For week sixteen I'm doing a close reading on a poem called, "Couplets" By: Ghalib. The poem is one of many poems by Ghalib in the assigned reading but this one stood out more to me because this poem was a bit easier to see what Ghalib was saying. The poem is Ghalib writing to himself asking god questions about love. While he's asking questions he also begins answering the questions himself because his god isn't answering the questions he lays forth. Ghalib starts the poem by describing his thoughts about love which seemed like an interesting way of wording it when he says, "Ghalib, it's no use forcing your way with love: it's a form of fire that doesn't catch when lit and doesn't die when doused" (594). I like the way he worded this quote which basically is saying that love for someone whether their already with them or not always fades away but the love for them never diminishes. This quote could probably relate to a lot of people who keep loving someone they were once with. He again begins to ask his god about love and again he chooses a different way of describing the emotion, "I've been set free from the prison of love a hundred times-but what can I do if the heart itself proves to be an enemy of freedom?" (596). Here again is a quote where he seems conflicted over an emotion, love. I think this is another quote similar to the first but this time he is looking for an answer for a complex question. I thought it was a nice approach that he added himself asking a higher up about an emotion that is clearly having him putting a lot of thought into it. I enjoyed this poem more than the others he wrote because it was fascinating how he worded this poem. I liked how Ghalib used these quotes to express his opinion, curiosity, and concerns of the emotion love. Overall, I think this poem's element was curiosity because the poem itself is him speaking to his god about what's on his mind about love.
Ghalib. "Couplets." The Norton Anthology World Literature Volume E. Ed. Puchner, Martin, Suzanne Akbari, Wiebke Denecke, Vinay Dharwadker, Barbara Fuchs, Caroline Levine, Pericles Lewis, Emily Wilson. W. W. Norton & Company, pp. 587-601
Hey Brett, I have to say "bravo!" on your close reading. I think you did well the way you structured your close reading text as you provide a short statement of what the poem is going to be about and then you go further into the text by diving into what Ghalib is trying to say about love. I liked also that after you state your quotation, you analyze on what the author is trying to say.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Brett! I love your interpretation of that quote! It really is relatable and quite sad in a way, but truly cathartic. I think it also could resemble people’s despondent relationship with their God, like going through a rough time and having trouble feeling a presence when you feel so alone. I like the message of love always prevailing. Great work!
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