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What is love
What is love definition essay
What does the word love mean
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As dictionaries have been adding new words and revising definitions yearly, we have seen a transition in the definition of love. Today, a commonly accepted definition of love is “an amorous episode” (Webster). This concept of love began with its portrayal in Hollywood media, causing the history and true meaning of the word to become lost. While love used to be defined as the “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties,” or “affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests” (Webster), the most recent definition is most similar to what it seems Hollywood is portraying as infatuation. This can be defined as “an extravagantly foolish or unreasoning passion” (Oxford). What movies often portray as “love” is, in fact, this infatuation that causes us to believe that when you are in love, you tend to love the act of being in love, not the other person. Mainstream media does not differentiate between love and infatuation; it simply sells a conflation of concepts into the term “love.”
Love, in the terms of husband and wife, can be traced back to the beginning of the Bible:
Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. (Gen. 2.22-24.).
Furthermore, they serve one another in a loyal commitment to each other. Love began as a mutual feeling with genuine intentions as the two people work together to please and assist one another with care. Love continued from Adam and Eve into Medieval Times, and this notion of love as ...
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The unceasing question of what defines love continually inspires writers to share their perceptions with their audience. Throughout our childhood we are naturally inclined to believe and expect what media depicts for us. Disney movies such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White all follow the standard plot of a beautiful girl and a handsome young man falling in love without any complexity to their relationship. Their newly discovered love for one another forms quite simply throughout the movie and then they live happily ever after. As we mature, our innocence fades and the naïve perception of love slowly begins to be disassembled as we are brought into reality. Simply observing our own parents’ relationship can prove that love does
It has always been part of human nature to form a bond with another person. These bonds may be as trivial as friendship or as strong as love. Love is very complex; it takes a lot of effort and insight to form love with another person. As complicated as love is, why people form these bonds is even more complicated. There is the more biological reasoning, supported by Barbara Fredrickson in “Love 2.0”, that says people need it to survive. As seen in Susan Faludi’s “The Naked Citadel”, love can also be formed to either replace an old love or guide one or both people. Continually, in Sherry Turkle’s “Alone Together”, people form bonds of love because they love what they nurture. Since love is ingrained in human nature, there is often little choice
The concept of love is a very ambiguous, controversial, idea that is nearly impossible to come to a singular consensus on. In this essay I will be describing and comparing two philosophical views on the concepts and ideas behind love. Through the works of Todd May and Plato, different approaches to the concept of love will be illustrated as well as determining the similarities and differences between the two perspectives.
Love began millions upon millions of years ago. Although the very beginning of relationships began way before Greek and Romanic love, this was the major turning point in relationships between men and women. Greek love began the lusting after another person. The men were more into how women appeared, and how much dowry would be awarded with the woman they married (Brewer et al.). These two groups of people turned the idea of love as something to be treasured, into a lustful, only full of pleasure part of life. Prostitution was becoming very “popular” during that of the Romanic love era. So many men and women got into relationships outside of their marriages, also known as affairs (Brewer et al.). This was showing that no true love was in these relationships. Even though it is known that most people did have these affairs and began thinking this way, not everyone did.
The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer around 1386, is a collection of tale told by pilgrims on a religious pilgrimage. Two of these tales, "The Knight's Tale" and "The Wife of Bath's Tale", involve different kinds of love and different love relationships. Some of the loves are based on nobility, some are forced, and some are based on mutual respect for each partner. My idea of love is one that combines aspects from each of the tales told in The Canterbury Tales.
Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam[f] no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. (Genesis 2:
Love is arguably the most powerful emotion possessed by mankind; it is the impalpable bond that allows individuals to connect and understand one another. Pure love is directly related to divinity. Without love, happiness and prosperity become unreachable goals. An individual that possesses all the desired superficial objects in the world stands alone without the presence of love. For centuries love has been marveled by all that dare encounter it. Countless books and poems have been transcribed to explain the phenomenon of love, but love surpasses all intellectual explanations and discussions. Love is not a definition, but rather a thought, an idea. This idea, the idea of love, burns inside us all. Instinctually, every soul on Earth is
"I wanna love you and treat you right; I wanna love you every day and every night: We'll be together with a roof right over our heads; We'll share the shelter of my single bed; We'll share the same room, yeah! - for Jah provide the bread. Is this love - is this love - is this love - Is this love that I'm feelin'?"--- Bob Marley. Bob Marley wrote and sang about love just like hundreds of people before him. His idea of true love was sharing with someone in order to meet the basic needs and spiritual way of life. The security of a relationship is one important part of a complex number of needs that have to be met for truelove to exist. The Merrian Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, defines “truelove” as “one truly beloved or loving”(1343). The meaning of truelove is not as simple as the dictionary would lead people to think. For the person who has not yet become educated in true love will find themselves on a wonderful quest. The most powerful declaration one can make to another person is a pledge of love. Most individuals will desire the intimate affection that a special someone can provide. Is there such a thing as truelove? Difficult as the answer is to find, many people have ideas about truelove. By comparing ideas of love between women and men, looking at religious love, investigating chemical love, and love in marriage will show what the meaning of true love is today.
What is love? The age-old question arises once more. In truth, a universal definition has not been agreed upon, but generally one can define love as “an indication of adoration” or an “an ineffable feeling of intense attraction shared in interpersonal and sexual relationships.” Love can be directed towards kin, a lover, oneself, nature, or humanity- but regardless that love in an emotional sense is eternal. Some fall into love, and some claim they fall out. Love should be endless, lasting, and pure, but half of the time that love ends up being a sham. There is solid record of this false love- love that is meant to look pure- in the famous writings The Lottery and To His Coy Mistress.
To begin with, romantic movies mold expectations of what love is really like. They portray that love is the only thing that matters. In the past, love was secondary. Relationships were arranged by parents because they wanted their children to join lands or kingdoms, and whether or not the couple actually loved each other was irrelevant. Today, parents have almost no say in who their children fall in love with. Romance movies over-emphasize love when it comes to “falling in love at first sight” and the idea that “true love conquers all”. I’m sure that almost everyone knows that real-life love doesn’t work like this, but that doesn’t mean that those illustrations of love that movies characterize doesn’t affect viewers’ hope for romance and true love in their own life. For example, after watching The Notebook, viewers might portray Noah’s l...
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “love” first appeared in the year 825. Love was first written and pronounced as “lufu” in Old English. It had many different types of meanings, but the first definition that was put down was ‘That disposition or stated feeling with regard to a person which(arising from recognition of attractive qualities, from instincts of natural relationship, or from sympathy) manifests itself in solicitude for the welfare of the object, and usually also in delight in his or her presence and desire for his or her approval; warm affection, attachment,’ (“Love,” 2017, p. 52). According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it means ‘to feel love for, cherish, show love to; delight in, approve’ (Harper, n.d.). Another great definition for the word “love” is ‘an intense feeling of deep affection,’ (“Love,” 2017, p. 56). Though these definitions talk of affection towards an object or person, in history the word “love” has been used in very different ways. In the 1950s, the term “make love” was a euphemism for “have sex”(Harper, n.d.). This term was most utilized by teenagers, using love, instead of lust, as a reason to have sex. On the other hand, the word “love” is used as a term in tennis. At the beginning of every game, the words “love all” are said to signify that both opponents start out with the score of zero. Though it is unclear as to when this began, the most
Love by definition is an emotion explored in philosophy, religion, and literature, often as either romantic love, the fraternal love of others, or the love of God based on the definition found in The Encarta Encyclopedia. As I explored the definition by means of the Internet, books, and articles I noticed the definitions changed quite a bit, but yet had the same basic understanding. The definition I found in The Encarta Encyclopedia was probably the most simple and most basic. It refers to love in the whole aspect, which is Godly, fraternal, and romantic. All in which can only be defined by one word and that it love.
Love is one of those things that means different things to different people. If you would look the word love up in the dictionary, you would find this: “an intense feeling of deep affection.” For some people, love can be purely romantic or even just purely sexual. For others, real love can only exist between family members or between people and a god. For some people, it is felt for your partners, family, pets, or even inanimate objects. None of the people are right or wrong, but I do know one thing, love is very powerful. Love is overused in today's world, people say they love someone because of the way they look or their body. That isn't love. To me, love is the most spectacular, indescribable, deep euphoric
Love is the basis of every day life, and it gives us the power to feel so affectionately
To better understand the concept of "love", lets define the value of love. Love is the most valuable commodity in the world. We all need love just like a fish needs water. Without love, life would not be worth living. With love in our lives, we are empowered beyond belief.