Sex Without Love

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“Sex Without Love” by Sharon Olds “How do they do it, the ones who make love without love?” (1-2). In Sharon Olds’ poem, “Sex Without Love,” the speaker has a goal for the readers: to understand the subject about having sex without being in love. The speaker uses many poetic elements to achieve her goal. Throughout the poem, the speaker uses comparisons and imagery to accomplish her goal. From beginning to end, the speaker in Sharon Olds’ poem, “Sex Without Love,” uses countless comparisons to complete her goal. In the first comparison, the speaker mentions, “Beautiful as dancer,gliding over each other like ice skaters over the ice” (2-4). Dancers and ice skaters are both considered beautiful art: the speaker compares sex to a beautiful piece of art. Not only is it a comparison to dancers and ice skaters, but it is also comparing to what they do:preform. On the outside, they are beautiful dancers, but underneath the beauty they are as cold as ice. These partners the speaker is talking about are not emotionally involved; they are just partners for their own entertainment. Furthermore, the second comparison is, “faces red as steak, wine” (5-6). The speaker is comparing the partners’ faces as being red as raw steak and red wine. These comparisons show the reader that the people involved have red faces from having sex. The third comparison connects back to the first comparison. The connection is to the loveless sex. “Wet as the children at birth whose others are going to give them away”(6-8). The speaker is comparing something beautiful and meaningless. As in a child being born, but when the child is born the mother will give the baby away. Just like people having sex then leaving right after. In other words, when the deed is done, it is time to leave. In addition, “love the priest instead of the God” (16) is another comparison to when the deen is done it is
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