In A Dialogue between the Soul and Body Andrew Marvell portrays the battle that is waged in every man between his fleshly desires and his spiritual side. Although the soul and the body are mutually dependent, they are not portrayed as a harmonious team but as bitter enemies locked in an anguished debate. The body resents the control of the soul and the soul feels constrained by the body. The clever use of imagery and personification within the illusion of a debate powerfully communicates the unique frustration and anguish experienced by the combatants in this un resolvable conflict.
The opposing arguments are organized into a profoundly patterned poem. The poem is patterned into four stanzas containing end line rhyming couplets. With each line made up of eight syllables featuring mainly strong or masculine end line rhymes. The first three stanzas are made up of five couplets and begin with a rhetorical question, a device commonly used in debating. The opposing arguments are put forward in paired stanzas adding to the impression of a debate. The use of personification, by giving a voice to the soul and the body, dramatically strengthens this impression. The fourth stanza, made up of seven couplets
03-26-2010, 06:57 AM
A Dialogue between the soul and body""
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