Metaphysical Writer Of The Time example essay topic

The Bane of Life and Beauty: Time 'For every man, Time is an emptying reservoir; to fret over how much you have left only wastes it. ' - Lee Connolly. In every person's mind, a clock is running. A pendulum is constantly swinging and ticking into the future, into the unknown. Every person must, at sometime, recognize Time as a measurement of their own life and not something that can be ignored and forgotten about.

As long as there have been life there has been death, and Time is simply a tool in which nature uses to remind us of this. Writers of the seventeenth century realized this, and put it into to words extremely well. The seventeenth century was filled with religion, fighting, death, new governments, and it was no surprise that brilliant literature would emerge from such an era. The literature of the time would later be divided into three main categories or 'schools. ' These three schools being the metaphysical school, cavalier school, and the extremely religious Puritan school.

Though each of these schools consist of very different styles of writing, they all attempt to warn their readers of Time's passing and its consequences. Whether the poems were read in the seventeenth century, today, or in another hundred years, the message is the same; Time is not something that stops for anyone or anything. It is an intangible reality in any man's life. The metaphysical school, containing authors such as John Donne and Andrew Marvel, seem to express to the reader that time moves quickly, while the Puritan group of writers, such as John Milton, seem to be slightly annoyed by Time's passing but accepts it and puts it in God's hands, and lastly the cavaliers, including Robert Herrick, write more about living life for today and living life like there is no tomorrow. Andrew Marvel, a metaphysical writer, stated,' But at my back I always hear Time's winged chariot hurrying near,' (679).

In this quote from 'To His Coy Mistress,' Marvel expresses Time as a chariot chasing him. Its inevitable arrival would signify death, but Marvel also spoke of Time's effects in one's beauty. Also in 'To His Coy Mistress,' he says,' Thy beauty shall no more be found,' (679). What Marvel was trying to say was that Time, or age, takes one's beauty with it; as it passes so does youth and all of its benefits. In general, Marvel's 'To His Coy Mistress,' warns the 'mistress' and the reader to look out for Time, for it tends to creep up on people. He exclaims, 'Had we but world enough, and time,' (679) he follows by telling his 'mistress' they could sit together and decide 'which way to walk.

' Yet he knows that they do not have the world and time to do everything they want, but they can at least squeeze in as much as they can in the time they have. Another metaphysical writer of the time was John Donne. One of Donne's pieces dealing with Time was 'The Sun Rising,' (605). In this brilliantly constructed poem, he represents Time physically with the sun. He ella borates on how its rising each day is a signal for Time's passing each day. When he states, 'Hours, days, months, which are the rags of time,' (605) he uses hours, days, and months as measurements of Time and a somewhat physical representation of Time.

Both of these writers brilliantly expressed Time and how it effects man. Differing from the witty metaphysical metaphors and from the metaphysical views is John Milton and the Puritan school. Milton was an outstanding writer and an absolute genius. His most famous work being 'Paradise Lost,' (722-849). In this he recreates the paradise of Eden and its two inhabitants, Adam and Eve, from their creation to their fortunate fall and sin. Though Time is never directly mentioned in the work, it can be interpreted.

In the state of the garden of Eden, man is ruled by reason and there is no sin in the world, nor in Adam and Eve. However, once they both sin and we enter the state sin enters the world and carries death along with it. In this new concept of death came the concept of Time. Before this everything was eternal; 'wasting time' was not a problem. Yet, once sin entered the world suddenly man only had a given amount of time. Milton strongly believes, however, due to his Puritan base, that man only has a given amount of time here on Earth, but he enjoys eternal life afterwards with God.

In one of his other works, 'How Soon Hath Time,' (720) he states,'. .. time leads me, and the will of Heaven; All is, if I have grace to use it so, As ever in my great Taskmaker's (God) eye,' (720). Milton views Time here on Earth as simply a start to an eternal life with his creator in Heaven, and time really had no consequences. The last of the schools is the Cavalier group. These writers lived their lives and wrote based around one saying: care diem. In Latin this means to seize the day. These men lived life for the day and by the day.

A major contribute to this school is Robert Herrick. He shared similar believes as the metaphysical writer Andrew Marvel and some of their pieces are remarkably close in that at a base level, the messages are quite alike. 'To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time,' (670) a piece written by Herrick forewarns 'virgins' to hurry up with their youthful lives, stating, 'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. ' Herrick backs this up with, '... and this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying,' (670).

What he is trying to communicate to the reader is how Time works. How it strips the youth and beauty out of people, and how young people must take advantage of their youth and not let Time take it from them before they truly experience it. He follows this with an excellent statement: 'Old Time is still a-flying,' (670). Some people may be slightly worried after reading Herrick's work, but it's not what he wants. He is not trying to make people nervous, but trying to help them not lead boring and disappointing lives. Worrying about Time and death actually seems to be the opposite of Herrick's care diem lifestyle, along with the rest of the cavaliers.

The seventeenth century created several amazing writers, and their work would be remembered and studied until this very day. Though there were three different schools and the writers differed greatly from each other, Time was a major issue in all of their pieces. Cavaliers such as Herrick seized the day, Puritans like Milton lived religious lives, and Donne and Marvel along with other metaphysicals had witty metaphors for Time's passing. These men defined literature for an entire era, and their input is still greatly respected. They realized Time as something no one can avoid and put it into smart, clever verse.