1. TO VIRGINS, TO MAKE MUCH
OF TIME
L.O: To complete an in depth analysis of the literary
and lingustic features of the poem and write analytical
SEA paragraphs.

2. TO VIRGINS, TO MAKE MUCH OF TIME
Robert Herrick (1591-1674)
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old Time is still a-flying:
And this same flower that smiles today,
To-morrow will be dying.
The glorious lamp of heaven, the Sun,
The higher he's a-getting;
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting.
The age is best, which is the first,
When youth and blood are warmer;
But being spent, the worse, and worst
Times still succeed the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time,
And while ye may, go marry;
For having lost but once your prime,
You may for ever tarry.

3. THEMES AND IDEAS
 The Cavalier poet, Robert Herrick, encourages the
reader to seize the day, a common theme
entwined within the poems studied so far. He
explains that life is short, ‘To-morrow will be dying’
and warns if one does not grab opportunities then
they will be lost. In particular he discusses the
issue that people should not delay in marrying
through the imperative, ‘Go marry’ and warns that
if the reader doesn’t listen to his lesson that they
may find themselves alone. This theme was widely
used in 16th- and 17th-century love poetry.

4. FORM
Statement Evidence Analysis
The poem is divided into
four quatrains.
There is an alternate
rhyme scheme
throughout
gives the poem a lyrical
and happy feel, to suggest
that his advice should not
be taken as an insult..
This lyrical rhyme
scheme is complimented
by the iambic meter
used throughout, which
alternates between
tetrameter and trimeter

5. SYNTAX
Statement Evidence Analysis
Each of the quatrains is
made up of complex
sentences.
This helps Herrick to build up a
logical argument within each
point, and therefore makes his
points more plausible
Like the metaphysical
poets, Herrick uses
rhetorical devices
throughout in order to
convince the reader of his
argument.
He begins the poem in the
imperative mood
‘Gather ye
rosebuds’
asserts his position , shows that
Herrick is offering his reader
some advice that he firmly
believes.
The declarative statements
to follow
also help to consolidate his
position
In the final stanza he uses
end focus of the verb ‘tarry’
to again remind the reader that if
they do not take heed of his
advice they may lead miserable

6. LEXIS
Statement Evidence Analysis
Refers to the passing of
time using the pre-
modifier or vocative
Old suggests a familiarity or
friendship with time; it is
not something to be
feared. However he
warns the reader not to be
complacent and that time
does indeed pass.
prefixes ‘a-flyin’ and ‘a-
getting’
create an upbeat tone to
the poem, which may
otherwise come across as
quite a bleak message.
comparative ‘warmer’ shows that when we are
younger we have more
energy

7. LEXIS
Statement Evidence Analysis
contrastive
conjunction
‘But being
spent’
suggests that life
changes, perhaps not
for the better, as we
grow older.
modal verb ‘may’ in the final line, so that
it does not end in a
harsh manner but
actively encourages
the reader to take
heed of his warning.

8. IMAGERY
Statement Evidence Analysis
metaphorical
language
‘Rosebuds’ could be seen as a metaphor for
a person themselves, their
beauty etc.
Imagery in the
second stanza
through the use of
the noun phrase
‘glorious lamp of
heaven’
used to describe the sun. This
could also be seen as a
metaphor for youth and hence
the night being a metaphor for
old age.
The sun is
personified
‘The sooner will his
race be run’.
The use of the possessive
pronoun, ‘his’, gives the sun a
human quality, which can then
parallel the life of a human

9. PHONOLOGY
Statement Evidence Analysis
sibilance. ‘same flower that
smiles today’
Gives the poem a soft, delicate feel.
fricative
alliteration
‘heaven’ and
‘higher’
Adds to soft tone
In stanza three
there is a lot
more plosive
alliteration
such as ‘Best’,
‘Blood’ and ‘but’
This creates a harsher tone; suggests
that there may be a negative
undertone present in the poem, where
the poet emphasises how time will
beat us all. Again the main the theme
of Carpe Diem is present throughout
the whole poem

10. ANALYSIS
Each of you will be given one part of the analysis grid. You
will write S.E.A. paragraphs in your groups focusing on this
area.
You need to write at least two, detailed, paragraphs.
In your analysis:
 Talk about the effect of the quote you have picked out on the
reader and the poem as a whole? (Why has the poet included
it?)
 How does it link to the theme or meaning of the poem?
 Are there any other similar examples of this in the poem?

11. NOW…
Swap sheets. You are going to improve each other’s
paragraphs.
 Is it in S.E.A structure?
 Have they used terminology correctly?
 Have they analysed fully? For example, have they:
Fully explained the effect of a feature picked out? (to create a more
vivid image/to create rhythm/ to describe something more powerfully/to
emphasise its importance etc.)
Linked this to the theme or meaning of the poem?
Linked it to similar features in the poem?