On Becoming a Poet

It's interesting how from the moment he first read MacLeish's "You, Andrew Marvell" that he instantly felt this deep connection that in turn caused him to become a poet himself. The poem "You, Andrew Marvell" seems to present the notion that, time notwithstanding, "here face down beneath the sun" the earth is vast territory. However, as Strand points out MacLeish is able to manipulate his words to convey to his audience "the visual record of ascending night into a private matter instead of simply a geographic one." That is meant to imply that although the poem speaks of different geographic locations, it is more the experiences and the encounters that the narrator faces with those places that are the focus of the piece. By moving so fluidly from Ecbatan to Kermanshah to Baghdad and so on, MacLeish implies that this is what he believes life experience should be. This he implies not only through his direct wording but also through his pace of the poem which us slow, but not dragging, reflecting the the pace with which he believes life should be experienced. In short, he believes time is in abundance and that life should be savored for all it has to offer. In contrast, Marvell's "To His Coy Mistress" employs a sense of urgency that implies and impending end, thus the two lovers should take part in any and all acts so as to not miss out. Marvell's poem has a sense of urgency which MacLeish's lacks, even though the latter has no punctuation which typically would suggest urgency. Strand makes these points predominant in his essay in which he compares the two, and talks about his own response to "You, Andrew Marvell." He states "I also undoubtedly liked it for its apparent simplicity" and describes how even though there are deeper mechanics behind the technical aspects of the poem, the overall affect MacLeish accomplished was one powerful enough to persuade a young man to become a poet. I believe because his poem seemed so effortless and simple and clear, that is why Strand was able to have such a deep connection to it. I can relate to the poems because, although at times I may feel like a stranger in a strange land, I like to think like Strand in that the world should be savored for everything it offers is somehow connected to any and all other aspects of the world that we should take the time to observe and uncover all those connections. And as MacLeish points out, we have all the time to do so.