Stephanie Lynch

Between the novels, short stories and poetry we have read, I have learned so much. The lecture series has provided further knowledge as well as a deeper analysis by the authors or presenters. Although there already exists a common theme among their topics, love and desire, I have gotten much more out of them that what the name reveals. The most important thing I have taken away from this year -long seminar is the realization of the various forms love can take. Growing up in a destructive environment, I always believed my broken family was wrong or bad because it wasn’t the picturesque family I saw on TV and in magazines. However, all of the knowledge I have gained since last September has caused me to think otherwise. Love does not have to exist in the way society presents it to us. Love can exist wherever we want with whomever we want. As professor Freund said, all things are interpreted differently by different people, which is why symbols were frowned upon in earlier times. No single symbol could encompass the entire meaning of something such as love. In the poems of Steve Almond we saw many different kinds of love. We saw an imperfect and fleeting summer love, just there to pass the time because that is all they wanted out of it at the time. We also saw very different side of love and vulnerability often unspoken or unheard of. His poems as well as his analysis come to show us that there is nothing to be ashamed of. We love what we love and desire what we desire. We cannot help it, so why fight it? In the movie before sunset, we see both characters indulging in 24 hours of loving affairs that they both know must end very soon. In that situation their version of love just happened to be short lived. Lucy Brown taught us about the chemical reasons why we desire one another or hold on to one another. Love is an emotion encompassing all areas of the body and mind. We cannot fight what we love and should not be ashamed, judge ourselves or judge others for what we cannot control. I have found myself appreciating the love in my life and loving relationships where I used to question them. I am so lucky to have people who love me, I shouldn’t be spending time analyzing them or their faults. If love presents itself in your life, just dive in!