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Essay / Today's Visions of Love in the Poems of Anne Bradstreet and John Nims
In “A Letter to Her Husband, Absent at Public Employment” by Anne Bradstreet and “Love Poem » by John Frederick Nims, there are three possible ideas that could be drawn from the texts. Such ideas could be the power of love overcoming flaws and distance, marriage and thoughts of death. In Bradstreet's poem, there is an autobiographical perspective that explores the sense of loss when a married couple is separated, while Nim's autobiographical point of view alternates between humorous critiques and appreciated virtues. Bradstreet's poem was published in the 17th century, when she had emigrated to America with her husband and parents. The term metaphysical can be applied to poets who wrote in the 17th century because of their intellectual ingenuity and literary allusions. Such intellectual ingenuity can be seen in Bradstreet's poem, as she uses metaphors from astrology and nature to support her true devotion to her husband. It is also worth noting that while there were women writers in the 17th century, it was rare for a woman poet to be published. Unlike Bradstreet's work, Nim's poem was written in the postmodernist era. Therefore, a contemporary assessment might note that the humorous aspect of Nim's poem reinforces how the speaker is devoted to his wife, regardless of her gauche qualities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayBoth texts present the idea that love is overwhelming; However, Bradstreet suggests that love trumps physical distance, while Nims implies that love trumps character disparities. Bradstreet uses astrological imagery and metaphors to show how his love extends beyond physical entities, demonstrating his greatness. "I, like the Earth this season, cry black, my sun gone so far in his zodiac." Using an extended metaphor to present her husband as the sun, Bradstreet suggests that her spouse is the source of all life. Adding a pathetic fallacy also allows the poet to construct meaning, as the reader is able to imagine the magnitude of the speaker's love. A feminist perspective might suggest that the speaker presents her husband as more important than her by describing him as the sun. However, this may not be a question of equality, but rather a compliment given by the speaker. Nims also uses astrology to describe the power of his love; however, instead of presenting his wife as the sun, he uses a more sincere and comical description by describing her as a "key". Although this mode of reference may seem insulting at first glance, its comedic side could add sincerity, as Nims extends beyond convention. Nims bypasses sickly sweetness and instead uses honesty to prove the strength of his relationship with his wife, while the satire surrounding his poem emphasizes his affection. A similar use of satire by Wendy Cope in "Strugnell's Bargain", published in 1945 (postmodern period), creates an analogous effect. Sir Philip Sydney's mockery of "My true love has my heart and I have his" in "Strugnell's Bargain" reveals a new side of love poems. It seems that the love in “Strugnell's Bargain” does not overcome the complexity of the English language, unlike the love that dominates the distance in “A Letter to Her Husband, Absent on Public Employment.” There is confusion between the speaker and their partner as to who owns which body part. The use of languagetaboo in "Strugnell's Bargain", such as "Oh, piss off, Jake!" creates a vast contrast to typical love poems, but some postmodern critics might argue that it is a more realistic form of love, as the relationships are complex and involve a variety of emotions rather than one simple adoration. This idea could be applied to Nims's "Love Poem," as the repetition of "dear" coupled with jarring insults insinuates that Nims loves his wife, despite her faults. However, the historical contexts surrounding these poems allow these poets to challenge the conventional conception of love, as postmodern society is more forgiving compared to the era in which Bradstreet was writing. The way marriage is interpreted differs in each poem; nevertheless, love is the underlying element of every relationship. Bradstreet's way of expressing her marriage offers an immense contrast to the tactics of Frederick Nims, as she uses a lexical field of nature and the body and extended metaphors to show how great her love is: "Head, eyes, flesh , bone” and “icy, cold, storm, frost, heat, melt. This marriage is presented as a codependent relationship and Bradstreet portrays her husband as an individual who provides warmth. But when they separate, she is raped by the coldness caused by his absence. This shows the reader how dependent she is on their love and by connecting it to other entities; Bradstreet demonstrates that their love is not contained but extended. In one of her poems, Wendy Cope also uses a lexical field of the body's organs, "heart, liver and kidney". This could create a more humorous effect due to the list technique Cope uses. The rhyming couplet that follows cements the satire used by Cope. "Therefore I revoke my opening line: my love can keep his heart and I will have mine." This parody crystallizes the humorous tone of Cope's poem and demonstrates that the speaker is adjusting to realistic standards . However, another interpretation might suggest that the satire softens the harshness of the poem's pragmatism. Through Cope's writing in the post-modern era, she is able to explore alternative aspects of love. However, a feminist perspective might suggest that Bradstreet was limited, in that a patriarchal society might have frowned upon a woman exploring anything outside of love in a marriage. This interpretation could also apply to "Rapture" by Carol Ann Duffy (1955-). As Duffy writes in the post-modern era, she is able to subvert the traditional English sonnet with ease. This highlights the incommensurability of the speaker's love, as the structure of the poem could be used as a metaphor to suggest that it is not confined, like Bradstreet's love. Nims uses the structure in "Love Poem" in reverse, as the lines of equal length could calmly reassure the speaker's object of affection. 'Whose palms are bulls of china, burrs of linen, and have no cunning with any soft thing.' The enjambment allows this stanza to flow into the next; therefore the ideas are not separated. This could suggest that Nims' love is permanent; furthermore, the alliteration and juxtaposition reiterate this point but also emphasize that the speaker's love is unaffected by such tribulations. In both poems, there is an element of death that lingers behind the speaker's words. Bradstreet uses repetition and imagery of bodies to describe the event of death. “Flesh of your flesh, bone of your bones, me here, you there, but both but one. » Although some readers may be shocked by the reality of death following Bradstreet's portrayal of love, the contrast between the.