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  • Essay / Complexity of Love in Elizabeth Barrett's Sonnet

    “XXXV” is one of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Portuguese sonnets; written in a first-person narrative and centralized based on the complexity that love involves, such as loss and change. Browning writes this poem as if she is addressing a person whose love she desires, or perhaps someone she will eventually meet; but as she questions different aspects of love, she explores whether the benefits are worth the potential difficulties. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay opening with the investigation of love in congruence with the loss that can accompany it – “If I leave everything for you” (Line 1). This first sentence is addressed to the person she loves, implying that she may have to leave everything she has behind in order to love him. As she considers the sacrifice to be made, she asks herself other questions: “And be my everything? Shall I never fail” (Line 2); which amounts to wondering if love will be an adequate and valid replacement for the life she currently leads. Expanding on her expectations for this love, “Home discussion, blessing and common kiss” (line 3), she mentions the commonalities we have. accustomed; “The conversation at home” alludes to companionship, and “the common kiss” evokes education. Compromises must be made out of love, which is what is insinuated in: “It comes to each his turn, and it does not seem strange” (line 4). “When I look up, drop a new range” (line 5), this is addressing the reality that sets in after the exciting “honeymoon” phase of a relationship ends. “When I look up” suggests the end of the new and exciting phase of love and the perception of the loved one as human; “new range” to reality which can bring difficulties in a romantic relationship, such as disagreements. Line 6 uses images of objects as metaphors: “Walls and floors, another house than this? do not refer to walls, floors, or a house literally; the walls represent a feeling of security, the floors equate stability and the house represents comfort. The following lines then express their interest in whether or not the person she loves will meet these needs for security, stability, and comfort: “No, will you fill this place that is with me” (line 7). dead eyes too tender to know change? ” (line 8) attributes to the reluctance she feels at the idea of ​​someone truly loving her. “Dead eyes” used as a metaphor for his vision; how her attitude is negative because love has caused her pain and so she is worried about it. The phrase "too tender to know change" shows the ambiguity she feels when wondering if someone who has been negatively affected by love is capable of loving or being loved again. The reflection takes place in lines 9 and 10: “This is the most difficult. If to conquer love he tried,/ To conquer sorrow he tries harder, as everything proves; ” depicting the idea that she has tried to love before, but heartbreak always follows. Her attitude changes slightly in line 11, "For sorrow is indeed love and sorrow beside it", it seems that she accepts that despair is a part of love and that love is a part of despair ; you cannot have one without having to experience the other. However, his cynical point of view returns: “Alas, I have mourned, so I am difficult to love. » (line 12), she is afraid that since she experienced the pain of romantic loss, it has made her love difficult..