Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Where do you imagine Marvell sitting and living when he was writing this poem? City? Countryside? Somewhere in between? In what way does this idea influence your interpretation of the poem?
- Do you agree with Marvell that "two Paradises 'twere in one / to live in Paradise alone"? What are the pros and cons of living somewhere totally fantastic by yourself? What do you make of the reasons Marvell lists as the virtues of solitary living?
- Marvell spends a lot of time talking about nature in this poem, but the name of the poem is "The Garden." What do you see as the difference between the wild countryside and a man-made garden? How does this tension work into the speaker's condemnation of civilization and desire to be alone?
- Is this a political poem? Why or why not?
- Can any of the individual stanzas stand alone as a poem? If yes, how does looking at only one stanza affect what you think about the poem? If no, why not?
- Can the stanzas be rearranged? What effect might reading the poem from end to beginning, for example, have on your interpretation of it?