Lova as a Universal Trait
Love as a universal trait
Love is a feeling that every person can relate to having no matter their religion or culture. As we grow up we as humans hear “I Love you” from many different people as well as say it to many different people for example our parents, siblings, or significant other. Again as we grow older our understanding of love deepens as we experience those different types of love, however, the love that is felt for a significant other is by far the most fulfilling. When reading “How Do I Love Thee” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and “The River Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” by Ezra Pound the love that these two women express is very different yet very much the same. Within these poems it is apparent that the two authors present two different responses to love and because of their different definitions both were changed and influenced by love differently as shown through their themes and structures; however, both poems reveal just how universal love really is. The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of love states “love is defined as a strong affection for another arise out of kinship or personal ties, an attraction based on sexual desires, and attraction and tenderness felt by lovers”(online1). Writer William Clough, who wrote an article for the Journal of Psychology and Theology, adds to Merriam-Webster’s definition “love refers to attractions, liking: wanting to be with, to help, to please.” When analyzing both poems it is clear that both speakers feelings fit these definitions of love even though they express their love in different ways. Elizabeth Barrett Browning shows that she is religious by directly talking about God and an after life; therefore, her love is defined by her beliefs. According to Clough, a Christian’s view of love says that love can come from both within the person and from the reality in which they live in. A Christian’s view of love can look past flaws and focus on their wishes, hopes, and desires which they believe is
Love is a feeling that every person can relate to having no matter their religion or culture. As we grow up we as humans hear “I Love you” from many different people as well as say it to many different people for example our parents, siblings, or significant other. Again as we grow older our understanding of love deepens as we experience those different types of love, however, the love that is felt for a significant other is by far the most fulfilling. When reading “How Do I Love Thee” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and “The River Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” by Ezra Pound the love that these two women express is very different yet very much the same. Within these poems it is apparent that the two authors present two different responses to love and because of their different definitions both were changed and influenced by love differently as shown through their themes and structures; however, both poems reveal just how universal love really is. The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of love states “love is defined as a strong affection for another arise out of kinship or personal ties, an attraction based on sexual desires, and attraction and tenderness felt by lovers”(online1). Writer William Clough, who wrote an article for the Journal of Psychology and Theology, adds to Merriam-Webster’s definition “love refers to attractions, liking: wanting to be with, to help, to please.” When analyzing both poems it is clear that both speakers feelings fit these definitions of love even though they express their love in different ways. Elizabeth Barrett Browning shows that she is religious by directly talking about God and an after life; therefore, her love is defined by her beliefs. According to Clough, a Christian’s view of love says that love can come from both within the person and from the reality in which they live in. A Christian’s view of love can look past flaws and focus on their wishes, hopes, and desires which they believe is
Cited: Author Unknown. "love". Merriam-Webster 's Dictionary. March 3,2008<www.merriamwebster.com> Clough, W. (2006, spring) To be loved and to love. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 43(1), 23-31. retrieved March 3, 2008, from Acedemic search premier database