Two Sides

647 Words2 Pages

Pablo Neruda’s Sonnet XLIV “You Must Know That I Do Not Love And That I Love You” clearly illustrates that love has two sides. Neruda uses the text as an example throughout his poem to explain that love has two sides. These two sides are that he loves and that he does not love.
This is explained through Neruda’s words:
You must know that I do not love and that I love you, because everything alive has its two sides; a word is one wing of silence, fire has its cold half. (107)
This statement separates Neruda’s poem into two parts. Neruda clearly explains that everything has two sides. One of the examples that Neruda uses is the fire having its cold half. Neruda is saying that the fire is hot but at the same time it can give a cold feeling. The point of this poem is that love has two sides. Neruda explains, in my understanding, the sides of love are that he loves her with his entire heart but does not love her enough to marry or commit to her.
“And” is the most valuable word in Neruda’s poem. “And” is used to describe the different ways that he loves and does not love. This is more clearly explained in three passages. The first: “You must know that I do not love and that I love you.” (107) The word “and” in this line tells the reader that Neruda loves but also does not love. The second: “to start inf...

Show More
Related

  • Love In The Sonnet By Edna St. Vincent Millay

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Sonnet by Edna St. Vincent Millay, “Love is Not All” demonstrates an unpleasant feeling about the knowledge of love with the impression to consider love as an unimportant element that does not worth dying for; the poem is a personal message addressing the intensity, importance, and transitory nature of love. The poet’s impression reflects her general point of view about love as portrays in the title “Love is Not All.” However, the unfolding part of the poem reveals the sarcastic truth that love is important.

    Read More

  • Beowulf As A Hero

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many things to take into consideration when characterizing a person as a hero. Heros are typically seen as people who accomplish brave deeds and fulfill noble tasks for the greater good of things. In the epic poem Beowulf by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet a hero is revealed. What makes Beowulf a hero is his unbelievable strength and power. He does not get discouraged or let anything stear him away from what he feels needs to be done for the safety of others. In his battles with the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon Beowulf exhibits his strength and will to fight. Beowulf, is loyal to his people and his king. What I feel is the most important quality of Beowulf, though, is his willingness to risk his life for the good

    Read More

  • Beowulf, a Classic Example of an Anglo-Saxon Hero

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    The clear definition of a hero is often open to interpretation and has never been clearly defined. In the translation of the epic poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, it is often debated whether the main character Beowulf is actually a hero or not. Beowulf displays hero-like characteristics through his bravery, loyalty, brute strength, confidence and protective nature. He is a crystal clear example of an Anglo-Saxon hero in his time period. In the present day he should be considered a hero as well. He displays heroism through his fights with Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon while managing to protect his people and eventually sacrifice himself.

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast

    774 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both poets want to be loved in the poems in their own way. While both poem’s present a theme of love, it is obvious that the poet’s view on love changes from how they view love at the beginning of the poem from how they see it at the end.

    Read More

  • Hola

    696 Words  | 2 Pages

    The famous author, F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, "There are all kinds of love in this world, but never the same love twice." Love blooms in various forms, but even with the differences, everyone experiences the same feeling which can be represented in "Sonnet 18," by William Shakespeare and "I Am Offering this Poem," by Jimmy Santiago Baca. Describing love similarly, the poets usage of warm imagery, addictive symbolism, and affectionate tone shows the feeling of love. True love being undeniably similar, can be expressed through the words of these poets.

    Read More

  • An Examination of the Complexities of Love in Millay's Poem, Love Is Not All

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    Millay uses romantic language. That is evident in the first line, "Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink". The romantic aspect of love is shown in the language of this poem. The poem is not directly about two lovers. It is more indirect, this is what two lovers may face. Her language is picturesque. "Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink / And rise and sink and rise and sink again;" It is as if the poem was showing a picture of a man in the sea that is struggling to survive and throughout the course of bobbing up and down he continues to see a pole or paddle, but he just can't reach it. There are more ideas that can be pictured easily throughout the poem, because of the language that Millay uses. "Love can no fill the thickened lung with breath, / Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;" These lines create an interesting picture in your mind.

    Read More

  • Butler Yeats

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many key words jut out, giving us clues to which Yeats is describing. The most significant is “Love” on the tenth line. “Love” is capitalized representing William Yeats himself. Yeats or “Love” fled because he knew it was the best for her. When one loves another unconditionally sacrifices must be made; in this case ending the relationship was the solution. Two other key words are located in the sixth line, “false” and “true”. These words are used to exemplify the love she received from her past relationships. Some men truly loved her while others were artificial with their...

    Read More

  • Love As a Theme In a Poem

    892 Words  | 2 Pages

    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) ...

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    When he writes "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she, belied with false compare." (lines 13-14) in the final couplet, one responds with an enlightened appreciation, making them understand Shakespeare's message that true love consists of something deeper than physical beauty. Shakespeare expresses his ideas in a wonderful fashion. Not only does he express himself through direct interpretation of his sonnet, but also through the levels at which he styled and produced it. One cannot help but appreciate his message of true love over lust, along with his creative criticism of Petrarchan sonnets.

    Read More

  • Analysis of e.e. cummings' since feeling is first

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    The poem says that "since feeling is first" (line 1) the one who pays attention to the meaning of things will never truly embrace. The poem states that it is better to be a fool, or to live by emotions while one is young. The narrator declares that his "blood approves" (line 7) showing that his heart approves of living by feeling, and that the fate of feeling enjoyment is better than one of "wisdom" (line 9) or learning. He tells his "lady" (line 10) not to cry, showing that he is speaking to her. He believes that she can make him feel better than anything he could think of, because her "eyelids" (line 12) say that they are "for each other" (line 13). Then, after all she's said and thought, his "lady" forgets the seriousness of thought and leans into the narrator's arms because life is not a "paragraph" (line 15), meaning that life is brief. The last line in the poem is a statement which means that death is no small thi...

    Read More

  • Don T Go Far Off By Pablo Neruda Analysis

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin with we have Neruda saying “Don’t go far off” (1) which shows a desire to be with whomever this poem is dedicated to. We see this further into the poem. Neruda displays how he doesn’t want this person to leave him “even for a day” (1) which shows how much time he wishes to spend with this individual. A day can seem like eternity to some,

    Read More

  • I Like For You To Be Still by Pablo Neruda

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the poem “I like for you to be still”, Pablo Neruda expressed his unreachable heart calling to his loved one. He described his love towards his loved one without saying a word, understanding her feelings from her silence, and act accordingly to make her fell that he cares about here. True feelings of love remain same even though there is no response comes from the other side. Selfless act just to get a single word out of her mouth or a little smile on her face which makes him feel happy, and this poem is about that passionate love.

    Read More

  • Sonnet XVII, by Pablo Neruda

    1177 Words  | 3 Pages

    An analysis of Pablo Neruda’s “Sonnet XVII,” from the book 100 Love Sonnets: Cien sonetos de amor, reveals the emotions of the experience of eternal, unconditional love. Neruda portrays this in his words by using imagery and metaphors to describe love in relation to beauty and darkness. The poem also depicts the intimacy between two people. I believe the intent of the poem is to show that true love for another abolishes all logic, leaving one completely exposed, captivated, and ultimately isolated.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Dont Go Far Off By Pablo Neruda

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    During his first stanza, Neruda displays and introduces the situation by speaking directly to an unknown character about how he does not want them to leave. Throughout this first section of the poem, he proclaims that he does not want the person to leave “not even for a day” (1) as “a day is long/ and I will be waiting for you” (2-3). From this first few lines, readers can recognize the desperate and sad tone and behavior of Neruda, as they understand that he cannot stand to live for “even a day” without the person who is leaving. This creates a stronger sense of dependency by detailing how long Neruda can live without the person, which is only one day, and how desperate he is to continue the life he had been living. From this act of sorrow

    Read More

  • A Lover’s Love: The Emotions and Conflicts of a Love Affair in Boccaccio’s The Decameron and in Virgil’s The Aeneid

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    Love defies the test of time and endures when all things suggest its demise. Against odds, lovers meet, and in line with fate, lovers fall apart. The levels of love, and the numerous reactions to those relationships, help determine if and when the relationship will end. Though factors tear two people apart, the love does not always die. These ideas appear time and again, such as in Boccaccio’s The Decameron (the fourth day, first tale) or Virgil’s The Aeneid. Ideals of love and admiration also appear in Sappho’s poetry. Love ties people together, both literally and figuratively. These three works show that complexities of opinion and circumstance threaten to tear lovers apart, but love may still endure in the most unlikely ways.

    Read More

More about Two Sides

Open Document