The Theme of Love in First Love, My Last Duchess and Remember

In the book “The Memory Keeper's Daughter” by Kim Edwards a doctor and his wife have twins and the first child is a healthy boy but then the second child that comes out is a little girl with the signs of down syndrome and he asks his Nurse to take the baby away to an institution while he tells his wife the baby girl died. Through out the entire book it is a struggle for Dr. Henry's wife Norah to have closure with the fact that her baby girl is said to be dead and she never saw her, held her, or cared for her. Kim Edwards shows through the whole book that we are only human, the themes that life is beyond our control and through the connection between suffering and joy.

Both poems have similar themes and both speakers describe a particular character found in both stories. Both poems have a beautiful woman as its main character and their themes describe the relationship between two lovers. In "My Last Duchess" and "Porphyria's Lover," Robert Browning conveys two distinct portraits depicting the love shared between two people. The qualities of beauty, selfishness, and jealousy appear in both poems. In both works, the author explores the hidden influence death has upon the relationship shared by two lovers.

promises his utmost respect and loyalty in an attempt to make her want to leave with him. He

Mahatma Ghandi once said “Love is the strongest force the world possesses and yet it is the humblest imaginable.” Love is a very strong theme in the book The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas. Many of the characters, including Mercedes, Haydee, Valentine, and Edmond experienced some form of true love. Whether it was love between family, friends, or partners, many of the characters in The Count of Monte Cristo experienced love. Love is different to each person, love fuels many of the characters actions, and love isn’t something that can be erased through events.

his description of his duchess, proves his own need to be in control. He initially asks his

What is love? Love is can be consider as emotion or feeling to pleasure or affection. Sometimes people choose our own partner or chosen by our family. Love can be also conducted by destiny, when both peers don’t know why they attracted to one another. When a person loves someone just for a day, or not feeling that they will be together forever, we can consider it as a lust. Love stories are dominant in our generation as people might have experienced different kinds of love in their lives. In Love in time of Cholera, “Why I Live at the PO” and “A Rose for Emily” are the example of love stories, which the flow of the story is about the protagonist’s problems. Lust can be considers as the main reason of conflict in most relationship. Love is complicated and comes in differente forms, can be chosen, destine or lust. Sometimes, loves can create conflict with everyone.

him to bribe the woman into coming back, this is known as the honeymoon syndrome.

look at but he feels as if the Duchess takes him for granted and she

who were in love were seen to live in harmony and this gave golden age writers,

Love is a word that cannot be given one simple definition. Love is a different thing to different people. Love has extreme powers. It has started great wars, and it can cause people to do unbelievable things. Jane Austen has a very clear opinion on love and personal relationships, and she makes various statements about these personal relationships throughout her novel Pride and Prejudice. In Pride and Prejudice, two sisters who come from a somewhat disrespected family embark on separate journeys where they find true love. Jane, the eldest sister of the Bennet family, develops a romance with a charming rich man named Bingley. Elizabeth, the main character of the story develops feelings of hatred toward a rich snobbish man named Darcy, a man she ends up marrying. Additionally, Austen adds side romances to the novel, depicting very different relationships. While relationships are quite different today, Austen’s theme that love trumps all still exists.

Generally, authors compose books that go along with the morals of the audience. So many stories are written today with the typical love story, girl falls in love with guy or vice versa. Others are action packed with a climax and a predictable ending. Victor Hugo took a different stance while writing his book Les Miserables. Hugo's idea of action is presented through Jean Valjean who is held in prison for four years because he stole a loaf of bread. He includes unique love stories unlike the typical ones that we read about. Hugo's main purpose is to challenge people to consider their morals on forgiveness and love.

Charles de Gaulle once said “Love is the strongest force in the world.” de Gaulle’s sentiment about love’s power holds true. In The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, love is the most powerful driving force. During this romantic novel, a man named Edmond Dantés gets falsely imprisoned for fourteen years. When he escapes as a rich man, he swears revenge on his enemies, but in the end, love prevents him from enacting several of his vengeful plans. A moral in The Count of Monte Cristo is that love is the strongest power in the world because it can stop revenge in its tracks and cause great joy.

In Dave Margoshes’ free verse poem, “Note to Self” published on June 30, 2015 in the online literary journal, The Rusty Toque, the speaker is writing down their daily to-do list. Margoshes allows the reader to delve into a piece that combines intimacy with the bluntness of the simple language used. The varied word choice and syntax describe the character behind the writer of the list. In combination, the use of repetition emphasizes key elements in the relationship with the lover. Finally, the structure is used to contrast specific details revealed with vague ideas presented. Using these devices, Margoshes creates an image of how this individual lacks sensitivity and understanding of the sanctity of a relationship by turning it into just another thing-to-do.

The Duke takes control of the situation entirely as he is the only speaker throughout the poem and his way of speaking leaves no scope for interruption, by the listener. The way he addresses his listener, “That’s my last duchess”, calls attention to the peculiarity of his designation which he indicates in a very proud manner. The apparent pauses throughout the poem, shown by dashes, indicate hesitation as the Duke considers what to say. This clearly suggests his manipulative attitude. As soon as he points towards the standing portrait of his last wife, he asks his listener to sit down –“Will’t please you sit and look at her?” His way of asking is not very polite and is more of a command which shows the psychology of a man with power.

In Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the concepts of honor and love are constantly mentioned. While love is often mentioned with adjectives that seem to conflict with the traditional idea of what love is, honor is repeatedly referred to in the way it is expected to be in. In the town, love seems to be absent in most people’s lives and it is said to be a “beast” or a “disorder.” In contrast, honor is extremely important to those in the town and revered. The two concepts of honor and love are distinctly different from each other in the novella, yet the narrator’s mother equates the two by saying “‘Honor is love’” (Marquez 97). Although the journalist’s mother conflates honor with love in order to explain the events of the town, further examination proves that her justification is false. In no way does an act of honor equate to an act of love.