Law Like Love

697 Words3 Pages
W.H. Auden’s modern methods combined with his undoubtedly unique style make his poetry difficult to read and interpret. However, his eccentric use of words calls for the reader’s imagination to create images that help to understand the idea of Auden’s poems. Such can be seen in “Law Like Love” starting with the ironic nature of the title. Law as we know it is something set in stone clearly which, quite frankly, many people do not favor. To compare this to something as eternal and joy provoking as love is almost absurd at first glance, though Auden pulls it off. Once a thought is obtained from reading the title, it may quickly be questioned as W.H. Auden’s associations testify his clear comparison between the feeling of love and the definitiveness of the law. In lines 1-34, Auden’s questioning and interest in the law is portrayed. It can be stated with confidence that he is using a somewhat sarcastic tone in order to describe the differences in law and the way it is seen. For one, the sun acts as law to the gardeners controlling what they may or may not do. To the old, law is believed to be what they know. In contrast to this, the young often question the old as they would question the law. From the view of a judge, the law is simply the law because that is the way it is. To those being taught, law is just what they are told and is seen as completely normal and ordinary. Auden’s curiosity explains how law is seen differently through the eyes of different people. There is always one person who will see the law differently than the majority, to which Auden refers when he says “And always the soft idiot softly Me”. Auden’s ultimate point can be seen as although the law is widespread in its effects, the way it is understood varies from person to person and situation to situation. In lines 35-60 the knowledge of law becomes more confusing. The main voice of the poem
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