 How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
On January 8th, Radius held a meeting at Saint Saviour High School centering on Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s poetry. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the “princess of the Romantic poets,” was greatly influenced in her poetry by her love for her husband, Robert Browning, and, even more so, by her love for God. Nearly all of her poetry reveals this great love. It also reveals a desire for something more than what, to her, was immediately evident in the world around her. These elements of Browning’s poetry led to a dramatic discussion. Having been presented with these elements, the girls of Saint Saviour High School took varying stances. Some said that though they desired a love that would last forever, they did not believe that this could ever happen. Therefore, they gave up on their desire to love forever, deeming it impossible and selfish. Others said that since it was impossible to be happy forever and not become bored of that, they did not desire eternal happiness. We find these two positions to be common in our society. But we do not find these positions to be reasonable because they are positions of despair. Looking at our lives, we see that the starting point is the same. We have the same desires (to love and to be happy) but our approach to these desires is different. Seeing difficulties in approaching love or happiness, people give up. Instead, we see that in facing the problems of love and happiness, it is worth it to follow our desires because our desires are the only really human thing about us. We are our desires, in as much as giving up on our desires gives up on our humanity. You can ignore these desires, giving little, futile meanings to your life, or you can find one meaning that encompasses everything and that will never disappoint. Download Notes on Elizabeth Barrett Browning |
