Analyzing Margaret Atwood's 'Variations On The Word Love'

Variation on the Word Love

The purpose of this study is to explore the boundaries of our knowledge by exploring and analyzing Margaret Atwood’s “Variations on the Word Love”. In this poem, the poet defines a wide range of different types of love. As described by the Poet, each aspect of love that can be experienced is completely different and unique.

The poem “Variations on the world love” is divided into two concrete segments. The purpose of dividing this poem into two unique sections is directly related to defining and assessing the word “love” in two unique ways. In the first stanza, Atwood has defined love as an “expression”, as the aspect of expressing love, where as the second stanza is dedicated to define love as “feeling”.
This line proves the harshness in the tone and writing when Atwood describes love, and the description of love in such a manner also exhibits the insignificance of the word “love” (Atwood line 1). In the same stanza, she also explored and expanded her idea that love has become too commercialized such as with “[Valentine 's Day cards] that look nothing like real hearts, add lace and you can sell it” (4-6). In these lines, Atwood has strived to illustrate that the meaning of love has faded with the passage of time, such as it does not have the same place, worth and meaning it had previousy possesed. The word love has not only been exploited but also misrepresented by the
This depicts that love has diverse and unique impact on different people; proves the subjectivity of the word love. The poet further illustrates that each aspect of love, be it verbal or non-verbal, is dissimilar and complex in nature. The poet clearly illustrates that love does not have definite structure or strict pattern; it has a wide range of variation. These variations do not allow the word love to be defined or explained in a definite singular pattern. Each aspect of love holds different meaning depending on the environment and the person expressing