Comparing Tone in to the Virgins, to Make Much of Time and N a Prominent Bar in Secaucus one Day

Comparing Tone in To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time and n a Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day

“In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day” by X.J. Kennedy and “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick has many similarities and differences. The tone of the speakers, the audience each poem is directed to, and the theme make up some of the literary elements that help fit this description.

The tones of “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” and “In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day X.J. Kennedy” are different. In Herrick’s poem, his tone is relaxed. For instance when he writes, “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, /Old times is still a-flying,” his word choice has a very relaxed and casual tone. His attitude reflects the relaxed tone in his poem. . In X.J. Kennedy’s poem, his tone is serious. X.J. Kennedy’s purpose is to persuade people in the poem. He tries to warning when saying, “Now who of you’d think form an eyeload of me: That I once was a lady as proud as could be.” This poem starts out very seriously, in attempt to convince people on what is being said. The relaxed tone of “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” and serious tone of “In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day” point out the difference in the way the writers feel about their characters.

Both poems are directed to two different audiences. In “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” Herrick is speaking to all virgins. He never addresses anybody personally. In “In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus One” Kennedy is addressing the people in bar the personally. The speakers of both poems are different.  In “To the Virgins to Make Much of Time” the author is speaking to virgins and “In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day” the author is not speaking but portraying a woman that id telling this poem. Both poems are different because of the wording in them. “In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day” the speaker speaks about herself and luxuries through a song. “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” the speaker speaks about life, death and freedom through rhymes.

The commonality between " In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day by X.J. Kennedy, and "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time," by Robert Herrick, is that in both poems, the speaker is using the "carpe diem" theme, which means "seize the day" or "live for today." Basically, the authors are both saying that time flies by quickly: don't waste a minute because once time is gone, so are the opportunities that surround us when we are young.

Herrick writes, “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, / Old Time is still a-flying; / And this same flower that smiles today, / Tomorrow will be dying.” The speaker uses the example of the flower to illustrate the fact that life is short and that, though the flower might “smile” today, it will die tomorrow. “In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus One Day” The speaker of this poem is a woman in a bar. She is telling the other occupants of the bar about her life. She tells of how she used to be a 'lady' and had a very nice life. She had style and class.