Nikole Neiberger
Ms. Amy Bolaski
English 103
24 June 2009
What broader statement (theme) is the text making about romantic love? Why do you think so? (Theme is NOT a one-word answer but a complete idea)
The poem “True Love”, written by Wislawa Szymborska seems to have been written with a tongue in cheek appeal. The author writes about the type of elusive love we all long for. She asks the question “What does the world get from two people who exist in a world of their own?” in the first paragraph. A question that as a divorced woman I could ask myself if there was but one moment in a day I did not fill with things to distract myself from asking such hurtful questions. To stand outside a couple in love and look in is like shaking a snow globe and watching the snow fall in a surreal world that exists within a bubble. There is something magical and mythical there. In all bitterness those of us who have tasted the sorrow of being betrayed by the tongue of lying lovers, it is easier to deny the existence of love and remain safe in the bud, than to entertain the emotions that may once again prove deceiving. Sometimes the most frigid of people may be housing the most warmest of hearts, yet make great pains to ensure the rest of the world does not see it. The theme of the poem quite clearly is no matter where you are standing when love enters the room, either within the snow globe or simply observing, you can not deny its power, nor can you deny its existence.
Wislawa is correct to articulate the rarity of true love in comparison with the person who settles on companionship. In humor she says in reference to true love “Perfectly good children are born without its help. It couldn’t populate the planet in a million years. It comes along so rarely.” She is completely right on with this, the human race has reached the mass number of existence by lust, and less by true love which requires sacrifice, abandonment, and openness. We humans are creatures that do not desire to be alone, and will sometimes fill that void with whatever or whoever comes our way even to the point we occupy the space of “the one” with anyone and miss out on our opportunity of finding “true love”.
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Ms. Neiberger, I completely agree with your thoughts about the poem and views about true love. I too feel that "romantic love" is much easier to come by than true love, because true love requires commitment, kindness, patience, and understanding which lacks in most relationships today. Rather we look at physical appearance, popularity, or wealth. True love is devotion to that one person, but unfortunately our culture today has taught us that sex is love. True love in today’s society is less practical. You have dealt with the pain of falling in true love so my question to you would be that in your opinion what causes the true love to die? If you fall in love with that one person knowing that you accept them through thick or thin, why should this “true love” alter with time? If that love doesn’t exist, was it really true love then?
ReplyDelete-Jasleen