Love In The Sonnet By Edna St. Vincent Millay

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.
The depiction of imagery in this poem insinuates a moaning and nagging experiences; the negative and painful experience that people suffers because of an unimportant element that cannot supply the basic necessity of life: “Pinned down
In romantic words, the poet expresses how much she does think of love. She state it clear that she will not trade love for peace in times of anguish.
Shift: after line 6 of the poem, there is a shift. In the beginning of the poem, the poet outlines the list of things that love cannot provide for the people who are willing to die it. The narrator outlines the basic necessities like food, shelter, and health.
Part II: Explication
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.
Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar to men that