Love And Loss
I chose to discuss love and loss as these were two strong emotions
that have occured in my life. They are both very different but also
similar in a way.
The two poems I felt dealt with love and loss the best were 'The
Thickness Of Ice' by Liz Loxley and 'Remember' by Christina Rossetti.
I chose these poems as the thoughts reflected and the experiences
included related very much to my own life and views.
'The Thickness of Ice' by Liz Loxley is a well structured, modern poem
which refers to how strong love can be but how it can also be the
cause to end a relationship. It shows how couples need more than love
to keep them together.
'Ice' is a metaphor for a relationship. The persona uses this to show
how it can be strong and can withstand pressure but can just as easily
thaw, crack and eventually break.
Also, the persona uses visual metaphors such as "thickness" (stanza
two) and "thinness" of ice. One representing a possible long lasting
relationship, and the other representing how easily it can fall apart.
This poem portrays loss as in a couple going their separate ways.
'Remember' by Christina Rossetti is a pre-1900 sonnet which deals with
life after the death of a loved one. It is a request from the poet on
what to do and how to feel after her death. The persona is young, and
the life expectancy of a young person in Victorian times was not very
high compared to modern society. This suggests the persona may be
dying which could be the reason she felt she should write her requests
down for her partner.
Rossetti led a religious lifestyle which is evident from many of her
poems and sonnets. For example, in this particular sonnet, she applies
euphenisms to sound less harsh. She ...
... middle of paper ...
...s and experiences. I definitely learnt through my mistakes
and will always have regrets. I felt the theme expressed the poet's
points clearly. This poem was different to the sonnet as it focused on
infatuation and a breakup whereas the sonnet focused on eternal love,
even after the death of one of the partners. I enjoyed "Remember" as I
felt it stated what I wish for my loved ones when I am gone. It was
well written and Rossetti's thoughts were expressed beautifully.
Love is considered eternal and memories will never fade, but life has
to go on, whether you have discontinued a relationship or a partner
has passed on. You shouldn't fall in love with someone you can live
with, you should fall in love with someone you can't live without.
And as the Italians say, "L'amore e un viaggio dentro noi" which
translated means "Love is a journey inside ourselves".
The interpretations of what comes after death may vary greatly across literature, but one component remains constant: there will always be movement. In her collection Native Guard, Natasha Trethewey discusses the significance, permanence and meaning of death often. The topic is intimate and personal in her life, and inescapable in the general human experience. Part I of Native Guard hosts many of the most personal poems in the collection, and those very closely related to the death of Trethewey’s mother, and the exit of her mother’s presence from her life. In “Graveyard Blues”, Trethewey examines the definition of “home” as a place of lament, in contrast to the comforting meaning in the epitaph beginning Part I, and the significance
Loss. Grief. Mourning. Anger. Disbelief. Emotions are in abundance when a loved one passes away. People need to find a way to cope with the situations and often need to express themselves by writing their feelings down in order to get them out. This is exactly what Paul Monette does in his book of poetry title “Love Alone” in remembrance of his companion Rog. Through writing his poetry Monette describes his emotions and the events that occurred during Rog’s battle with AIDS. By Monette’s transitioning through different emotions, the reader begins to understand the pain the author is dealt. Touching upon Kubler-Ross’ five stages of death including denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, Monette transitions to Rog’s decline in health. Using different fonts and no punctuation, the lines are interpreted by the reader using instincts to know when to begin and end a sentence. Evident in the poems “The Very Same”, “The Half-life”, and “Current Status”, Monette gives a description of loss that makes the reader tingle.
In his poem entitled “Grief”, Williams accurately describes his grief at the loss of a loved one. In Part One, the feeling is heavy and overwhelming. The speaker, (most likely Williams), recalls days of sitting bedside with a slow-dying love. Some writers waste time in getting to the heart of the poem, but Williams wastes none. In the first line, he leaves his readers with no question as to what is going on in the poem. He writes, “Gone now, after the days of desperate, unconscious gasping, the reflexive / staying alive,” (29). All readers are instantaneously reminded of an experience with watching a loved one pass slowly, perhaps painfully.
The speaker started the poem by desiring the privilege of death through the use of similes, metaphors, and several other forms of language. As the events progress, the speaker gradually changes their mind because of the many complications that death evokes. The speaker is discontent because of human nature; the searching for something better, although there is none. The use of language throughout this poem emphasized these emotions, and allowed the reader the opportunity to understand what the speaker felt.
Though most have a desire to leave earth and enter eternal life peacefully, without any sorrow, the departure of a loved one can be despondent. Previously in 2011, my grandfather passed away due to heart failure. It was an arduous battle, not only for my grandfather, but also for the close knit family surrounding him. His battle with heart failure enabled me to create unforgettable memories with him, even in his final days. Laughing together, playing together and learning significant values about life together made me grow to become a more mature and wise person. Therefore, my personal experience is entwined with empathy because the death of my grandfather has made me realize how dismal it is to lose someone important. It also interplays with self-interest because I have grown as an individual to deal with the ache that is attached to losing a family member. It has helped me to realize how beautiful the gift of life is. Stephen Dunn, the poet behind Empathy and my story are connected because they both involve the feeling of empathy for others and the self-interest of an individual. They help us to grow and learn about ourselves and the emotions of
At a glance, the poem seems simplistic – a detailed observance of nature followed by an invitation to wash a “dear friend’s” hair. Yet this short poem highlights Bishop’s best poetic qualities, including her deliberate choice in diction, and her emotional restraint. Bishop progresses along with the reader to unfold the feelings of both sadness and joy involved in loving a person that will eventually age and pass away. The poem focuses on the intersection of love and death, an intersection that goes beyond gender and sexuality to make a far-reaching statement about the nature of being
Predominantly the poem offers a sense of comfort and wisdom, against the fear and pain associated with death. Bryant shows readers not to agonize over dying, in fact, he writes, "When thoughts of the last bitter hour come like a blight over thy spirit, and sad images of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall, and breathless darkness, and the narrow house, make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart -- go forth under the open sky, and list to Nature 's teachings." With this it eludes each person face their own death, without fright, to feel isolated and alone in death but to find peace in knowing that every person before had died and all those after will join in death (Krupat and Levine
the poet is trying to portray the fragility of a life, as it is created with the intent to be lost (death
Arthur Yvor Winters, an American poet and literary critic stated "This is a remarkably beautiful poem on the subject of daily realization of the imminence of death" it’s a poem of departure from life, an intensely conscious leave-taking. And Allen Tate, a distinguished American poet, teacher, and critic called this "An extraordinary poem".
The death of a close relative, especially a new born child, is a very terrible life event that tragically affects parents. Grief and desperation preoccupies parent's souls and it takes a long time to recover from such a loss. However, communication between the couple is very important factor that stabilizes the relationship. If this factor is missing in a couple's relationship they will not be able to recover from this tragedy, and it will have further negative effects such as separation and stress. The poem, "Home Burial", is a clear example of how the couple could not recover from the loss of their child due to the lack of communication. In spite of the fact that the characters in the poem are imaginary people, Robert Frost portrayed his personal life events in those character's lives. The unexpected death of a child can lead to a brake up in the family, especially if there is miscommunication between the couple. "Home Burial" illustrates a husband and wife who are unable to talk to each other. It shows details about men's and women's points of view. The characters in the poem will get divorced due to conflicts and difficulties in their relationship.
At a glance, the poem seems simplistic – a detailed observance of nature followed by an invitation to wash a “dear friend’s” hair. Yet this short poem highlights Bishop’s best poetic qualities, including her deliberate choice in diction, and her emotional restraint. Bishop progresses along with the reader to unfold the feelings of both sadness and joy involved in loving a person that will eventually age and pass away. The poem focuses on the intersection of love and death, an intersection that goes beyond gender and sexuality to make a far-reaching statement about the nature of being
The theme of death in the poems “War Photographer”, “Remember”, and “Mother in a Refugee Camp” were all portrayed in different forms to explore death and the suffering it brings. The variations of death in the three poems create a diverse image of death, which some people can relate to through the different situations of loss. “Remember” by Christina Rossetti fashions an image of death because the speaker wanted her husband to remember all the memories they had shared during her life. Rossetti found it necessary to portray death as a spiritual place rather than a physical state of decomposition so that she can finally escape to a place of silence to avoid all the darkness in her life. “War Photographer” by Carol Ann Duffy is about a man who takes photographs of death in vivid, dark and disturbing images of conflict, which Duffy conveys thoroughly throughout the poem to powerfully showcase his grief and disheartening on the situation. “A Mother in a Refugee camp” by Chinua Achebe, displays the struggles of a mother desperately trying to support and save her child while writhing in her caressing arms at death’s doors. These are the poems that represent the theme of death.
Fugitive Pieces is a subtly crafted and beautifully honest novel about love and death, and how the two complement and conflict with each other in a magnificent dance that makes up human life. Jakob, the main character in the first part of the novel, loses his entire family at a very young age. The assumed, but never confirmed, death of his beloved sister haunts him for years. He is so consumed with the loss of the only people he has ever loved that at times, he does not notice the people who are pouring new love into his life. He marries in an attempt to learn to love again. “I hoped that if I let Alex in, if I let in a finger of light, it would flood the clearing...but gradually, through no fault of Alex's, the finger of light poked down, cold as bone, illuminating nothing.”(page 139) It is not until he meets the love of his life, the woman he was destined to be with, that he recognizes love and is able to open himself up to receiving it. Michaela changes his life, and by helping him to find the love within himself, helps him to heal. When he is able to love her back, he is complete and whole. His pain in losing Bella and his inability to move past her death is a direct result of the fact that without her, he has no one towards which to direct the incredibly passionate love within himself. Finding Michaela is his solution, the answer to the question he had been looking for. Jakob solves his conflicting feelings about the death of his sister with the spectacular love he has not only for, but with Michaela.
In poetry, death is referred as the end of literature and it is associated with feeling of sorrows. However Emily Dickinson demonstrates that death is not the end of literature or feeling of sadness but death is a new element of inspiration in poetry and is the beginning of a new chapter in our life. In the poem ‘’Because I Could Not Stop for Death’, she discusses the encounter of a women with death, who passed away centuries ago. Dickenson uses metaphors and similes to show that the process of dying can be an enjoyable moment by appreciating the good moments in life, and by respecting death rather than fearing it. Also Dickinson portrays death in a humorous way as she compares it to man seducing her to go to her death as well, to childhood games that show the innocence of this encounter (Bloom). The poem is a reflection of how unpredictable death can be. Death is a scary process in life that should not be feared because it should be celebrate as new start.
Funeral Blues by W. H. Auden is a short poem that illustrates the emotions that he is dealing with after the love of his life passes away. The tone of this piece evokes feelings that will differ depending on the reader; therefore, the meaning of this poem is not in any way one-dimensional, resulting in inevitable ambiguity . In order to evoke emotion from his audience, Auden uses a series of different poetic devices to express the sadness and despair of losing a loved one. This poem isn’t necessarily about finding meaning or coming to some overwhelming realization, but rather about feeling emotions and understanding the pain that the speaker is experiencing. Through the use of poetic devices such as an elegy, hyperboles, imagery, metaphors, and alliterations as well as end-rhyme, Auden has created a powerful poem that accurately depicts the emotions a person will often feel when the love of their live has passed away.