...new, then the all-day hopeful lightheadedness, and behind it all, dull as a blown-out light bulb, the fact of the word never.” (ll. 5-7 p. 1). The quote is from the nameless main character in Ali Smith’s short story “Erosive” from 2003. As the quote implies Ali Smith tells the story of unrequited love. Through post modernistic techniques he portrays the main characters coping with hopeless love. A distinctive feature of post-modernistic literature is that they are often open to interpretation. The story can therefore be analyzed in multiple ways, and the observations I have made are not “set in stone”. The main character in “Erosive” is a first-person narrator who falls in love with a girl he sees on the street.”(…) it is as if someone hit me across the back of the head with a baseball bat or plugged me into a socket whose powers light up my whole body.” (ll. 8-9, p. 153) He paints a picture of himself being struck by lightning, to describe his feelings towards the girl. The metaphor especially underlines the intensity of his emotions, given that lightning is a particular strong force. However, the girl he’s in love with does not love him back, and as the title indicates, his love has an erosive impact on him and his mental state. Ali Smith uses a tree to symbolize his state of mind. “The larger new leaves, the fronts of which look clear and clean, have insects packed like bricks on their undersides and the edges of several leaves have been rolled firmly in on themselves...
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...On William Shakespeare’s "Let me not to the marriage of true minds" by Michelle Sayles "Let me not to the marriage of true minds" struck me like someone standing on a soapbox screaming out his beliefs. Shakespeare is making a declaration of his thoughts on love, and I happen to agree with him. Love cannot be shaken by adversity nor changed by time. True love is constant: “it is an ever-fixed mark”. Though this poem is short in length it is full of emotion. Shakespeare makes it known in the first line that he will not come between two people who are in love. He believes that love is strong enough to endure temptation and not waver. If love is altered by another, a “remover” of love, it was not love. Time is love’s most powerful adversary, and this is demonstrated by the capitalization of the word making it a living breathing enemy of love. However powerful Time is, Shakespeare is certain that love is still stronger. “Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks/ Within his bending sickle’s compass come.” The reference to the sickle shows just how much of a threat Shakespeare views Time. Like Death, Time too carries his sickle waiting to steal love that is based on the loveliness of youth. But of course true love cannot be fooled by Time. Love cannot be measured in “brief hours and weeks”; love is eternal; it “bears it out even to the edge of doom.” The structure of the poem lends to the fluidity. There is a primary rhyme that is dominant with stronger...
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...Why her and why not me? I was coming back for you, when I heard what you did for me. I just can't believe that your gone, but why for me. You were everything to me, and when I heard that you were gone it just crushed me and built up so much anger. At first, I didn’t know what I would do, but now I do, I know what I must do. I will honor your death. I shall ride out into the darkness tonight and return tomorrow night and kill the men that have taken you from me. They shall stand no more. I rode off into the night, just to find myself sitting in the cold green grass that next morning. In the grass laying there I started to think, think about you. As I was thinking the thought of us went through my mind repeatedly. That very thought reminded...
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...attitude toward his feelings about love. And you are able to see his heart slowly get broken as you read each stanza throughout the poem. In the first stanza, the speaker opens by saying that love is not something that is limited by time. When the speaker says: “He is stark mad,.../ That he hath been in love an hour,/ Yet not that love so soon decays,”, he is saying that love cannot be just turned on and off. If someone is in love, he cannot be in love for one minute but not the next. This also suggests that it only can take a minute to fall in love with someone or something. That is why many people use the phrase “Love at first sight”, because all it took was one glance at someone to make them fall in love. But in the line, “But that it can ten in less space devour;”, it also shows how love can devour a man. It can consume you and become so desirable that you may take very serious actions in order to embrace it. And that is why love is such a powerful thing. This is seen very often in movies and plays when a character puts themselves in harm’s way to protect their loved one. Also, heard in songs like Grenade by Bruno Mars, as he simply states he would catch a grenade for his lover. Not that I want to catch a grenade for anybody, but it is everyone’s goal to find a loving bond with someone or something so strong that you would be willing to do anything to protect them. In the following stanzas, the author begins to share why it is impossible for love to last for a short period of...
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...death of their bodies or souls. A second similarity is that their loves were forms of rebellion, forbidden in their society at the time. They had to meet in secret, love in secret, and fear discovery at the hands of those who forbade their relationships. A third similarity is that their initial attraction was mostly physical; Romeo is struck with Juliet's beauty and thinks he is in love. Later, they build on that initial attraction and form a more solid and mature connection. It is the same with Winston and Julia; their first real meeting involves merely a physical encounter; later, they establish an emotional and mental connection. Differences between these two relationships are that in the case of Winston and Julia, they betray each other and their love in the end; Romeo and Juliet did not, staying true through death. In Romeo and Juliet it was their families who disagreed with the match; with Winston and Juliet it was the government. Romeo and Juliet are much, much younger, young teenagers. Then, Romeo and Juliet's love forged a bond between warring families; the example of their love for each other was so powerful that it changed hearts and lives of many, many people. This is not hte case with Winston and Julia; their story ends more sadly, even though they do not die. Even love wasn't powerful enough to overcome the all-powerful Party; their love for themselves and their own survival trumped their love for each other. Society was not changed by them at all. I hope...
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...Love at first sight is real if you believe The first time he saw the beautiful young woman across the crowded room, their eyes met. One week later he told her he loved her. Three months later, they were married. Does this really ever happen outside of the movies? Scientists say we are genetically wired for the possibility of love at first sight, but why it happens to some people and not others is largely a matter of timing and self-assurance. If you are lucky enough to fall in love immediately and the feeling is mutual, it still isn’t possible to know if it will last. A dinner date that starts on a love-struck note could turn sour before the check arrives, yet another “lightning just struck us” couple will go on to have a life-long relationship. Because love is hard to replicate in a lab, there is little research on when and why—and for whom—love at first sight works out. According to an annual “Singles in America” survey of more than 5,000 singles ages 21 to 70-plus, sponsored by the dating site Match.com, 59% of men and 49% of women in 2014 said they believe in love at first sight, and 41% of men and 29% of women say they have experienced it. The survey and numerous psychological studies have found men fall in love faster than women, says Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist and New York City-based senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction. “Men are so visual,” she says. “They see a woman who appeals to them physically...
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...Annamarie Rose 03/01/2016 Story of an Hour Essay Class Four The Eye of the Beholder Things aren’t always as they appear. As death came knocking on the Mallard family’s doorstep, various emotions swept through the house like a tornado. The true statement of love became clear and the wish for a freedom that a woman could only dream of was finally granted. The theme of perception in The Story of an Hour is seen through; love, freedom, and death. Perception being the understanding and interpreting of a scenario through insight. What might be triumphant for one, could be tragic for another and it all depends on the experiences that were shared. Firstly, love as itself is a deep affection for someone. To love someone is to have a respect for them and various emotions toward them. To be in love is to share the emotions that each other feels; to not feel like a whole person unless they are there. It requires a romantic attraction. What it means to love someone and to be “in love” are two things that would play a role as to the emotions that would follow if tragic struck. When loving someone during a tragic event they will express their emotions but will be able to quickly forget or move on from it. Whereas being in love they will be mournful, almost acting crazy as if they will not be able to fulfill their dreams because they no longer have their other half by their side. The second instance is freedom which meant gender roles. Men were the head of the household. They went out...
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...The Life of Mother Teresa A Reflection Paper Have you ever loved someone? Well she does, she loved others before herself and she loves God. She is a woman of charity, humility and kindness. She is Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She lived a life dedicated to the love of God. A life that is extraordinary. She thought everybody around her how to love. A love that is not measurable by money or anything materially. Her journey is never easy. Struggles and criticisms kept on coming, but that is how God works. Those obstacles made Mother Teresa a better person, a better servant of God to people. She looks deep into the soul. She did not discriminate anybody. She extended her hand as the Helping hands of God. Myriads of questions cross my mind while watching her life like, how could she abandon a life full of comfort? How could she love someone she just saw? How could she hear God calling her? I was so ignorant that I did not saw the answer immediately. The answer was a strong foundation of faith and love. An answer that is not easy to find. Her Life was exceptional. Learning through it will make you realize how much comfort you had. It will make you see the suffering that others had to endure all their lives. It will make you learn how to love and give. She would always say that if we judge people, then we have no time to love them. You can also see the leadership spirit in her. Even though she is experiencing lack of support and resources, she made her way to make people feel...
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...Two decades of love 20 years passes in the blink of any eye….unless you have memories to look back on and savour. I’ve been in love with my man for over 20 years now; from the first moment that he mouthed ‘I love you’ to me, from an open car window as he was pulling away. My heart leapt and at first I wasn’t sure that I’d seen it right, but when the huge bouquet of flowers arrived that afternoon, I knew we were at the start of a journey together. My feet had well and truly been swept away. We had known each other for some 4 years prior to that, but the balance of a relationship can change in a heartbeat. We had a complicated start to our love; others were involved and had to be dealt with sympathetically and kindly. He must had doubts in those first few weeks, as it wasn’t until we were having a meal at LaGrillade that he confessed that he now knew this is what he wanted, but had been unsure until then. It had never struck me before, that this might all be temporary; I had assumed it was for good. And so our journey started… Holidays, bereavements, passion, new jobs, redundancies, affluence, pets, friends, parties, pressure, arguments, closeness, cocktails, tree-climbing, family, football matches; poverty, love, travel, motor-races, joy, disillusion, stupidity, tears, support, sadness, bandits, patata-bravas, joy and most importantly, laughter….until today. Today, there is nothing to laugh about, even for me, who can be counted on to make a light-hearted...
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...remains unsought; And without heed we but inquire. Why the coffee is not brought. In the place of thought sincere That our hearts may feel, We must seize a pen of steel, And with verse and line severe Fling abroad a jest and jeer. Muse, that in the past inspired me, And with songs of love hast fired me; Go thou now to full repose, For today in sordid prose I must earn the gold that hired me. Now must I ponder deep, Meditate, and struggle on; E'en sometimes I must weep; For he who love would keep Great pain has undergone. Fled are the days of ease, The days of Love's delight; When flowers still would please And give to suffering soul surcease From pain and sorrow's blight. One by one they have passed on, All I love and moved among; Dead or married – from me gone, For all I place my heart upon By fate adverse are stung. Go thou, too. O Muse, depart, other regions fairer find; For my land but offers art For the laurel, chains that bind, For a temple prison blind. But before thou leavest me, speak: Tell me with thy voice sublime, Thou coldst ever me seek A song of sorrow for the weak, Defiance to the tyrant's crime. REACTION Among the literary pieces of Rizal, this poem struck me most. I chose this poem because it shows an affectionate feeling to the readers. It was a touching, moving and a pitiful literary piece of Rizal. He addressed this poem to his family in those times when he was worried and depressed. This poem was passionate in feeling. It opened the...
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...explaining how women felt and how women dealt with the issues facing them. In “The Story of the Hour” we watch Mrs. Mallard and her through process as Chopin develops the themes of love and oppression. The short story begins with Mrs. Mallard being informed of untimely death of her husband in a tragic train accident. The characters informing her are cautious of their relay of devastating news due to Mrs. Mallard heart condition. Chopin immediately begins to show the theme of love. As the reader and the characters continue to think about Mrs. Mallard’s heart, Chopin begins to express her heart condition is one of a physical and literal sense. Mrs. Mallard is a loves her husband and is immediately struck with grief when she learns of his death. She daydreams of the times that they shared and how her life may be insignificant without someone to share love. At the same time, she then begins to think about the love she has having a life of independence and not having to share with anyone. Just as quick as Chopin develops her theme of love, she subtly addresses the theme of oppression. As Mrs. Mallard thinks about her marriage, she also thinks of the oppression of her marriage. Being a woman of that era, Mrs. Mallard had to be submissive to her husband. She no longer had a life of her own but she had to love and enjoy his life. With her husband’s death, she could now be free to explore life as she wished. There would be no more submission and she could awake with options...
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...Deception can drastically change a person in both good ways and bad, but ‘foil’ characters always stay the same, unless… love is involved. Throughout Much Ado About Nothing, William Shakespeare uses ‘foil’ characters to highlight exemplary and corrupt qualities within them. Claudio and Benedick are perfect examples of this, they both question love at different moments in the play, but ultimately find it. The main conflicts that arise are caused by Don John, he creates misunderstandings, villainy, and deception. Deception is the key part of the play that feeds both love and hate, mostly affecting Claudio and Benedick. At the beginning of the play, Claudio is enamoured and Benedick is the complete opposite. For example, “In mine eye she is the sweetest...
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...1.) What salient point struck you most regarding the meaning of true love? True love means loving and accepting the person with all your heart. In right time and place, God will send you someone who you do not expect. It is true that you cannot choose who you are going to love and what qualities he/she should possessed. Two people may have individual differences, but these will bind them together and keep them stronger. You would become the best person you could ever be because of the person you love. Also, if you truly love someone, you will have respect and faith with one another. 2.) Cite situations in the film which reflects the element of true love. When Landon met and fell in love with Jaime, everything about Landon has changed. He became a better person because of Jaime. He stopped doing pranks to others with his naughty friends. He started to forgive and accept his father. He granted Jaime's wishes like getting a tattoo and marrying at the same church where her parents got married. He even saved Jaime from humiliation. In these situations, it is evident that true love will bring out the best in every person. Also, element of true love is reflected during the time when Landon discovered that Jaime is sick. Through ups and downs, he was always there for and never left Jaime. Even until the last days of Jaime, Landon did everything to express his unconditional love for her. He took care of her at the hospital, asked for his father's help for Jaime's sake, made...
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...suburban England to bustling Taipei and back again, Nathan builds complex relationships as he is confronted by the irrational nature of love. And at the pinnacle moment of his mathematical career, Nathan must make a decision whether to stay and pursue his dream, or give into the pain that haunted him for most of his life. And if I were to make a title in line with the movie it would be “The Gifted One”. I can relate in the scene when Nathan Ellis see the world in different people because like him I find any communication very difficult for I don’t talk much. And the people think I don’t have anything to say, or that I’m stupid and that’s not true. I have lots of things to say but I am just afraid to say them. If I were Nathan Ellis I would continue the IMO for chances are like lightning that never hit the earth at the same spot twice. So when a chance comes your way, grab it cause it may never come again. If ever there was a time to follow your passion and do something that matters to you now is certainly that time. The line where I struck the most is when Michael said, “Even though we don’t always understand each other, it doesn’t mean that any of us ever stops loving each other.” Based on the movie I appreciate math now for it is not only for solving numbers. It’s also for dividing sorrow, subtracting sadness, adding happiness and multiplying love and forgiveness. It’s also gives reason to hope that at every problem it has a solution. Like in the scene when her...
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...indebted to Mr. E. H. Whinfield for allowing me to use quotations from his rendering I of the Masnavi (Triibner's Oriental Series). also cordially thank Mr. John Hastie for giving permission to quote a few passages from the " " Festival of Spring late Rev. Professor Hastie's (James Maclehose and Sons, Glasgow). The poems quoted from this volume are entitled : "Thy Rose," "I saw the Winter weaving," " " Love sounds the Music of the Spheres," The " The Beloved All in Souls Love-moved," and All the other translations from the lyrical All." poetry of Jalalu'd-Din Rumi are by Mr. R. A. me Nicholson. To these gentlemen, 7 and to those 8 I have left PREFACE unnamed, I tender my warmest thanks my for their help, sympathy, and interest in " attempt to popularise the wisest of the Persian Stiffs." F. LONDON, January 22, 1907. HADLANB DAVIS. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION I. 11 . . . ORIGIN OF SUFHSM. .11 14 II. III. IV. V. THE EARLY SUFIS THE NATURE OF SUFIISM THE INFLUENCE OF SUFIISM ANALYSIS OF THE RELIGION OF LOVE . . . . -20 .27 . . 31 THE LIFE AND WORK OF JALILU'D-DIN KtiMf 34 I. LIFE SHAMSI TABRIZ . . II. . . 34 36 III. IV. THE STORIES OP AL-AFLAKI AND THE DEATH OF JALALU'D-DIN...
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