. Oxford University Press,
2015. Web. 4 Sep. 2015.
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“Snow.” Def. 10. English Dictionary. Collins, 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
“Spark.” Def. 2. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press,
2014. Web. 25 Sep. 2014.
“State.” Def. 1. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
“Sun.” Def. 1. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 7th ed. 2006. Print.
“Tarry.” Def. 3. English Dictionary. Collins, 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
“Troth.” Def. 1. English Dictionary. Collins, 2014. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
“Tulip.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 7th ed. 2006. Print.
“Virgin.” Def. 1. English Dictionary. Collins, 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
“Wither.” Def. 1. Cambridge Dictionary Online. Cambridge University Press,
2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.
“Youth.” Def. 1. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. 7th ed. 2006. Print.
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Dalam tugas akhir ini saya akan membahas tema dari tiga buah puisi karya
pujangga Inggris, Robert Herrick, melalui pilihan kata atau diksi. Ketiga puisi itu
berjudul, “To the Virgins to Make Much of Time,” “To a Bed of Tulips,” dan “Upon
a Delaying Lady.” Ketiga puisi ini membahas tentang konsep Carpe Diem. Konsep
Carpe Diem khususnya di dalam ketiga puisi tersebut mengingatkan manusia tentang
pendeknya waktu yang mereka jalani dalam hidup ini, sehingga mereka diharapkan
untuk menggunakan waktu hidupnya sebaik mungkin.
Robert Herrick hidup di jaman Raja Charles I, dimana pada jaman itu terjadi
perang saudara dan juga wabah penyakit yang mematikan. Kondisi tersebut
menyebabkan semua penduduk Inggris dihantui dengan kematian yang sewaktuwaktu dapat merenggut nyawa mereka. Situasi tersebut melatarbelakangi para
penulis pada jaman itu terutama para penulis Cavalier termasuk Robert Herrick.
Melalui ketiga puisi tersebut, Robert Herrick berhasil menggunakan konsep Carpe
Diem melalui pilihan kata atau diksi yang sesuai, sehingga pesan tentang konsep
Carpe Diem tersebut dapat dengan mudah diterima oleh pembaca.
ii
Maranatha Christian University
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS .....................................................................................
i
ABSTRACT ..........................................................................................................
ii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study ............................................................................
Statement of the Problem ...........................................................................
Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................
Method of Research ...................................................................................
Organization of the Thesis .........................................................................
1
3
4
4
4
CHAPTER TWO: ANALYSIS OF THEME THROUGH DICTION
IN ROBERT HERRICK’S POEMS ......................................................
5
CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION ................................................................. 19
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................ 24
APPENDICES
Robert Herrick’s Poems (1591 – 1674) ...................................................... 28
Biography of the Author ............................................................................. 31
i
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Robert Herrick is a 17th Century great English poet. He is considered to be
“… the greatest song-writer ever born of English race” (Swinburne) and one of
the famous Cavalier Poets. Cavalier poet is a group of Englishmen poets with
loyalty to Charles I (1625–49). Their background as soldiers, courtiers, gallants,
and wits influences their writing style in producing elegant lyrics. Unlike the other
Cavalier Poets, Robert Herrick has a different background; yet, his style in writing
his elegant lyrics and carpe diem philosophy have made him as one of them
(“Cavalier poet”).
One of Cavalier Poets’ characteristics is they express Carpe diem concept
in the most of their works. Carpe diem is a Latin phrase, which expresses а
philosophy to appreciate living the life to the fullest. Carpe diem concept
persuades people to live every moment in their lives fully and effectively because
life is unpredictable and very short (“Literary History”).
1
Maranatha Christian University
In Herrick’s poetic style, he focuses on the speed of time. When the other
Cavalier Poets do not really show the haste to use the time but tend to convey that
human should appreciate it, Herrick is the one who cares about that haste. The
over-riding messages of Herrick’s Carpe diem works show the urgency of time;
thus, he always urges that time is very short and we have to make the most out of
it. Herrick loves to use parts of nature and natural events in his works as the
analogy to compare and support the concept of time which is very short and
limited. For example, in several poems, Herrick uses the daily cycle of sun,
flowers, the spring time, or the life of the lark to portray time through human life.
Throughout his life, Robert Herrick has written 1400 poems, which are
divided into 2 volumes in a book, they are Hesperides, and His Noble Numbers.
Like any other poets, Herrick’s works are products of his age. The poems reflect
biographical facts of his life and the times in which he lived. The topics of secular
works that he has written are carpe diem concept, love, family, and his loyalty to
Charles I and Ben Jonson in his Hesperides. He also wrote religious poems in His
Noble Numbers which reflects his life as a country priest in Dean Prior,
Devonshire (Dunagan).
Herrick’s style in writing was strongly influenced by Ben Jonson, the
classical Greek and Roman writers. The influence of Jonson goes beyond these
poetic tributes. Most poets who admire Ben Jonson follow his recommendation
for writing well. Jonson recommends reading the works of best authors,
particularly the Ancient. This leads Herrick’s style to be influenced by the writing
style of classical writers, for example the writing style of legendary Greek poet,
Anacreon, and with the writing style of Roman’s poet such as the writing style of
2
Maranatha Christian University
Horace and Martial (“Robert Herrick 1591–1674”).
In Herrick’s Hesperides, Herrick addresses his poems mostly to women. It
might be that Herrick is influenced by "platonic love, another characteristics of
Cavalier poetry, where the man would show his divine love to a woman, where
she would be worshipped as a creature of perfection" ("Cavalier poet"). Moreover,
he often directly addresses his poems to specific names, for examples: Julia (like
his mother’s name), Anthea, Electra, and Corrina (the names are originally from
Greek). In this thesis, I analyze three Herrick’s works which represent the notion
of carpe diem and all addressed to women. The titles are “To the Virgins to Make
Much of Time,” “Upon a Delaying Lady,” and “To a Bed of Tulips.”
I am going to analyze Herrick’s poems through diction to reveal the theme.
“Diction is the choice and the order of the words within a poem. Words can often
serve multiple purposes … . When discussing dictions, the reader should consider
the different meanings that the words may have and how their arrangement in the
poem contributes to or alters those meanings” (Prudchenko). To understand the
meaning of the poem, it is very appropriate to look further the word choice of the
poem because “word choice conveys and emphasizes the meaning or theme of a
poem through distinctions in sound, look, rhythm, syllable, letters, and definition”
(“Literary Analysis: Using Elements of Literature”).
Statement of the Problem
The problems I would like to discuss are as follows:
1. What are the themes of the poems?
2. How do the dictions of the poems help revealing the themes?
3
Maranatha Christian University
Purpose of the Study
The purposes of writing this thesis are:
1. To show the theme of the poems.
2. To show how dictions help revealing the themes.
Method of Research
The method that I used was library research. I started by reading three
Robert Herrick’s poems entitled “To the Virgin to Make Much of Time,” “To a
Bed of Tulips,” and “Upon a Delaying Lady,” I searched the explanation about
carpe diem concept and how that concept works in most of Robert Herrick works.
Then, I analyzed the poems by using formalism approach. I chose the dictions and
choice of words which reveal the theme in of each poem. I took some references
and resources from the Internet and books to support the analysis and assist me to
write the thesis. Finally, I drew a conclusion from my analysis.
Organization of the Thesis
The thesis is divided into three chapters. In Chapter One, I present the
Introduction, which contains The Background of the Study, The Statement of the
Problem, The Purpose of the Study, The Method of Research, and The
Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is analysis of theme through diction in
Robert Herrick’s Poems. Chapter Three is Conclusion. The thesis ends with
Bibliography and Appendices, which include three Robert Herrick’s poems and
biography of Robert Herrick.
4
Maranatha Christian University
CHAPTER THREE
CONCLUSION
Having analyzed the three poems of Robert Herrick, “To the Virgin to
Make Much of Time,” “To a Bed of Tulips,” and “Upon a Delaying Lady,” I
would like to draw some conclusion from my analysis. In my opinion, all of those
three poems are worth analyzing. After determining the dictions to reveal the
theme of each poem, I have discovered a great deal of knowledge on how Robert
Herrick as a Cavalier poet lived and applied the concept of carpe diem.
In the first poem, “To the Virgins to Make Much of Time,” Herrick urges
women to make the most of their time by living their youth and getting married
while they still have plenty of time and opportunity to do it. Through analyzing
the dictions, I reveal the theme of the poem that is “Women should live out their
youth by urging themselves to get married while they still have the
opportunity to do it because youth is limited and short.” Herrick addresses this
poem to young women, as can be seen from the word virgins which clearly refers
to them. In this poem, Herrick talks about the concept of time. Herrick uses the
word rosebuds which symbolize youth because both of them do not last long. He
19
Maranatha Christian University
also compares the brevity of human life to the short cycle of the sun. In this poem,
Herrick seems to remind and urge young women that the best time to live their
lives is when they are still young. At their young age, they still have plenty of
time and opportunity to be able to do anything they want, they could get married
at their young age as it can be seen from the word marry.
In the second poem, “To a Bed of Tulips,” Herrick reminds young women
about the brevity of human lives; therefore, he urges young woman to appreciate
and immediately live their youth before everything is too late. The theme of this
poem is, “Time flies so fast so women need to appreciate and live their youth
to the fullest while they still have time before they turn old and the death
comes.” In this poem, Herrick chooses the words tulips and virgins to represent
that this poem is clearly addressed to young women. Herrick portrays the brevity
of human lives through the word fading-time and the concept of time between the
life of human’s and tulips through the word tulips because both have limited life
span. The words wither, bemoan, and die are also used to emphasize the effect of
time that flies so fast; therefore, before young women lose their time, they should
immediately live their youth to the fullest.
Through the third poem, “Upon a Delaying Lady,” which theme is “A
woman should not waste an opportunity that comes to her by responding the
love from the man she loves, or else that opportunity will leave her.” Herrick
urges a woman not to waste her time to take the opportunity that comes to her.
Based on the analysis of the poem, the woman will probably get the opportunity
to be with the man she loves if she immediately decides her feeling towards the
man. Through the word lady, Herrick directly addresses this poem to the woman.
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Herrick uses the words delay, stay, and slow to represent the time wasted by the
woman. The words spark and the peeping fire in this poem represent and show the
man’s love. It also can be seen as the opportunity that comes to the woman. The
dictions spark and the peeping fire which turn to frost and snow represent the
result of wasting time. In this context, Herrick seems to portray that time is short
just like the peeping fire which might be greater if it is continuously blown or turn
to frost and snow if it is ignored. It seems like the time or the opportunity that is
wasted in vain, it will not be had back.
There are some similarities through the dictions which are used and the
themes which are revealed in each poem. The first similarity is, all Robert
Herrick’s poems that has been analyzed are addressed to women. It can be seen
from the dictions that Herrick uses in each poem to represent young women, they
are: virgins, rosebuds, tulips, sisterhood, and lady. These dictions refer to the
characteristics of women.
The second similarity is, all themes are about the concept of Carpe diem or
living the life to the fullest that means living every moment in life fully and
effectively. The similarity is shown through each poem in which Herrick always
urges young women to live and appreciate their lives by living it to the fullest or
taking opportunity that comes to them. Robert Herrick is a Cavalier poet, who
lived in the reign of King Charles I in 17th Century. He seems highly influenced
by the situation that happened at that time. The people of England, especially
soldiers and people who are loyal to Charles I lived in the middle of English Civil
War and deadly diseases. That condition explains that at that time what will
happen in their lives is unpredictable and every day might be their last day to live.
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That condition explains the reason why Herrick as a Cavalier poet believes in
Carpe diem.
The third similarity is, as a Cavalier poet, Herrick believes that time is
short and limited for human beings so everyone has to live every moment in their
lives fully. Through those poems, Herrick focuses on the speed of time and shows
different analogies through each poem by using the dictions that describe the
limited and swiftness of time. They are: old-times, sun through its cycle, today
and tomorrow, dying, tulips through its life, fading-time, wither, die, frailties, and
the peeping fire which turns to be frost, and snow.
Another similarity is Herrick uses some analogies as analogies by using
the dictions that show element of nature in each poem. For example, in the first
poem, Herrick uses the words: rosebuds and sun. In the second poem, Herrick
uses the words: tulips and flower. In the third poem, Herrick uses: spark, the
peeping fire, frost, and snow.
Last but not least, I would like to say that those three poems of Robert
Herrick are proven as worth reading poems because they have provided me the
knowledge about the lives of the Cavalier poets in the 17th Century in England.
They also have given me the knowledge that Carpe diem concept in these poems
has a deeper awareness and understanding that bring a different & unique nuance
of life than other literary works. Through those Carpe diem poems, I learn that
Carpe diem is a powerful expression that applies in certain aspects in life to all,
making the most out of life is the main goal for most people. We have to
appreciate our precious time and make it becomes worth living. If we waste it, all
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that we can get is only regret because once the time has passed we cannot be able
to turn it back.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary text:
Jokinen, Anniina. “The Works of Robert Herrick.” Luminarium. Luminarium.org.
2 June 2006. Web. 17 Feb. 2012.
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