¶ … Loving Two Equally
How does the title affect your reading of and response to the poem?
The first effect is that the reader is to expect some analysis of this situation. One does no know if this is a mother's love for two children, a sister's love for two siblings or a woman's love for two others. Depending on your experience in life one may see that there may be some negativity in the title suggesting an impossible situation.
What is the poem about?
Stated simply the poem is about a woman who attempts to share her passions equally between two lovers. Yet instead of her passion being cut in half, it truly seems to be doubled. She feel the same intensity of affection and love equally between the two. Yet, in society, this is not an acceptable situation so she seems to be praying to cupid to resolve the situation yet she cannot choose which of cupid's arrows to remove, Damon or Alexis. She is torn equally between the two.
What makes the poem interesting?
The conundrum that the poet appears to be in is unable to be adequately resolved. She loves them both and needs them both, the one question we have is, will they both accept the situation. Because all though her love is doubled, I would think they would feel their love halved by the situation.
4. Who is the speaker? What role does the speaker have?
The speaker would appear to be the poet. She is the double cursed and double blessed lover in this affair. She seems to ask for our empathy regarding her situation, but I think that many would feel more jealousy than empathy seeing the depth of her passions as expressed in the poem.
5. What effect does the poem have on you? Do you think the poet intended such an effect?
At first I though, oh no not another love poem, but it turned into more of a psychological treatise on love and the effects that is has on a person. I could empathize with the feeling of being in love with two people equally and understand the dilemma the poet was in. I think the effect is both intentional and affects the reader on both a conscious and subconscious level. You can feel the angst the poet is experience in your "gut" as well as your intellectual understanding of the problem.
6. What is distinctive about the poet's use of language? Which words especially contribute to the poems effect?
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