Simons 1
Peyton Simons
Mr. Bruhnke
English I
19 April 2013
Heartbreak--Real or True? In many ways, we are the love of one's own life. Many times, we forget ourselves even when we neglect ourselves for another. Pablo Neruda and Derek Walcott explain their heartbreak in many different ways, but also in similar meanings. Walcott's way of explaining his heartbreak after love is powerful, appreciated, and understood. For example the "mirror" that a person owns represents not only a literal mirror, but also the "mirror" to a person's soul. Mirrors can be two-sided and for those who stare too long at one side (or one love). Walcott appears to cope with heartbreak by realizing reconnecting and learning to love yourself, only then can you truly love someone else. Walcott believes that one must embrace two sides as they are both equally important to who they are. Neruda appears to not cope as well as he ends his poem. For example, when Neruda writes "Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer and these the last verses that I write for her", this effect on the reader is powerful in one swift moment. Neruda does end up surviving the heartbreak and realizes that he is better without her. He appreciates the highs of the relationship and she will make him suffer no more.
Simons 2
The strong imagery and literacy devices used by Walcott is much more descriptive in my mind. One that stands out is the example of the mirror and the enhancing one's own image is far more important than someone else image. Now that they are "out of the picture", the "mirror" is clearer than ever. Neruda mentions a lot of the sky, wind, and night and uses similes because the words comes naturally for him. For example, "And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture." I believe the reason Neruda writes this is because he feels writing is the only response to the feeling of loss. In conclusion, Walcott and Neruda have experienced love and heartbreak in different and similar ways. Depending on the reader, both poems express the loss of a love and express that even though heartbreak is bound to happen, it is necessary to love a complete and fulfill life.