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Denisse Franco
Professor Sung
English 113 CE
13 February 2015
Carpe diem
A persons will to make the most out of the present time is the true meaning of carpe
diem. People who follow carpe diem tend to rely more on the present time then the future. They
do not focus on the future because they believe that they will might not be able to see the next
day. Time is connected with this concept because we are limited on the time we are living on this
earth. Everyone in this world is trying to find their purpose in life because death is a process of
life that we cannot escape. Therefore, many people turn to religion because it promotes a second
life. Eternal life is what god promises us after we die. We get to live a new life that is perfect.
The significance between the concept of carpe diem and religion is that carpe diem tells us that
we only live one life, so we need to make the most out of it. Meanwhile, religion tells its
followers that we will have a life after this one, but we need to praise the lord and be righteous in
order to enter. The intent for this paper is to use a biblical frame work to analyze and evaluate the
rhetoric of carpe diem. The history of carpe diem will show the origin of carpe diem and how
over the years it has changed to represent modern society. Then by analyzing different text we
will be able to see how carpe diem persuades and affects people. I will argue that carpe diem
should not be followed by Christians by evaluating the history of carpe diem, analyzing literature
that uses carpe diem as the main theme, and examples of how seizing the day is used through
society.

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Seizing the day has been around for centuries. However, Carpe diem has changed
significantly, since the concept first arose. The history of the goes back to the time period B.C.
and it progresses into modern time. By analyzing the multiple poems, we can see how the idea of
carpe diem has changed. The poems that will be used to analyze are Odes 1.11, To His Coy
Mistress, and Dreams. First, the poem Odes 1.11was written during the time B.C. The
writer, Horace was a Raman poet. This poem was written to persuade a man named Leuconoe
that he should live life day by day. Horace writes do not try. / Babylonian calculations. / How
much better it is to endure whatever will be (Line 2-30), to show that we should not care what
the future holds for us because only Jupiter knows what will happen. This shows that the writer
was trying to tell his audience that we should not that we need to focus on the present because
we do not know what when we will die. The next quote is about not felling anxious of how we
are going to die, the quote You should not ask, it is wrong to know what end the gods will have
given to me or to you(Line 1-2) . This idea directly relates to death because he explains the idea
of living a content life. Then he highlights the idea that life is short by writing and because of
brief life cut short long-term hopes. (Line 7) In Odes 1.11, Horace wants the reader to live a
content life because we will not know if we will be alive tomorrow. The idea that today is a gift
is what the creator of carpe diem originally wanted to portray the meaning. They tried to
influence the people living during this time period that we do not know when god is going to
take our lives away. Therefore, we need to live life day by day.
The next poem that will be analyzed is To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvel. This
poem was written during the 1700s. To His Coy Mistress is about a man who is trying to
persuade a woman to have sex with her. The quote this coyness, lady, were no crime highlights
the message that the author is trying to persuade. Marvel is using carpe diem to try to tell the

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women that what they are going to do is not a crime or that they are not going to do nothing
bad. He attempts to persuade the women to sleep with him, because he is trying to live in the
moment. He tries to tell the women that we need to live a life that is satisfied. Marvells way to
get the women to sleep with her is by complimenting her and telling her how he is in love with
her. Therefore, he further goes into detail by saying how much he loves her, Love you ten years
before the flood. (Line 8) Next, he tries to persuade her by giving her compliments of her body
and beauty. Marvell writes Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze; / Two hundred to adore each
breast, / But thirty thousand to the rest (Lines 14-15). In the final stanzas, Marvell explains that
though we cannot make our sun. / Stand still, yet we will make him run (Line 45-46).
Therefore, he describes his motive for having sex which is to keep him busy. The main theme in
the poem is to do everything we desire. Carpe diem changed from the era B.C. because in the
1700s they focused on their personal needs.
The last poem is called Dreams by Langston Hughes. Dreams was written during the
1900s. Langston Hughes describes what happens when dreams are no longer being pursued.
Hughes main argument is that dreams are needed in order to live a positive life. He implies the
idea that if a dream is lost we are not living a dull life, by stating Life is a barren field. / Frozen
with snow (Lines 7-8). if we do not have dreams. He believes that if we do not have goals there
is no point in living. In addition, in order to prove his point he compares when a dream dies to a
bird that is ill, life becomes broken-winged bird / that cannot fly (lines 3-4). Dreams are what
cause us to try to aspire to be something better in life. Carpe diem during the twenty century, is a
persons ability to achieve ones goals.
Even though the concept has been around for centuries, there are a couple of similarities
and differences. One of the differences is the reason why they people chose to follow the concept

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of carpe diem. The era B.C decided to use the idea of carpe diem to explain that god was superior
and he was the only one who knew when a person was going to die. Therefore, they decided to
use carpe diem was a way to live life one day at a time. Meanwhile, the seventeenth century used
this concept as an excuse to whatever they desire. Similarly, the 1900s used this concept for
their own preferences, but they used this concept as a way to reach for their goals. Each century
uses this idea for their own. The similarity between the time periods is their motive. They all
want to make the best out of their lives because they do not know if they will be a live tomorrow.
The main purpose of this concept is to live a grateful life.
Everyone has been persuaded by someone or something to have a specific point of view.
Every day everyone is being persuaded. The concept of carpe diem is being used through
literature. By using the story called Winter Dreams we will be able to pin point how the author
used carpe diem to persuade and affect people. Fitzgerald wants to persuade its readers that carpe
diem Winter Drams by F. Scott Fitzgerald is about a man named Dexter who longed to move
up in his social and economic class. The main character personality and dreams to become the
rich and powerful are used to show an example of how people want to successes despite their
humble beginnings. The story starts off by introducing Dexters background as a child. He was a
part of the working class because his father owned a store that was doing good business. The
writer of the story is trying to make his audience feel bad towards Dexter because he comes from
a poor family. He is a little boy who wants to strive to become something greater. In the
beginning of the story, he is sad because of his background. Therefore, through his childhood he
fantasies being a part of the upper class. Dexter is in love with himself. He wants to be the
person that everyone wanted to be or looked up to. While francizing about golf, Dexter thinks of
Mr. Jones telling him that he was "The best----caddy I ever saw," "Never lost a ball! Willing!

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Intelligent! Quiet! Honest! Grateful!" Therefore, he goes to college and buys a laundry places
where he becomes wealthy. Dexter then sees a woman named Judy who is wealthy. He falls in
love with her because he wants to be just like her. He thinks that she is living a happy and perfect
life. He is materialistic because he wants to have everything that the rich people do, he wanted
not association with glittering things and glittering people--he wanted the glittering things
themselves. Towards the end of the story, he becomes the person he wants to be. However, he
still feels incomplete without Judy because she represents his American Dream. In the end, once
he is set to war he figures out that Judy is married and living a horrible life. Then he comes to the
conclusion that his American Dream never existed. He had thought that having nothing else to
lose he was invulnerable at last--but he knew that he had just lost something more, as surely as if
he had married Judy Jones and seen her fade away before his eyes. Dexter is the protagonist
who wants to be a part of a group of people who have money.
In addition, Fitzgerald uses Judy Jones was the girl that every man wanted to represent
the people who became rich by inheritance. . Even though she was astonishing, she was raised
to be inconsiderate of others and she was spoiled. Jones was given everything to her in her
hand. The author is trying to convey the reader that Judy is a snobby rich kid because he says
that she get her money from an inheritance. She did not work hard to become rich. Therefore, she
thinks that she can do whatever she wants and no one is going to tell her anything. When she was
younger she beat her servant with a golf club. One of her major flaws was that she was always
with different men in order to get attention. She used men her own amusement. Jones has no
respect for anyone but herself. She is also one of the main characters who Dexter tries to imitate,
but Judys dream is just to be happy. She is not happy with her life because the final night she
saw Dexter she said "I'm more beautiful than anybody else, why can't I be happy?" However, in

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the end her obnoxious life comes to an end when she marries a man that sleeps with different
women and drinks a lot. Judy loses her beauty and becomes a house wife.
The rhetoric of carpe diem is shown through in this story. The author uses pathos to make
the reader feel sad for Dexter, since he was born into a family that is not wealthy. In addition,
Dexter describes the seasons where he lives as In the fall when the days became crisp and gray,
and the long Minnesota winter shut down like the white lid of a box to show that he is not
happy with his life. Therefore, when Dexter starts moving up in his social class the audience
feels joy for him. In contrast, Judy is living the life of carpe diem. She has everything she ever
wanted. The audience does not care about her because she has an attitude with people who are
not on the same social class as her.
The art of persuading people in this short story is by pathos. Pathos means that it appeals
to the readers emotions. As, we are reading this story we feel a connection with the characters.
Based on their actions or background history we can make an inference on which one to believe
or have a stronger emotion towards them. This affects the people because we are making our
judgments based on what we are being told. For instance, at the end of the story when Judy
marries a man who cheats on her and her looks are gone, we do not feel bad for her because
through her life that is what she did with multiple men. The audience starts to think that it is her
fault that she ended up where she did. Based on what we are being told is being told, the
audience has to either agree or disagree on what they are being persuaded of.
This concept has been used for many centuries, but todays society ties seizing the day as
a way of life that means living in the moment and pursuing our pleasures. As Christians, we
follow a biblical worldview which means that we try to follow gods messages in the bible in
order to reach eternity. Society portrays this concept of carpe diem everywhere in the media, but

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as believers of god we need to be able to evaluate if this idea is good or bad. Using texts from the
bible and Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing by Sren Kierkegaard, we will build a biblical
framework to get a better understanding of how society shows carpe diem and see if a Christian
should follow the principals of carpe diem. First off, society uses the media to promote carpe
diem. In the twenty century carpe diem is considered to be a life style. Celebrities all over
America explain carpe diem as a way to do was we please because we will not be alive
tomorrow. The way that society portrays this idea is unhealthy for younger generations because
they promote parting, drinking and sleeping around. Some examples of famous singers that
create music videos that show what carpe diem means in modern society are Pitbull and Drake.
In Drake's video called The Motto, Lil Wayne and Drake are trying to influence the younger
generation to live a certain lifestyle. They try to persuade them by having the girls, the nice car,
money, and the parties. They try to give the impression that their life style is okay because they
only live once. Simarly, Pitbulls song called Give Me Everything shows him at a party as well
dancing with a girl having a good time. His music video shows Pitbull at a party having the time
of his life as he is taking picture with a Kodak. By using these two music videos as examples of
societys perspective of carpe diem, we can see that this concept is not how Christians should
live their life.
As Christians, we follow a biblical worldview, which means that we try to follow gods
messages in the bible in order to reach eternity. In evaluating societys definition of carpe diem,
there are good and bad ways of how a Christian might view seizing the day. It may be viewed
negatively as when relating to time and desires, but it can be seen positive when comparing
Christians ultimate goal to get to eternity and our purpose in life. There are many perspectives
that a Christian could take in order to define carpe diem. In the book of Eclessious the writer

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claims that everything is meaningless in this life. Therefore, everything that we work for
essentially does not matter because we are all going to die someday. In the book of Ecclesiastes
the writer main purpose was to show that we are nothing but a speck of dust that will die soon,
Everything is meaningless. What do people gain from all their labor at which they toil under
the sun? Generations come and generations go but the earth remains forever (Ecclesiastes 1:2-4)
A Christians main goal is to have eternal life when they die. Based on the view of carpe diem we
should be able to do whatever we desire because we are not here on earth for a long time. When
we die no one will remember us. Therefore, we need to make the most out of our lives or create a
path that someone will remember us by.
Next, we need to put into perspective our Lords desires for us. Therefore, we can do
what society portrays us to do when talking about carpe diem, but we need to do it in the light of
practice of Jesus Christ. Everything we do in this life is practice for eternity in heaven.
Therefore, when the second coming of Jesus Christ comes he will see our how each one of us has
behaved or what we have done in this life to benefit him. Then God will either invite us or deny
us a passage to heaven. Everything we do in this life is not meaningless because as Christians
our main desire is to go to heaven, but it matters because god judges our doings in this life in
order to get to eternity. In the book of Revelations, John writes that god will come back and
judge us accordantly to our works And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to
give every man according as his work shall be. (Revelations 22: 12) The sum of our struggles
and achievements in this life is just a practice of what should be done in heaven. The idea that we
are going to die someday is one of the main principles of carpe diem that is portrayed in a
biblical world view. Carpe diem can be viewed as a way of making the most out of our lives by
pleasing god.

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Everyone has something we want to gain out of this life, weather its money, fame or
having a family. However, we need to do what god as called us to do or be during this life time
because he already has a plan for us in eternity. Our main purpose in life is to serve god. Some
examples of serving god is by working, becoming a pastor and giving money to the poor. Jesus
wants us to serve him ,like Apostle Paul who was ship wrecked and stone for believing in Christ,
but he did not give up on spreading the Gospels. In the book of 2 Corinthians chapter verse 25
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was
shipwrecked, and I spent a night and a day in the open sea... He wants us to follow good deeds
and examples from the bible in order to get to sit next to Jesus and his father in heaven. If we are
remembering our past and our mistakes we are distancing ourselves from god.
As, Sren Kierkegaard wrestles with the idea of sin and time. He comes to the conclusion
that ...means that at any given moment a living person could look at life as if he himself did not
exist, were merely a past event that held no more present tasks for him as a living person, as if
he, as a living person, and life were cut off from each other within life, so that life was past and
gone,.. (Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing) Jesus wants us to focus on what is happening
now. He wants his children to be always trying to reconcile with him and repentance for our sins.
If we are living in the past then we are constantly repeating the same mistakes we did the day
before. Carpe diem and Jesus beliefs are similar because they both call people to live in the
moment. Even though they both have different context, they still have the same purpose. For
instance in the bible Apostle Paul was originally a persecutor of Christians before his conversion
from Saul to Paul. During his conversion to Paul Jesus told him He fell to the ground and heard a
voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? (Acts 9:4) However, once his

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conversion, he became a preacher or messenger of Jesus. This section in the bible shows that god
does not care about our paths he mainly focuses on how we act in present and future time.
Instead of seizing the day, Christians should seize the eternal life. God has called us to do
certain things that will be practice for us in the future after we die. We do not have to live life day
by day because Jesus Christ has other plans Christians in eternity. Even though, he has other
plans for us during judgement day he will see how we used living this life as a tool that will
benefit us in heaven. Seizing the day is similar to a biblical world view in the sense that they deal
with time and living in the moment. However, it should not be a Christians style of living
because of the way society describes carpe diem. Instead, a Christian should focus on ways to
represent god and do what he has called us to do. Therefore, by following societys perspective
of carpe diem we will not be able to walk the path of god because seizing the day is portrayed as
a doing negative things in society.