Attitudes Towards Love in Pre-1900 and 1990s Poetry Essay -- William

Attitudes Towards Love in Pre-1900 and 1990s PoetryThe Despairing Lover written by William Walsh was written pre 1900whilst the second verse form I Wouldnt give give thankss you for a Valentine by LizLockhead was written in the 1990s. These poems are almost a centuryapart. Attitude towards love changes over time and these poemsrepresent this. I Wouldnt Thank you for a Valentine is about howpeople gauge about Valentines Day in the 1990s, while The DespairingLover is showing what people think and how important they see love inthe 1990s.In The Despairing Lover William Walsh sets out the poem like a recitalwith a beginning a middle and an end. This narrative structure of thepoem gives the poem three clear stages this making the poem clearer tothe reader and enables the poets written words to portray his ideaswith the poem. In the first-year stanza William Walsh is seen to be inanguish over his loss of his lover. However in the second stanza hismood swings to being just unhappy to s uicidal, its torment intercommunicate and sadly reflecting. This also shows how the poet WilliamWalshs mind is working. In the third stanza, the poet realizes hemight get a new love. William Walsh realises his loss and believeshe can visualise someone else. The words used in the despairing lover showsWalsh emotions, for example the use of the word anguish instead ofangry is used because it is more dramatic. by and by reading the first twostanzas the reader is almost positive that the poet is going tocommit suicide and is just leading up to a liberal climax where he jumps.However there is an unexpected twist where the poet just calms downand thinks he can find love again. This shows the poets structure ofthe poem and how ... ...ion andrepetition. Another comparison between the two poems is we are bothhearing the viewpoint from the poet not from anybody else. Both thepoems also have a story roll in the hay them. I wouldnt thank you for avalentine has a hidden story and that is ab out something bad happeningto her on valentines day. While the despairing lover story is aboutthe poet coping with the break up from his lover. On the other handtheir are also many differences between the two poems. There structureis contrastive while the despairing lover is set out like a story with abegging a middle and an end. I wouldnt thank you for a valentinestructure is set out like a list. Another difference is that thedespairing lover has rhyming couplets while the second poem doesnt. Afinal difference between the two poems is the both have differentopinions on love and what love is like.