A Short Critique of the following poem:
Sex without Love by Sharon Olds
How do they do it, the ones who make love
without love? Beautiful as dancers,
gliding over each other like ice-skaters
over the ice, fingers hooked
inside each other's bodies, faces
red as steak, wine, wet as the
children at birth whose mothers are going to
give them away. How do they come to the
come to the come to the God come to the
still waters, and not love
the one who came there with them, light
rising slowly as steam off their joined
skin? These are the true religious,
the purists, the pros, the ones who will not
accept a false Messiah, love the
priest instead of the God. They do not
mistake the lover for their own pleasure,
they are like great runners: they know they are alone
with the road surface, the cold, the wind,
the fit of their shoes, their over-all cardio-
vascular health--just factors, like the partner
in the bed, and not the truth, which is the
single body alone in the universe
against its own best time.
without love? Beautiful as dancers,
gliding over each other like ice-skaters
over the ice, fingers hooked
inside each other's bodies, faces
red as steak, wine, wet as the
children at birth whose mothers are going to
give them away. How do they come to the
come to the come to the God come to the
still waters, and not love
the one who came there with them, light
rising slowly as steam off their joined
skin? These are the true religious,
the purists, the pros, the ones who will not
accept a false Messiah, love the
priest instead of the God. They do not
mistake the lover for their own pleasure,
they are like great runners: they know they are alone
with the road surface, the cold, the wind,
the fit of their shoes, their over-all cardio-
vascular health--just factors, like the partner
in the bed, and not the truth, which is the
single body alone in the universe
against its own best time.
In the poem "Sex Without Love" by Sharon Olds, as suggested by the title, she writes on the topic of SEX in the absence of love. She brilliantly uses several similes and metaphors to indicate sexual relationships: "Beautiful as dancers, / gliding over each other like ice-skaters / over the ice," "Like great runners," and "These are the true religious . . ." She is depicting the dark sides of these cheerful metaphors.
On the surface, the ice skaters sounds graceful and honest, but realistically they are only putting on a show. Likewise, great runners are physically fit, but ultimately run the course of their race alone, which is analogous with the lovers whom will not ever be authentically loved. Finally, when describing the religious (or, rather the ones who "love the priest instead of the God"), she compares the act of making love with asking for forgiveness from a priest during confession. Sharon Olds would suggest that when making love the individual must have his or her heart, emotions, and soul into the act--not just the body, likewise, when asking for forgiveness from the priest, our heart, emotions, and soul must be in the act--not just the words. Sharon Olds' use of diction and syntax is also brilliant. By combining the beautiful metaphors with the harsh diction and crude images of sex, it begs the audience to contemplate their own notions of sex without love.
"How do they do it, the ones who make love / without love?"
On the surface, the ice skaters sounds graceful and honest, but realistically they are only putting on a show. Likewise, great runners are physically fit, but ultimately run the course of their race alone, which is analogous with the lovers whom will not ever be authentically loved. Finally, when describing the religious (or, rather the ones who "love the priest instead of the God"), she compares the act of making love with asking for forgiveness from a priest during confession. Sharon Olds would suggest that when making love the individual must have his or her heart, emotions, and soul into the act--not just the body, likewise, when asking for forgiveness from the priest, our heart, emotions, and soul must be in the act--not just the words. Sharon Olds' use of diction and syntax is also brilliant. By combining the beautiful metaphors with the harsh diction and crude images of sex, it begs the audience to contemplate their own notions of sex without love.
"How do they do it, the ones who make love / without love?"
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