The Function and Responsibility of Poetry or Artistic Work
The function and responsibility of poetry or other artistic work is to teach, chastise, and in some cases celebrate some part of nature, mankind, God, or other features of the earth. An examination of three works of literature discussed in class addresses the issue of love vs. hatred. Most poets urge their audiences to accept love in society in order to coexist in harmony with their fellow human being. However, some, such as Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself," highlight the self-love that should originate from within a person, which includes enjoying and approving their own well-being. However, Edgar A. Poe admires the love for Helen and Annabel Lee, and the last poem with the same lesson is written by Anne Bradstreet "To my dear and loving husband" (Myles, 348; Ferszt, Elizabeth, 308). These three poems have successfully educated the audience to hold love as an important talent that every person need in their lives. Both the articles have adequately presented the theme through the right selection of words that is appropriate for the audience of any age. Consequently, the authors have considered the education of everybody in the society without putting age limits to the audience. Walt Whitman explains the love he has to himself, how he is and what he does educate his audience that self-love is the first value of love.
The Romantic Love Between a Male and Female
The other two poems by Anne Bradstreet and Edgar A. Poe discuss the romantic love between a male and female as a theme. We need to show love to ourselves first and then to other human beings, without self-love we cannot claim we are lovable or demonstrate love in the best way (Barbeau, 37; Minjung and Han, 178). Love is one of the greatest aspects of living creatures that make life worth living. Accordingly, the Holy Bible talks about love as one of the gifts of holy spirits that Christians should possess for them to show they are truly saved. God is love and therefore, every human being should demonstrate love.
Works Cited
Barbeau, Jeffrey W. "Sara Coleridge on Love and Romance." Wordsworth Circle, no. 1, 2015, p. 36.
Ferszt, Elizabeth. "Transatlantic Dame School: The Early Poems of Anne Bradstreet as Pedagogy." Women's Studies, vol. 43, no. 3, Apr. 2014, pp. 305-317.
Minjung, kwon and Han Youngjee. "How Love and Lust Influence Self-Control." Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, vol. 45, no. 2, Feb. 2017, pp. 177-189.
Myles, Anne G. "Queerly Lamenting Anne Bradstreet." Women's Studies, vol. 43, no. 3, Apr. 2014, pp. 346-362.
