Comparing Three Poems on Love and Loss

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Comparing Three Poems on Love and Loss

'How Do I Love Thee?' by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and 'Remember' by

Christina Rossetti are both sonnets sharing the theme of Love and Loss

but approaching it from a different view. 'How Do I Love Thee' is a

Petrachian sonnet written by a famous poet of that time Elizabeth

Barrett Browning. Born in 1806, Elizabeth Barrett Browning was a

female author in the mid 1800's. 'How Do I Love Thee?' expresses the

theme of love in an undying manner. It portrays deep ethereal love

that a woman has for her lover. It uses emotive language to depict the

passion and depth of their love. 'Remember' is also a petrachian

sonnet written by Christina Rossetti. Christina Rossetti (1830-94) is

a passionate and powerful English Poet. She was a devout Anglican and

lived the last fifteen years of her life as a recluse in her home.

Many of her poems are religious, some melancholy and death-obsessed.

Possessing a spontaneous lyrical gift, she had a firm command of

traditional poetic forms. She is recognized as an important

Victorian-era poet. 'Remember' is one of her famous poems, which

portrays her writing style very well. This poem gives us the

impression of someone who is preparing her lover for her death or

departure from this world. It stresses the idea of strong love and she

wants to be remembered and not forgotten.

Both 'How Do I Love Thee?' and 'Remember' are petrachian sonnets.

Petrachian sonnets have a very distinguished structure and are

different to Shakespearean sonnets. The rhyming couplets at the end

are used to really capture the mood of the poem and keep it in strict

sonnet form.

There is usua...

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... This use of listing in threes is very emotive and helps to create a

more passionate feeling and adds to the whole atmosphere of the poem.

Browning's spectacular "How Do I Love Thee?", may at first seem vague,

but with a more thorough approach the reader can gain new insight into

Browning's purpose. Browning uses her unique style and word choice to

spice the poem and give it flavour, while the sonnet format keeps the

poem simple. Browning proved her excellence and innovativeness as an

author, in the multi dimensions of "How Do I love Thee?". Rossetti's

heart-touching 'Remember' filled with eupimism portrays the strong

passionate love one has for her lover which would carry on even after

death. Rossetti's religious approach to this sonnet gives it an almost

heavenly feel adding to the fervent love one has for her lover.

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