"The Clod and The Pebble" and "Love III" essay

1. Essay Question:“Comment closely on how “The Clod and The
Pebble” and “Love III” tackle the theme of love.”
In this essay I will say how the poems “The Clod and The Pebble” and “Love III”
tackle the theme of love, this two poems are about love, this theme is shown through
metaphors.
In the first stanza of the poem “Love III” “Love” symbolizes God, God welcomes the
speaker to accept his love, but the speaker rejects it, “... yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.” Here we can see that he rejects that love because he feels
guilty because he's sinned.
Then in stanza two we can see that the speaker is in the need of being worthy of
God's love when it says “A guest I answered, worthy to be here: Love said, You shall
be he.” When he says “... You shall be he.” he refers to the fact that the speaker is
already worthy of God's love, and he deserves it. But the speaker continues to reject
the love, “I the unkind, the ungrateful? Ah my dear, I cannot look on thee.” The
speaker is ashamed because he feels lessthan the rest and continues rejecting the
love. “Love took my hand…. Who made the eyes but I?” Here God invites the
speaker to receive his love, saying that the past doesn't matter and he forgives the
speaker.
Finally in the last stanza the speaker continues to reject love “... but I have marred
them: let my shame go where it doth deserve”, here the speaker admits he has
hurted others and he deserves to go to hell and isn't worthy of God's love. But God
continues insisting he must accept him and his love, “and know you not, said Love,
who bore the blame?”. Finally the speaker accepts God and his love “You must sit
down, says Love, and taste my meat: So I did seat and eat”. Finally the speaker
accepts his love without feeling guilty, obeys and accepts.
Alina: ideas are ok but avoid retelling the poem. Analyse it. Talk about how the
message is put across. Technicality: metaphors, symbols, voice, etc
In the first stanza of the poem “The Clod and The Pebble” the theme love is
introduced by two subjects, one is the Clod and the other one is the Pebble. The
voice in this first stanza uses a metaphor “Build´s a Heaven in Hell´s despair”, saying
that love is generous and looks for other people´s satisfaction and pleasure, when
you are sad love makes you feel better and happy. “Clod” symbolises a sensitive
innocent, inexperienced and young person, or type of love.
Then in the second stanza two speakers are revealed, one is the Clod and the other
one is the Pebble. And in this stanza the Pebble announces to the Clod that he will
respond to what he has said.
Finally in the last stanza the Pebble which is intensive, experience and an old person
says “And builds a Hell in Heaven´s despite.” Saying that love is bad and it makes

2. you suffer, this makes you think that the speaker has suffered because of love and
contrasts with the Clod who is a person who feels love is great.
In conclusión I think that this two poems have as a theme love but in both poems
different ways, in “Love III” love is representing God, and in “The Clod and The
Pebble” love is shown in two different ways, one is that love is great and it makes
you feel happy and better when you are sad, and the other is that love is bad,
horrible and makes you suffer.
Alina: as I told you above,don´tretell a poem,just analyse and
answer the essay question.
Correctit and postit in your blog
Mark:6,50