A Certain Lady And Sex Without Love By Sharon Olds

The relation between men and women has long been a matter of consideration as far as literature, psychology or humanity is concerned. It has played a very important role throughout the historical phenomenon and literary voyage. So there appeared new problems or new understandings of the past problems as the ages passed and we have now come to the apt and new conclusions drawn by some of the literal masterpieces such as, “A Certain Lady” by Dorothy Parker and “Sex without Love” by Sharon Olds. Both the poems have made their readers understand something blurring but essential in the relationship environment. Both the poems have much more in similarity and hence are differed too.

The first poem by Mrs. Parker is a bitingly sharp compliment on

Both the concepts love and sex are interconnected and inseparable in the dynamic relationship they have. Without love, sex seems lustful and shameful an act that can bring just harm to the minds, hearts and souls. The poetess, though apparently has dealt sex softly, yet has criticized and mocked the loveless sex with the use of frequent similes and rhetorically rhythmic patterns. The setting of the poem is the sexual activity by fornicators and its representation by the speaker, i.e. the poetess. The fornicators are depicted as beautiful dancers and ice skaters as both of the functions are individually exercised and individually appreciated. Ice skaters do not touch ice as fornicators do not touch each other’s feelings or hearts. Their ‘fingers hooked in each other’s bodies’ is a symbolism as the male fingers during the sex are turned like hooks and the female partner is symbolized as a fish caught in the hook of the lust and which is soon to be torn by the hooker away. Their ‘faces red as stakes, wine’ illustrates the involvement of the flesh and meat in the process of sex without love and ‘wet as children at birth’ symbolizes the arousal of the female partner during the sexual intercourse, and ‘whose mothers are going to give them away’ is a sharply abrasive criticism on sex without love that is likely to be a child whose has given her away and she is alone in time and space. Moreover, it indicates the procreation of fornication and the child births are so irresponsive that they are not even accepted by the parents. The next rhetorical repetition at this stage reminds us orgasm during the lusty sex. ‘Still waters’ symbolizes the coldness of emotions in the partners and the religious imagery also here points out the importance of physical and material over