Rashad Greaves Discussion 11

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s sonnet “How Do I Love Thee?” and the greeting card lyric “Why Do I Love You So Much?” convey love in similar ways but contain different literary aspects.  Both pieces convey a strong love and devotion for the subject. The poem by Browning emphasizes on the depth and intensity of love, whilst the card talks of trust and emotional support. The card refers to recollections and dreams, and Browning’s poem makes use of natural images to depict the wide nature of love. Both pieces use imagery to convey their emotions. The way the two pieces use rhyme and meter is the primary difference between them. The card isn’t bound to any particular meter or rhyme scheme, unlike Browning’s sonnet, which adopts the standard rhyme pattern. This shows the differences between a sonnet’s organized shape and a greeting card’s free-verse style. Browning’s poem has the well-known phrase “How do I love thee? “Let me count the ways,” she says, emphasizing how extensive her devotion is. The card, on the other hand, emphasizes the value of trust in a relationship by stating, “Because I trust you more than anyone in the world,” which communicates affection.

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