Blog 2 Week #7: A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE SOUL AND BODY

"A Dialogue Between the Soul and Body" illustrates classic conflicts that a person has within themselves. The poem explains each person as multifaceted. A person has both a body and a soul, which are often in conflict. By positioning Soul and Body as separate characters involved in a verbal exchange Marvell further reveals the conflicts that can take place between one's physical and mental/emotional/spiritual side. Both Soul and Body are, in a way, prisoner to each other because they are inseparable. Both have the interest of themselves as the main concern, yet they cannot separate what happens to one from what happens to the other. The reader is able to acknowledge through this poem the extreme measures one often takes to either preserve their body or their soul. But, according to the dialogue that takes place in this poem, it seems that a glorification or preservation of the soul results in fatigue of the body and vice versa. So, this poem also presents a conundrum of sorts and raises the question, "is one are or portion of a person more important than another?"