jm
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
"To His Coy Mistress" Marvell, "The Flea" Donne, and "Sonnet 116" Shakespeare
In the three stories, the men declare love and their desire for that love to be reciprocated, regardless of marital status to them or others. A concept that almost 400 years later is still considered taboo, but why is that when we are clearly seeing evidence of feminine men, even in the 1600s? Is it that a little femininity in the pursuit of something is considered okay while a little more femininity just because is shunned upon?
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In most cases poems were written to mistresses or women the poets had a "rondevu" with. Poets used poems to seduce women and to make some feel "special" after having relations with them, acts of love if you will. Poets took their poems to favor them. So I guess it isn't right to show ones feminine side just when it best convines one. We ought to accept those that show their true colors even if it means that they are more feminine then we are adjusted to. Since the femininity they are showing is not being displayed for the wrong intentions.
ReplyDeleteJessica- you meant the three poems we read for today's class, not stories, right? This is a good observation: men are required to find/get in touch with their feminine side to woo women but too much of femininity isn't a good thing. I guess too much of anything isn't a good thing. But you are onto something, as it seems we only allow men to be 'feminine' in certain situations (i.e. as fathers and husbands). We should discuss this today in connection to Darryl B. Hill's article. Good work :)
ReplyDeletePatricia, while I agree that poetry is related to romance, although not all poems are about love or longing for love, it seems a grand generalization to say these poets wrote these poems for their lovers, women. But your next observation is great- the act of writing to someone, be it a letter or poem, is an act of intimacy and private communication. So in that context a man expressing his feelings is not frowned upon. Yet when you write, "femininity... is not...displayed for the wrong intentions" what do you mean?
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