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Analysis Of Clocks And Lovers

Decent Essays

Timely Indulgence Often, the history behind love stories has two -if not more- sides. Both sides of this story can be seen in W.H. Auden’s poem Clocks and Lovers, in which each side has a different attitude. The attitudes of the clocks differs greatly from that of the lover, with opposite points of view. Both attitudes relate to separate groups of people and are shown simply through analysis of the poem, because the poet uses literary devices to emphasize both perspectives. While the lover overzealously believes his love can transcend time, the clocks counter by stating that time’s relentlessness erodes all.
The overzealous beliefs brought about by love can be seen in the attitude of the lover, who acts as though his love will never die and can never be changed by time. When speaking to his lover, he says “I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you / Till China and Africa meet / And the river jumps over the mountain / And the salmon sing in the street.” The last three lines of this stanza are hyperboles, giving the lover emphasis on how his love will die only when the absolutely impossible happens; therefore, he believes it is impossible for his love to die. In this stanza imagery is the upfront literary device, as is seen when Auden uses strong phrases such as “salmon sing” and “river jumps” to create an image of the impossible occurring to add to the unrealistic attitude of the lover. Impossible events continue to occur when the lover says “I’ll love you till the ocean /

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