...Platonic Love In the Symposium, which is normally dated at the beginning of the middle period, Plato introduces his theory of love. First thing to note is that in Plato’s theory, love is given and its existence is not questioned. The word love leaves the matter ambiguous as to whether we are discussing love in the normal, human, sense of the word, or if we are discussing desire in a much broader sense, but in this discussion we are only considering only love of type eros, love as a kind of desire that exists between two human beings. Symposium, is a dialogue by Plato, about a dinner party in honor of the tragedian Agathon, after they have finished eating Phaedrus suggests that each person in turn should make a speech about the praise of god of love. Symposium not only gives us theory of Forms in Diotima's discussion of the Form of Beauty, but it also gives us a number of varying perspectives on love. One more important thing to consider is that Diotima is not known to be a historical figure, and the way in which she is introduced suggests that she is almost certainly just a literary device developed by Plato to express his own ideas. In this theory, we see Plato rejecting the romanticization of sexual love, valuing above all an asexual and all-consuming passion for wisdom and beauty. Plato clearly regards actual physical or sexual contact between lovers as degraded and wasteful forms of erotic expression. Because the true goal of eros is real beauty and real beauty is...
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...He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not I don’t know that there is a way to define what true romantic love is. Every person’s love is different because every person is different. Loving someone means accepting everything about that person without trying to change them. I think that romantic love is rare. It is human nature to care for someone and often times that gets confused with love. To me, love is when your 80 years old, sitting on your porch with your husband or wife, looking back on your life together with no regrets, and threw all the hard times, you still want to wake up to that person in the morning. In “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love,” One of the main characters, Terri, argues that despite Ed’s violent behavior he still loved her in his own way. I disagree with Terri when she says that there was any love in hers and Ed’s relationship. If you love someone you do not abuse him or her. During Terri and Ed’s marriage, Terri described a certain incident when Ed was particularly violent towards her. Terri says “He beat me up one night. He dragged me around the living room by my ankles. He kept saying, ‘I love you, I love you, you bitch.’ He went on dragging me around the living room. My head kept knocking on things… What do you do with love like that?”(350) I don’t think that you can love someone so much that you want to hurt them; it should be the exact opposite. When Terri looks back on Ed and her relationship she happens to only bring up the bad and the violent...
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...her poems. She achieves this through many linguistic techniques which further convey her love; this is clearly shown through sonnet 43. “Let me count the ways” In the opening sentence of sonnet 43, Browning subjects the nature of her relationship and her position within this relationship. This is done through her request to her lover to “let” her count the ways she loves him. This implies that she is in need of his constant approval, even in this miniscule commotion. This heavily reflects the submissive nature of love during the era the sonnet is written in, Although, Browning manages to express her love as subservient but still gentle as the tone of the request is tender. Furthermore, a running theme within the sonnet is love. Love is shown to be everything. Loving the much-loved is the way that Browning knows she belongs, and by listing the perpetually countless different types of love that she feels, and to figure out the connections between these different kinds of love, becomes a new way for browning to express her affection and admiration for "thee." Browning jerks this theme by posing a question that the entire sonnet will go on to answer: "How do I love thee?" It's thought-provoking that the interrogative word here is "how," rather than "why" or "when." This proves that this is not particularly a rhetorical question, because Browning does answer it, but it manoeuvres in a comparable way to a rhetorical question because it familiarises the sonnet and it captivates the reader...
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...Situation Ethics General Principles: 1. Middle Way between Legalism and Antinomianism (e.g. Enron - if it had loving intentions then it would have been OK). Only break law if most loving outcome in given situation; teleological (e.g. Hiroshama/Nagasaki justified because ends war?) "it relativises the absolute, it does not absolutise the relative" 2. Conscience; what it is and what it is not (e.g. Nike - love = non-preferencial therefore should treat workers well - factory in Indonesia 177x legal toxic fume limit). [ NOT: 1. intuition/inner-feeling, 2. "guidance by the holy spirit" external decision maker, 3. "internalised value system of the culture and society", 4. "reason making moral judgements" (Aquinas). ] WHAT IT IS: function, not a faculty - something you do, rather than have, verb not a noun, there is no "conscience", just a word for "our attempts to make decisions" (e.g. Huckleberry Finn decides to befriend slave, Jim). "Antecedant rather than consequent conscience" - prospective, not retrospective (no guilt/regret/hindsight etc) 3. The idea of situation (e.g. Fletcher's lifeboat - captain orders sailors to jump overboard to save women & children). "Unique and concrete moment in which the decision is required" - every situation is unique/relative (e.g. Ford Pinto case - cost benefit analysis) 4. Making decisions rather than following rules - teleological, not deontological. "A-rational, not irrational" Don't just blindly follow rules, use conscience situationally...
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...Some people believe in love at first sight, while others believe that it takes time and understanding to love someone and accept them as their spouse. Youths believe that they should date the person first before they get married to them because they have the right to choose their own match, since they are the one who will be spending the rest of their life with them. "They asked what I was looking for in a wife. Then they looked around, found a family they felt was suitable, and sent a formal proposal to the parents" (Reader 183). This is what traditional arranged marriages were like. Dating before marriage is also referred to as courtship and is essential. It helps an individual decide whether they would want to spend the rest of their...
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...Love is a word with many definitions. Although, Webster defines love as a strong feeling of attraction resulting from sexual desire; enthusiasm or fondness. But to me love is not just a feeling, but it is the way that you treat the ones you care for. You should treat the ones you love so considerately through your actions they'll know you care and love them. Love in my eyes, is making that sacrifice for someone, knowing that you might regret it sooner or later. Love is how you make another person feel when you are in their presence. Many people show or express their love for someone in many and different ways. To me love is in the actions not the words. The true meaning of love like what is the meaning of life is one of the questions that will remain unsolved forever. But right now the love is a great thing that should be treasured forever and valued as a important part in your life because it will effect all relationships, romantic or not. Love has not changed at all over the course of history and this makes it the most important emotion anyone could have. Most people take love for granted and worry about it always being there when they need it the most. Family love is another type of love we can think about. It is the love we use between our intermediate family and our extended family members. Family love is said to be blind, only to show that love can be shown to anyone no matter condition or problems one can have. Of course we all know about the good times, hard times...
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...“You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but seeing an imperfect person perfectly.” On Love Khalil Gibran What is love? Is it just a plain four-letter word? There is no concrete definition of the word “love”. It maybe just a word, but it can drown you from its deepest meanings. And it is an indefinite argument when we talk about it. Others might say that it is just a fraud, that it does not last long and it only exists in novels and movies. But for me, love is like a blue diamond, finding will be difficult because it’s so rare. And when the moment comes and you finally have it, you will realize that it was worth your sacrifices. The people who have realized the meaning of life have only spoken to those who can understand love, because love is the meaning of life. And very few of us have realized that love is our very flame. It is not the air we breathe, not the food we eat nor the water we drink, it is love: which keeps us not only alive but also gives us a life of beauty, hope, faith, truth, sincerity and millions of other things having a value beyond any price that no money can buy. Khalil Gibran’s “On Love” is an eye-opener for us to take risks; that we must have an optimistic approach towards love and allow ourselves to go with the flow of love. That when it invites us, we should embrace it for it is an extreme of its kind that is rare and pure. We cannot wish for love to reach only a certain measure, or to presume that we can direct the way of its course,...
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...Love is infintie Love is a rollercoaster of emotions that at times can affect people differently. It can make people feel overwhelmed with happiness or unfortunately that same love can cause a broken heart. People do not only define love as an intimate relationship between two individuals. Love can be classified into groups such as unconditional, family and friend, and romantic love. A person can tell when love is present because you feel so comfortable around them that you can tell them any and everything. Regardless of what is being said that person will accept you because judgment is not passed if you truly love that person. Allowing one to love makes a person feel good about their self, about others, and even the current relationships one is involved in. The old saying “actions speak louder than words” perfectly describes how love should be. Just because an individual tells one they love you does not mean it is true, expressing gratitude and appreciation goes a long way in any relationship. When love is in the picture it makes people feel whole. It allows others to have this indescribable energy that they can do anything they set their mind to. Love is sometimes one sided, it is not always shared between two people. Someone can love a person so much that they would do anything for them but that does not mean the feelings are reciprocated. Love extends much further than the type of love felt among a man and a woman. The emotions a parent has for their child...
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...the dictionary love is defined as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Some people believe love is a temporary feeling that will eventually disappear. For other people love is a complete devotion and endless adoration that will last a lifetime. Some people don’t believe it will ever happen, that it’s only in fairytales, but for others it is a dream come true. Some people say love happens once in a persons’ life while others believe that after one love comes another. The truth is there really is no clear, correct definition for love. Everyone around us has different definitions and it really just becomes confusing. In truth, the only definition anyone can give is your own, unique and sincere opinion about love. Love is feeling that everyone desires. Everybody needs this feeling in one way or another. It is an important aspect in everybody’s life. If one doesn’t love or is not loved then there is no possible way to be happy. There would be a feeling of loneliness for anyone like that. Love is the strongest feeling and most difficult feeling to describe. There are many types of love. There’s family love, friendship love, and intimate love. Family love is an unconditional and an everlasting love. This love may be shown by the rules parents give their child. Even by the discipline a parent gives a child. This shows their unconditional love and protecting of their child. No matter what anyone does this love is always there. Friendship love is between two people...
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...Socrates’ and Love In the Symposium written by Plato we are recounted on the speeches made on the praise of love, by six different men. Beginning with Phaedrus, leading up to Socrates. In Phaedrus speech he sees Love as the oldest of Gods (Plato 10). He indicates how powerful an army would become simply by composing it of lovers. All because one is their absolute greatest, less cowardly in the presence of their lover. Therefore, more willingly to die for each other. Phaedrus is quoted saying, “Love is the most ancient of the gods, the most honored, and the most effective in enabling human beings to quire courage and happiness, both in life and death” (13). He viewed dying for your lover as extremely admirable and brave, and believed even the gods viewed it this way. Phaedrus gives an example of Alcestis, who dies for her husband and then her life is returned by the gods because of her “fine act” (11)....
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...truths. Renaissance love poetry, seemingly self-evident on the surface, is fraught with paradox. Contradictions such as discord and chaos being defined by harmony and balance is a paradox which is explicated in Tudor poetry. Even further, pleasure being known only by pain and knowing the material only by the immaterial, are two self-imposed contradictions by which Tudor poets express their intended meanings. Both Edmund Spenser and Sir Thomas Wyatt explore the nature of paradox within their poetry. Even further, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey and Sir Philip Sidney use paradox to reveal the complexities of truths being understood only through absurdity. Moreover, Ione P. Couliano explores the nature of phantasma, neo-Platonism, and allegory in his work Eros and Magic in the Renaissance. Importantly, all of these works demonstrate not only the beautiful writing during the Tudor period, but they also illuminate the intricacies and emotional depth of writing during the 14th century. Both Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey are two Tudor poets who have translated Petrarch’s “Rima 140”. Both translations are slightly different, though they both have the same content, structure, and central metaphor. Even further, both translations use paradox in order to explicate love as a warrior and love being known only by the pain of rejection. The central ideas of both translations rest in love being boldly declared by a suitor in the first octave, only to be instantly rejected...
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...Austen’s Portrayal of Money, Marriage, and Happiness by Character Usage in Pride and Prejudice Throughout the novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen portrays her views on money, marriage, and happiness through the coupling of several characters she created. Austen uses the characters and their relationships to show what true love should really be like in her opinion. One of the ways she showcased marriage in the book was that marriage created love and happiness, as opposed to the idea that love and happiness were a direct result from getting married. I have chosen ten characters from the novel, and through their coupling, will portray Austen’s views on money, marriage, and happiness in the nineteenth century. The coupling of Elizabeth and Darcy is the kind of pairing that is common in present day society. They seemed to fall in love before the decision to marry was decided. Elizabeth defies the general views of what society considers right. She makes her decisions on marriage based on her feelings and not on status, money, or pedigree. This is portrayed in the novel when Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth and she does not accept because she does not love Collins. Unlike other couples, Elizabeth and Darcy's relationship is not based on money, status, or name despite Darcy’s social status. Instead, it is based solely upon their feelings for one another. Elizabeth perfectly describes Darcy's affection for her when she stated, "'...you were sick of civility, of deference, of officious...
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...I love you for whom you are and not what you are. So be assured that my love for you is beyond all that I sees around you, I love you then, now & forever. We fight. We make mistakes. We disagree. But it doesn't change the way I feel about you. You're all I could ever wish for. Loving you was my only choice and decision through determination, so, don't take it for granted and again, don't play with my heart. The first time I saw you, my heart recognized you. It got warmed by your flame and now it's so hot waiting for a cool message from you. I love you so much. My Momma told me the greatest thing to learn in life is to love and be loved in return. Will you teach me? Sometimes my eyes get jealous of my heart. Know why? Because you always remain close to my heart and far from my eyes. 1. We never know how this closeness has started. We will never know how it would end. But whatever happens, when our closeness is gone, I will never forget how you made me smile once in a while 2. I had been believing that there is a paradise beyond the skies. But now I realized that heaven is just right here on earth, because what would an angel like you be doing here if heaven is somewhere else? 3. We are all a little weird and life’s a little weird and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love. 4. A great love? It’s when you shed tears and still you care for him, it’s when he ignores you...
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...Love Poems “Love” is possibly the most recurrent and controversial subject to be found in the world of poetry. Most of the greatest and highly prestigious poets have given expression to their ideas about love through their verses. This is, in fact, what makes a poem rich and original. Sharing the same topic, each poet is able to convey a different perspective of its implications. Each poet describes love in his own way and expresses his feelings and conceptions of love in a totally creative and innovative manner. “What is love?” “How does love affect a person’s life? How important are feelings? These are questions with endless answers and many writers have found their own way of responding them. Having said that, I will proceed to describe, compare and contrast three poems written by three different authors which share the same theme: Love. These are “Since Feeling is First”, by E.E. Cummings; “When you are old”, by William Butler Yeats; and “Sometimes with One I Love”, by Walt Whitman. “Since Feeling is First” is a poem that deals with the importance of love and feelings over any other value in life. The narrator is concerned with placing the heart over the mind and states that feelings are more significant than wisdom. He claims that people should rely on their emotions to conduct their life instead of following the logic and order of things in a rational fashion. This idea is developed in the following lines: “Since feeling is first who pays any attention to the syntax...
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...Reflections Of Love Table of Contents Prologue Storge (Affection in families)-Definition The Little Black Boy- William Blake Winter Trees- Sylvia Plath Mother to Son- Langston Hughes Philia (Friendship)- Definition Love and Friendship- Emily Bronte Time to Talk- Robert Frost Eros (Romance)- Definition Somewhere Never Traveled- E.E. Cummings Wind and Window- Robert Frost She Walks in Beauty- Lord George Byron Agape (Unconditional Love)- Definition How Do I Love Thee- Elizabeth Barrett Browning Love is More Thicker than Forget- E.E. Cummings Biographies Epilogue Storge Affection Affection- is the love through familiarity, especially between family members or people who have otherwise found themselves together by chance. It is described as the most natural, emotional feeling because it is outcome of love due to family ties. Fatefully, it is the strong point what makes it the most defenseless. The affection is “built-in” and as a consequence people expect it. Prologue This poetry anthology is a collection of poems, which shows the people's view of love. As I am a hopeless romantic, I chose this topic. I think the journey that life takes us all on is one filled with many adventures. I believe to truly live life to the fullest would be to love. If a person can say that he or she has never truly been loved or loved someone then he or she has never really lived. The feeling of love is so euphoric. The...
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