In "A Letter to Her Husband, Absent Upon Public Employment" by Anne Bradstreet and "Love Poem" by John Frederick Nims, there are three possible ideas that could be gleaned from the texts. Such ideas could be the power of love overcoming flaws and distance, marriage and thoughts of death. Within Bradstreet's poetry, there is an autobiographical perspective that explores the feeling of loss when a married couple is separated, while Nim's autobiographical viewpoint alternates between criticism expressed with humor and appreciative virtue. Bradstreet's poetry was published in the 17th century, when she had emigrated to America with her husband and parents. The term metaphysical can be applied to poets who wrote in the 17th century due to intellectual ingenuity and literary allusion. Such intellectual ingenuity can be seen in Bradstreet's poetry, as she uses metaphors of astrology and nature to support her genuine devotion to her husband. It should also be noted that while there were women writers during the 17th century, it was rare for a female poet to be published. Unlike Bradstreet's work, Nim's poetry was written during the postmodernist era. Therefore, a contemporary evaluation might note that the humorous aspect of Nim's poem reinforces how the speaker is devoted to his wife, regardless of her awkward qualities. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. Both lyrics present the idea that love is oppressive; however, Bradstreet suggests that love conquers physical distance while Nims implies that love conquers character disparities. Bradstreet uses astrological imagery and metaphors to show how his love extends beyond physical entities, thus demonstrating its greatness. “I, like the Earth this season, cry in black, my sun is so far away in the zodiac.” Using an extended metaphor to present her husband as the sun, Bradstreet suggests that her husband is the source of all life. The addition of a pathetic fallacy also allows the poet to construct meaning, as the reader is able to imagine the greatness of the speaker's love. A feminist perspective might suggest that the speaker is presenting her husband as more important than her, portraying him as the sun. However, this may not be a matter of equality, but rather a compliment issued by the speaker. Nims also uses astrology when describing the power of his love; however, instead of presenting his bride as the sun, he uses a more sincere and comical description by describing her as a "wrench". While this way of reference may seem offensive on the surface, the comedic quality could add sincerity because Nims is stretching beyond convention. Nims avoids cloying sweetness and instead uses honesty to demonstrate the strength of his relationship with his wife, as the satire within his poem highlights his affection. A similar use of satire by Wendy Cope in "Strugnell's Bargain", published in 1945 (postmodern period), creates a similar effect. Sir Philip Sydney's mockery of "My true love has my heart and I have his" in "The Strugnell Covenant", reveals a new side of love poems. It seems that the love in "Strugnell's Bargain" does not overcome the complication of the English language, unlike the love that prevails over distance in "A Letter to Her Husband, Absent Upon Public Employment." There is confusion between the speaker and his partner about who has which body part. The use of taboo language in 'Strugnell's Bargain', such as 'Oh, piss off, Jake!' creates a vast contrast to typical love poems, however some postmodern criticsthey might argue that this is a more realistic form of love, as relationships are complex and involve a variety of emotions rather than simple adoration. This idea could apply to Nims' "Love Poem", as the repetition of "dear" combined with strident insults suggests that Nims loves his wife, despite her flaws. However, the historical contexts surrounding these poems allow these poets to challenge conventional understandings of love, as postmodern society is more forgiving than during the time Bradstreet was writing. The way marriage is interpreted differs in each poem; however, love is the underlying component in every relationship. The way Bradstreet expresses his marriage offers an immense contrast to Frederick Nims' tactics, as he uses a lexical field of nature and body and extended metaphors to show how great his love is: "Head, eyes, flesh, bones" and 'frosty, cold, storm, frost, heat, melt.' This marriage is presented as a co-dependent relationship and Bradstreet portrays her husband as an individual who brings warmth, when they separate, she is coldly raped due to his absence and from connecting it to other entities; Bradstreet demonstrates that their love is not contained but broad. This could create an effect funnier because of the quotation technique used by Cope. The rhyming couplet that follows cements the satire used by Cope parody crystallizes the humorous tone of Cope's poem and demonstrates that the speaker is adapting to realistic standards. However, another interpretation might suggest that the satire alleviates the harshness of the pragmatism in the poem. Thanks to Cope's writing in the postmodern era, he is able to explore alternative aspects of love. However, a feminist perspective might suggest that Bradstreet was limited, as a patriarchal society might have frowned upon a woman exploring anything that existed outside of love in a marriage. This interpretation could also be applied to Carol Ann Duffy's "Rapture" (1955-). As Duffy writes in the postmodern era, he is able to subvert the traditional English sonnet with ease. This emphasizes the immeasurability of the speaker's love, as the structure of the poem could be used as a metaphor to suggest that it is not confined, similar to Bradstreet's love. Nims uses the structure in "Love Poem" in reverse, as lines of equal length could offer calm reassurance to the speaker's object of affection. “Whose palms are bulls in China, cutters in linen, and have no cunning with any soft thing.” The enjambement allows this verse to flow into the next; therefore the ideas are not separate. This might suggest that Nims' love is continuous; furthermore, the alliteration and juxtaposition reiterates this point but also emphasizes that the speaker's love is not affected by such tribulations. In both poems, there is an element of death hovering behind the speaker's words. Bradstreet uses repetition and imagery of bodies to describe the event of death. “Flesh of your flesh, bone of your bone, I here, you there, yet both but one.” While some readers may be shocked by the reality of death after Bradstreet's depiction of love, as the contrast between the two is strong, the mention of death may add sincerity to the poem for some critics. This is because repetition and alliteration can soften the bleakness of.