An Analysis Of Couples 'Penelope's Despair'

What is Love? Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. But is to love, to live? Many would think so, many would disagree, and there are others who are undecided.

I believe that the statement, “to love is to live”, does not apply to those who aren’t in love, or have never loved before, but there are many people who are happy with their lives the way it is. For example: priests and nuns. They have dedicated their lives to the church and in doing so, commit to not falling in love with another person, but are very content with their lives. There are also cases where love can turn violent in jealous rages. In the poem, “Penelope’s Despair”, Penelope’s husband who had been missing for 20 years returned back to her and killed all of her suitors out of jealousy. Love can also be tough. Couples endure hardships; they have their arguments, fights, and disagreements. Although two people are in love, It may be the most troubled time in their lives.
There are many people who fully support the statement.
These people probably have perfect relationships. Those who are in love often say they are rejuvenated or feel very alive and happy. They say that they have never felt happier before love. There are cases where individuals, before love, were very sad and lonely, their lives were miserable, did not feel happy at all, until they met the person they fell in love with. They feel, “born again”, and feel like they’ve just woken up and began living life. Love also gives you a reason to live your life to the fullest and work hard. People also have their loved ones to get through hardships. Just knowing the fact that they have someone is enough to get through whatever their troubles may
be.

There are also those who are undecided or neutral on what they feel about this statement. Most people would think that the love stated is the kind of passionate affection towards another person, rather than the love within families, or towards an object, job, or activity. For example: an individual’s love for theater and drama. Not everyone can take a side to the statement because not everyone has experienced real love. You can’t base your opinion on what others say or assumptions. It’s like saying that Snickers is the best chocolate bar in the world, but you’ve never tried it. If the statement was not solely based on the love between two people, many people would change their minds, I surely would. My family and my love of sports give me a reason to live. Even though I’m not passionately in love with a girl, I’m still alive, and feel as alive as I’ve ever been. Others don’t really take love that seriously so they wouldn’t really care. Even those who are in love, some may not take it seriously. They feel in love, but they’re not overly enthusiastic and feel it being a life-changing thing.

Based on all the reasons, I am truly against the statement, “To love is to live”. Just because a hopeless romantic fell in love and decided that they start to truly feel alive doesn’t mean that his statement would apply to everyone. Maybe I’ll change my mind about this when I do find true love, but that won’t be for a while. For now, These are my beliefs.