Interesting thought: I know that this poem had lots of meanings. That it wasn't LITERALLY (or not entirely literally) talking about sex, but rather about life in itself. But what did the author really expect from the people when they were writing this. It is very evident that authors wrote according to what was happening around them in their life times. So when they were in the middle of a war, what were they trying to get people to react to? To be completely honest, the sex part makes the most sense to me. If you don't know if your going to live to face tomorrow, i understand that the author was saying go out and have fun. But what other reaction could he be trying to spark by saying go out and experience life. How would this apply to war??? Was he trying to get people to stand up against the leaders of the time? Maybe he was trying to recruit for a certain war party. I really don't know the incentive to the underlying message here.
Well, if I was heading into war I would want to experience life to the fullest before I was speared to death. I would want to do everything and see everything. There's a part in the last Harry Potter book where he knows he is going to die and he starts to see the world differently. He has a whole new appreciation for life. I think the author of To the Virgins was trying to inspire the readers to do this. To see the world and life as if you knew you were going to die. To appreciate each heart beat and live like a virgin. Meaning, to live each moment like it's new to you.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if made sense to anyone, or helped at all but that's how I see the poem.
I think it wasn't so make a rally to war... as a rally to LIVE, because in times of war (when it is fought on your own soil at least), the preciousness of life becomes more evident.
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