- Published: September 26, 2022
- Updated: September 26, 2022
- University / College: Deakin University
- Language: English
- Downloads: 9
In “ Law like Love” by W. H.
Auden there are some big differences between the idea of law in lines 1-34 and 35-60. In lines 1-34 law is described to be something definite and delegated, and law is everywhere someone looks in the real world and it is defined in each of the lines. The author starts by stating the meaning of law to different people in the work such as workers and community neighbors. For example, in line 1 the author says, “ law, say the gardeners, is the sun.
” This line hints that the sun is the law of the gardeners. The gardeners can only have a successful work day when the sun allows it. Therefore, they must listen to the sun as their “ law” because they can’t be successful without it. In the second part of lines in the poem, Auden continues by saying, “ law is the wisdom of the old (line 5),” to convey that the way a harvest comes with the sun, wisdom comes with age, the author was using an indirect analogy.
Auden continues to describe the existence of law in terms of the people. Auden begins to express the true meaning of law. He says, “ law is neither wrong nor right, law is only crimes punished by places and by times(lines 20-22),” saying that the idea of law is decided by everyone around. Each part has their own idea of what law is and what they must obey. The turn in the poem happens in line 29, when Auden states, “ law is no more, law has gone away.” From this point, the author states that the idea that law is undefinable. The specificities of law depend on the person who is following it. It is impossible to explain the law in terms of another word, it is just like love.
In the last group of lines in a poem, Auden compares law to love. Like law, love cannot be defined. It is an unliving part of space and time that depends on the person, or group of people, who feel it. Auden makes this comparison to love, he and his lover.
The last line of the poem states, “ like love we almost never keep.” This explains in detail the idea that, just as the law is not always followed, love is not always kept the way it should be. It changes on the couple and the situation that they are in, just like groups and their views of law.
