Whitney Perez
April 11, 2013
AP English
Roben

Poetry Quarter 3 Response Essay

In both poems, "How Do I Love Thee" and "The Definition of Love" Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Andrew Marvell use figurative language, imagery, diction and tone to depict love as a feeling and less on the object of love. Browning believes that love doesn't have boundaries, physical nor spiritual. However Marvell believes love and fate are an opposing force always battling. In this sonnet by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, love is everything and the poet tries to list the different types of love that she feels, and it becomes a new way of expressing her affection for "thee." In line 1of the sonnet Browning begins by stating a question that the
Instead of Fate matching people up, Marvell believes that Fate only tears people apart. He manages to turn Fate into a philosophical idea. However, Marvell ends the poem with a small glimpse of hope when he writes, "Therefore the love which us doth bind, But Fate so enviously debars, Is the conjunction of the mind, And opposition of the stars" (lines 29 - 32). Though this sounds as if it would be in a typical love poem, the last two lines are complex which forces the reader to think deeper. The word conjunction means coming together and when I think of the ‘opposition of the stars” astronomy comes to mind. In the last line it sounds as if Marvell sees a chance for lovers to remain together but it's clear that he believes love isn’t a foretold force. “How do I Love Thee” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and “The Definition of Love” by Andrew Marvell differ from each other because Browning makes love to be such a glorious thing that is essential to life. Marvell thinks that Fate clouds loves judgment meaning it is hard to love when Fate doesn’t permit you to. In little ways both poems are similar because there is hope for love and an overall idea of loving being something that’s seems great to have and