Remolona 1

Jake Remolona
Mann
AP English Literature
20 November 2016
Modern Love Essay
Love can be defined as the intense feeling of deep affection towards a person or a thing.
It is a very strong emotion that many are scared to deal with because of its potential to bring
good or bring suffering. It is a very common element within many works of literature. It can also
be found in poetry. A very common example of a relationship based off love is that of a husband
to a wife or a family. In his poem, Modern Love, George Meredith offers two individuals who
are connected through marriage, but broken through their feelings for each other. His
commentary on love in 1862 stems from the portrayal of a torn marriage which helps him
develop the idea that modern love is nothing more than a beacon full of grief and anguish.
Throughout the course of the poem, it is apparent that the couple has lost any and all
concern for each other. The poem begins by introducing us to the struggles of the two main
characters. When describing the wifes current state of sadness, Meredith states that she wept
with waking eyes (Line 1). From the start, Meredith emphasizes the wifes misery as she is
clearly distraught. The sadness is only compounded with the lack of care. As the poem
progresses, it is becoming more and more apparent that the couple is not only losing their love
interest, they are losing their care for each other. This is seen when Meredith offers the line,
strange low sobs that shook their common bed (Line 3). In simply using the word, common,
he illustrates that the couple only shares a bed. He is highlighting the lack of passion and drive
typically found in a marriage. Merediths not-so subtle diction help to emphasize just how clear

Remolona 2

the void is. Theres no hiding the fact that this couple just isnt satisfied with each other
anymore. However, the downfall of the marriage does not fall solely on the wife.
Like his wife, the husband of the poem clearly expresses his discontent with the current
state of their marriage. As his wife struggles to suppress her sadness, he only grows more and
more annoyed with her. He feels that her constant crying is Dreadfully venomous to him (Line
6) demonstrating his irritated feelings towards her. The snake-like imagery reveals just how
hostile the two have become. It has become so blatantly bad, that the husband cant even stand
his wife crying over it. By making his feelings clear, he is only driving the wedge deeper
between them. Overall, Merediths overt diction allow the reader to see how much of a
disappointment the marriage was.
Despite not seeing eye-to-eye on most things, the couple shares a common view that their
marriage is one big mistake. Meredith offers the line, vain regret scrawled over the blank wall
(Line 13) to reveal their obvious opinions on their relationship. Both make it explicitly obvious
that they have regret for their marriage. The clear discontent of the couple reach new heights
when Meredith begins to offer the explicit images of death. One example of death occurs when
Meredith offers the line, sculptured effigies (Line 14). This line is ironic in the sense that
effigies typically depict a husband and a wife on the tomb. This could stand for love in the dead.
However, for this couple, they are very much alive, but there is no love between them.
By providing a clear separation, George Meredith is arguing that love is nothing more
than a harbinger of tragedy. The unfortunate characters represent love at its absolute worst. His
clear language offers no ambiguities, no questions; the husband and wife simply do not feel the
way they used to feel. The comparisons of love to death, or items devoid of life, represent
Merediths stance on love in general: an object devoid of the passion and vivacity that

Remolona 3

characterized the once wistful relationships that garnered it. Not only has love lost its collective
significance, it has turned into somewhat of an afterthought. This is encapsulated in the final line
of the poem when George Meredith states that both the husband and the wife are wishing for
the sword that severs all (Line 16). In doing so reveals that the desire of love is no longer sought
after. Sadly, it has been replaced with the desire to die. This dramatic transition represents the
tragedy that is modern love, as illustrated by George Meredith.
Love is the intangible connection between two people or many people. It can be the
defining characteristic of a relationship. One relationship that is exemplified by love is that of a
husband and wife. In George Merediths Modern Love, the relationship between a sad wife
and an irritated husband is scrutinized. In this case, their love is broken because both the husband
and wife have no feeling for each other. Through the crippled marriage, Meredith argues that
love brings nothing more than pain and sorrow. Unfortunately, the scars of love can even be
applied to todays modern love. Despite the historical background of the poem, the argument that
love is a dangerous game is still prevalent in our society--it can either bring happiness or pain.

Remolona 4

Account of Revisions

REVISIONS I MADE:
Explain, in detail, the changes you made. Include
quotations/examples to make the revisions
apparent to the reader. Make sure your revisions
are both small and large scale.

RATIONALE:
Why did this change need to take place?
(How did it improve the clarity, coherence, style,
effect, focus, etc. of your words?)

Introduction Paragraph:

Introduction Paragraph:

1.

2.

Added the line, It is a very strong emotion

that many are scared to deal with because of
its potential to bring good or bring suffering.
Added when the poem was written to the
thesis.

1.

2.

First Paragraph:
1.

Changed the intention of the paragraph to

focus more on the wife.

Second Paragraph:
1.
2.

Changed the intention of the paragraph to

focus on the husband.
Offered more analysis on the snake and
venom imagery.

Third Paragraph:
1.
2.

Created this paragraph with the intent of

bringing the couple back together.
Offered the death imagery and regret.

First Paragraph:
1.

2.

Created this paragraph to tie in how the

relationship backs up Merediths argument.
Offered point that love is death.

Conclusion:
1.

Added a conclusion

I decided to focus the paragraph on the wife

because I believed that it would better show
how much of a difference there is in the
relationship.

Second Paragraph:
1.

Fourth Paragraph:
1.

I added this line to add more depth to the

definition of love. I believe that defining what
love was would aid me in showing how it was
broken throughout the poem.
By giving context in the form of when the
poem is written, I believe that it helped define
what modern love meant to Meredith. We
have to understand that hes not talking about
love in our society.

2.

Originally part of the first paragraph, I split

the couple into two separate paragraphs to not
only emphasize their differences, but to
visually show how apart they were.
Offered more analysis to the imagery to
support my argument that the relationship was
almost turning hostile.

Third Paragraph:
1.

2.

I created a paragraph which brought the two

together to show how they both feel that the
relationship is going bad.
Regret and the death imagery are two
important aspects of this poem. Because both
the husband and wife felt the same way about
the two, I felt that it was necessary to add a
paragraph which elaborates on the them from
both perspectives.

Fourth Paragraph:
1.

This paragraph was added because it tied in

how the couples hostility is associated with
Merediths argument on love.

Remolona 5

2.

Because of all the death imagery, I added the

point of love is death to further enhance
Merediths argument.

Conclusion:
1.

Added a conclusion which summarized what

love is and how it is turned in the poem. I then
go on to answer the so what question by
tieing back to todays society and our views
on the concept of love.

My writers workshop group helped me a lot on this final essay. Justin helped me with some of
the analysis of the specific lines in the poem such as: common bed and the death imagery.
Sydney helped me with my intro, while Nate helped me develop some of my body paragraphs. In
receiving quality feedback, I found that the effect that the group had on me was undeniable. This
time, I was stuck debating between my third and fourth essay. They all pitched in and offered
their opinions on which essay I should write. We came to the conclusion that this one would
benefit me the most. Some of the more important feedback I received was that I had to
summarize less and offer more analysis. Also, I had to offer more poetic devices. Im sad that
this was my last essay with the group, but Im grateful for them because they helped me become
a better writer.