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A short note on the theme of love in literature
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The main theme of the two poems is love. However, their prospective on the topic differs just slightly. In “Love is Not All” by Edna St. Vincent Millay tells how love will not cure a sickness or injury, but in some way it is still a necessity in life. Whereas in “Since feeling is First” by E. E. Cummings describes how love is more important than logic in the end and how you should not worry about what you are getting out of love because it is essential for a well-balanced life.
The main theme in the two poems is how love is not explainable, but is needed for a well-balanced life. They both portray that love is not necessarily logical. It cannot be described or explained perfectly because you do not think about it. It just needs to be in your life. Love never heals the sick or weak, but it does have a powerful influence on our well-being. Love is not all about living in the reality of things. However, at the end of it all they still represent what someone feels love is and the main theme in both of these poems is love.
Even though they are comprised of the same theme they are very much different on the point of view of love and also structure. Their prospective on love can cause these poems not to be paired together because they are so different. “Love is Not All” asks the question what can love do for you, why do we hold love so highly. It also explains that even though we obviously it cannot cure the sick or repair the broken. While “Since Feelings are First” says the complete opposite. It describes that love is very important in living a well-balanced life and that you cannot question what you get out of it.
Edna St. Vincent Millay was born in 1892 and married Eugen Boisevain in 1923. Eugen and Edna were known to have an op...
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...o the homeless. It also says that love is pointless in every way possible, but at the same time it is still essential to a well-rounded life. In the end the theme of the two stories remain the same. They are both about love and how love is not analyzable it is just there.
Works Cited
Millay, Edna St. Vincent. “Love is not all” Literature; Reading, Reacting, Writing. ED. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 7th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2012. 257-68. Print.
Cummings, E. E. “Since Feeling is First” Writersalmanacpublicradio.org. Writers Almanac, 2006. June 4, 2006. http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=2006/06/04
Suttor, Marijane. “Poetry Analysis Sonnet Xxx by Edna St Vincent Millay” Humanities360.com. Humanities 360, 2012. June 18, 2012. http://www.humanities360.com/index.php/poetry-analysis-sonnet-xxx-by-edna-st-vincent-millay-6971/
The title of the poem “Love is Not All” asserts the impression that suggests the unimportant of love to its reader at first. However, the ending of the poem reveals the ironic truth that love is worthwhile. Millay’s intention is not to confuse readers by using a title that forcefully disrespects love. However, she projects the title of the poem to ascertain the grounds for her argument that love is important. The first six lines of the poem highlight the incompetence of love when compares with the basic supplies for life.
Both poems inspire their reader to look at their own life. In addition, they treat the reader to a full serving of historic literature that not only entertains, but also teaches valuable lesson in the form of morals and principles.
It is said that Millay's later work is more of a mirror image of her life. This particular poem was written 1931, when she was thirty-nine. Unlike some of her earlier work this is not a humorous poem. It is very deep and meaningful.
Both poems explore the injustices of love and power and also the consequences of what happens with a potentially bad decision. Not only this, they both address these themes with a particular balance of the two; they both have similarities, yet they both contrast in many different ways. Each poem shares similarities which are reflections of the poets’ lives before they became literary sensations.
Edna St. Vincent Millay has created complex as well as emotionally and politically charged poetry in her career. Her poetry is often considered expressive yet also indifferent by some critics. Yet, her skill with metaphor and other evocative poetic features bring us poems that are reflective of her self, and also ourselves as readers. By developing skilled metaphors for interpreting and developing her own identity as an author and for us as a reader, we are given a construction of selfhood. In this essay, I will analyze Edna St. Vincent Millay’s two poems; If I should learn, in some quite casual way, and What lips my lips have kissed in order to explain the meaning and presence of selfhood in lyric poetry. Through interpreting Millay’s poems, I will explain the construction of selfhood or identity in each poem through formal structures. Understanding selfhood comes with understanding one’s surroundings and how we are able to relate or compare ourselves to these surroundings. Edna St. Vincent Millay does a very complete job of bringing metaphor, narrative, diction and imagery to h...
At first glance Edna St. Vincent Millay's first recognized poem, Renascence, seems to be easy to understand and follow. However, as this sing-songy poem is dissected, the reader embarks upon a world full of emotion, religion, confusion, pain and sin. This poem is split up into six sections or stanzas which separate the action of the poem into easy to understand parts. I have chosen to discuss the first section of the poem for my close reading.
On the other side, “Love Poem” is very different from the previous poem. This seven stanza poem is based on a man describing the imperfections of his lover. In this, the speaker uses stylistic devices, such as alliteration and personification to impact more on reader, for example as the speaker shows “your lipstick ginning on our coat,”(17) ...
Both poems represent the despairs and failures of the love they hone for their beloved, with brings a touch of sadness to the poems. From this the reader can feel almost sympathetic to the unrequited lovers, and gain an understanding of the perils and repercussions of love.
There are many different themes that can be used to make a poem both successful and memorable. Such is that of the universal theme of love. This theme can be developed throughout a poem through an authors use of form and content. “She Walks in Beauty,” by George Gordon, Lord Byron, is a poem that contains an intriguing form with captivating content. Lord Byron, a nineteenth-century poet, writes this poem through the use of similes and metaphors to describe a beautiful woman. His patterns and rhyme scheme enthrall the reader into the poem. Another poem with the theme of love is John Keats' “La Belle Dame sans Merci,” meaning “the beautiful lady without mercy.” Keats, another nineteenth-century writer, uses progression and compelling language throughout this poem to engage the reader. While both of these poems revolve around the theme of love, they are incongruous to each other in many ways.
St. Vincent Millay, Edna. "Time Does Not Bring Relief." 1917. Renascence and Other Poems. Kessinger, 2005. 1-52. Print.
I am going to start by comparing the form of each poem. The souls of
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In poems, one way or other way, they both are encouraging youth to be strong and to be courageous. They both are giving advice to youth but in different ways. Both the speakers have very strong tone of voice and both are very encouraging to the youth.