Nkosi Ife Bandele
4 April 2012
To Love or Not To Love?
Wislawa Szymborska expresses a negative opinion towards love and lovers in her poem “True Love.” In the beginning, the speaker questions the value of love and appears to be very bitter towards the idea. Ultimately, she cleverly uses the lovers to show how one’s perception can be changed when they are passionate about their beliefs.
Initially, the speaker questions the complete happiness of couples who seem to be in ‘true love’. The speaker states, “What does the world get from two people who exist in a world of their own? / place on the same pedestal for no good reason…” (3-5). Here, the speaker sarcastically implies: What does the world or those surrounding them (so to speak) get out of them being happily ever after in their own world, while placing each other on a pedestal for no apparent reason. These questions are intended to make the reader think about true love and its significance.
“What does the world get from two people who exist in a world of their own? / Placed on the same pedestal for no good reason…” (Lines 3-5)
Subsequently, the speakers discouraging statements towards love is shown through the choice of words in the questions asked. The speaker questions, “True love. Is it really necessary? /…Perfectly good children are born without its help. /…It comes along so rarely.” (27, 30 and 32). Here, the speaker suggests: Is true love even really necessary? For, perfectly good people exist without being conceived through love; as it happens almost ever. These statements are meant to convince the reader as to why true love should be an afterthought as it isn’t needed to bear children and life goes on just fine without it.
“True love. Is it really necessary? /…Perfectly good children are born without its help. /…It comes along so rarely.” (Lines 27, 30 and 32)
Lastly, the speaker’s contradictory choice of words in the final stanza tells us that s/he...