English 1110
Mr. Anderson
30 November, 2010 I Love You. True love. Many of us have our own interpretation on love, let alone true love. For some people love comes easy, but for others it can be the most complicated thing in the world. Seeing cute couples walking down the street and holding hands might make matters worse in fact you might even tend to get a little bit jealous, or discouraged, but remember its a normal feeling. In the poem, “True Love,” by Wislawa Szymborska, love is depicted as a revolting and repulsive act looked upon by the public. Szymborska questions true love, asking, “Is it normal, / is it serious, is it practical?” (1-2) With all the time and effort that is put into love, most would wonder about the same things. The poet begins to criticize those in love that are “Placed on the same pedestal for no good reason, drawn randomly from millions” (5-6). Those who are envious of couples in love often feel this way too, wondering why it couldn’t be them instead. She says that it is unfair that love chooses only some, "disrupt our painstakingly erected principles” (12). Szymborska speaks badly of love by saying, “Look at the happy couple. Couldn’t they at least try to hide it, fake a little depression for their friends’ sake!”(14-16) Everyone, at some point in time, has felt awkwardly around an overly affectionate couple, but secretly wishes that it were their cheeks receiving kisses in public. Szymborska’s opinion on the subject is similar to many peoples’ these days, however, even though she shows a direct hatred for the subject of love, it never is doubted in the poem that true love does exist. She asks if love is "really necessary,”(27) stating that “Perfectly good children are born without its help” (30). She goes on to say that those who do not believe in true love can continue not believing in it, and that “their faith will make it easier for them to live and die”(35). She’s basically telling the critics of love to continue in their beliefs, for being naïve will help them to cope with their loneliness. There are thousands of different opinions on love, ranging from good to bad, and from real to nonexistent. I personally believe that true love is real, and is out there for anybody willing to give it a chance. Throughout the years, countless love poems have been written by those who have either experienced love with another, or have seen love experienced by someone else. Love can be one of the strongest and binding elements that we know of on this earth, and at the same time, one of the most frail and fragile things we will deal with in life. Lately, our society has turned love into a prissy, unmanly holiday in which it is embarrassing to participate. I think that we should embrace love with every chance we get, for after all, it is one of the greatest things we will ever experience.
Works Cited
"The Poems of Wislawa Szymborska - Page 3 - Literature Network Forums." The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33438&page=3>.
Schilb, John, and John Clifford. Making Literature Matter: an Anthology for Readers and Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. Print.
"True Love -- Wislawa Szymborska." The Wondering Minstrels. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <http://wonderingminstrels.blogspot.com/2001/02/true-love-wislawa-szymborska.html>.
"True Love Defined Essays." MegaEssays.com - Over 100,000 Essays, Essays and Term Papers Available for Instant Access!! Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/29502.html>.
Cited: "The Poems of Wislawa Szymborska - Page 3 - Literature Network Forums." The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33438&page=3>. Schilb, John, and John Clifford. Making Literature Matter: an Anthology for Readers and Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. Print. "True Love -- Wislawa Szymborska." The Wondering Minstrels. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <http://wonderingminstrels.blogspot.com/2001/02/true-love-wislawa-szymborska.html>. "True Love Defined Essays." MegaEssays.com - Over 100,000 Essays, Essays and Term Papers Available for Instant Access!! Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <http://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/29502.html>.
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