Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and murder. The senses come alive with the mere mention of the holiday known as Valentine’s Day. The smell of fresh roses, the taste of chocolate candy and the feel of a kiss instantly come to mind. Murder also played a role in the history of Valentine’s Day. A selfish act by a ruthless dictator caused a man to lose his head over love. The terms martyr and pagan are used throughout the stories surrounding the holiday. The dictionary defines a martyr as “a person who is killed or who suffers greatly for a religion, cause, etc. Pagan is defined as “one who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual pleasures and material goods.” Even though the stories may differ on the origin of the holiday the symbols are similar. The origins and customs of Valentine’s Day are symbols of hope, love and faith.
There are as many stories as there are customs regarding the origin of the holiday. Romans, English and Christians all claim a part in the history of Valentine’s Day. Historians may argue the holiday closely resemble a Roman pagan celebration where young men placed their hopes on the contents of a box. On the contrary, poetry lovers may insist the holiday was derived from an English poet’s description of how birds find their mates on February 14th. Still others such as Catholics may point to the St. Valentine’s martyrs who were beheaded on February 14th because of their faith and support of love.
The least realistic story explaining the development of Valentine’s Day involves birds. However, one of the most recognized symbols of Valentine’s Day is a lovebird. “Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet of the 1300’s, wrote in The Parliament of Fowls, “For this was on St. Valen...
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Works Cited
Abbey, Cherie D. “Valentine’s Day.” Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary: Detailing More Than 3,000 Observances from All 50 States and More Than 100 Nations : a Compendious Reference Guide to Popular, Ethnic, Religious, National, and Ancient Holidays. Detroit: Omnigraphics, 2010. Print.
Bain, Carol. "Valentine's Day." World Book. 2012. Print.
Christianson, Stephen G., and Jane M. Hatch. “Valentine’s Day.” The American Book of Days.
New York: H.W. Wilson, 2000. Print.
Graves, Dan. "Martyrdom of St. Valentine." Christianity.com. Salem Web Network, May 2007.
Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
Henderson, Helene. “Valentine’s Day.” Holiday Symbols and Customs. Detroit, MI:
Omnigraphics, 2010. Print.
“Valentine’s Day.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. Mar. 2014.
To begin with SWIB from the first line is very romantique as his lover “walks in beauty like the night” This is a very romantique simile as it is saying that she magnificent and also is a cliché. Whereas valentine take a more critical approach to love as valentine is more about that love will blind you with tears like a lover” this clearly shows that how love is poisonous to you. Also both these quotes are very contrasting as they both mean the opposite things.
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