Modern Love
Modern Love
The poem conveys a view of modern love as suffering when the love is not true. Through out the poem, the author George Meredith uses diction, imagery, and metaphor to show a pathetic situation of a husband and wife who have lived together without true love. Toward the end of the poem, the relationship between the husband and wife seems worse and even hopeless.
The poem begins with the husband's realization of his wife's sadness in line 1, "By this he knew she wept with waking eyes" and because the poem contains the pronouns he and she, the poem itself can be applied to anyone’s marriages. In line 3, there is imagery "the strange low sobs that shook their common bed" it indicates that wife is weeping so hard that the bed is shaking. In line 4, “Were called into her with a sharp surprise” shows that her marriage has been awful so she feels that she should end it, but it is hard for her to admit it. The diction that author uses also shows well how the wife’s actions can be harmful to their marriage in line 6, "dreadfully venomous" Also the word "stone-still" in line 7 indicates feeling of immobile because her marriage was fake that it almost seems like death. Although the title of this poem is modern love, it almost seems like there is no love. According to the era, which the poem was written, the reader can assume that the husband and wife were married because they were forced by society. The author uses metaphor in line 10, "Drink the pale drug of silence" This metaphor refers to how silence, like a drug, inhibits the emotions and senses. Silence pervades their sleep, in line 11, which is "heavy measure", as in heavy on the soul. The author uses the word "effigies" in line 14 in order to imply a death. Because effigies are stone and stone is invariable but their love is fragile because it’s fake. Also, the word “sword” in line 15 implies an emotional distance between their marriages.
The poem “Modern Love.” still reminds us of our society.
The poem conveys a view of modern love as suffering when the love is not true. Through out the poem, the author George Meredith uses diction, imagery, and metaphor to show a pathetic situation of a husband and wife who have lived together without true love. Toward the end of the poem, the relationship between the husband and wife seems worse and even hopeless.
The poem begins with the husband's realization of his wife's sadness in line 1, "By this he knew she wept with waking eyes" and because the poem contains the pronouns he and she, the poem itself can be applied to anyone’s marriages. In line 3, there is imagery "the strange low sobs that shook their common bed" it indicates that wife is weeping so hard that the bed is shaking. In line 4, “Were called into her with a sharp surprise” shows that her marriage has been awful so she feels that she should end it, but it is hard for her to admit it. The diction that author uses also shows well how the wife’s actions can be harmful to their marriage in line 6, "dreadfully venomous" Also the word "stone-still" in line 7 indicates feeling of immobile because her marriage was fake that it almost seems like death. Although the title of this poem is modern love, it almost seems like there is no love. According to the era, which the poem was written, the reader can assume that the husband and wife were married because they were forced by society. The author uses metaphor in line 10, "Drink the pale drug of silence" This metaphor refers to how silence, like a drug, inhibits the emotions and senses. Silence pervades their sleep, in line 11, which is "heavy measure", as in heavy on the soul. The author uses the word "effigies" in line 14 in order to imply a death. Because effigies are stone and stone is invariable but their love is fragile because it’s fake. Also, the word “sword” in line 15 implies an emotional distance between their marriages.
The poem “Modern Love.” still reminds us of our society.