Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Love's Stratagems," Donald Justice captures the futility of trying to resist the inevitable pull of romantic attraction. Through a blend of formal language and vivid imagery, the poem delves into the internal struggles and ultimately the futility of attempting to control or suppress emotions.

The poem opens with a depiction of deliberate efforts to maintain physical and emotional distance: "All these maneuverings to avoid / The touching of hands." This line immediately sets the tone of careful, almost strategic actions taken to prevent intimacy. The word "maneuverings" suggests a calculated, perhaps even military-like precision in avoiding closeness.

Justice continues to elaborate on these evasive tactics: "These shifts to keep the eyes employed / On objects more or less neutral." Here, the individuals involved divert their attention to neutral objects to avoid making eye contact, a symbol of emotional connection. This act of shifting focus to "neutral" objects underscores their conscious effort to maintain decorum and suppress the rising feelings that honor and social norms command them to control.

However, the speaker acknowledges the ineffectiveness of these efforts: "Will hardly prevent their downfall." The inevitability of succumbing to their emotions is emphasized here, indicating that despite their best efforts, their strategies are doomed to fail. The use of the word "downfall" evokes a sense of tragic inevitability, as if they are fated to succumb to their desires.

The poem then suggests that "Stronger medicines are needed." This line metaphorically implies that more drastic measures are required to curb their emotions. However, even these stronger measures are deemed insufficient: "Already they find / None of their stratagems have succeeded." The use of the word "already" conveys a sense of realization, as the individuals come to understand the futility of their efforts.

Justice reinforces this point with stark imagery: "Nor would have, no, / Not had their eyes been stricken blind, / Hands cut off at the elbow." The hyperbolic suggestion that even blindness and amputation would not have prevented their emotional downfall highlights the overpowering nature of their attraction. This dramatic imagery underscores the poem’s central theme—the impossibility of completely controlling or suppressing genuine emotions.

"Love's Stratagems" by Donald Justice deftly captures the tension between societal expectations and personal emotions. Through its vivid imagery and formal structure, the poem illustrates the futile attempts to resist love and the inevitable failure of such efforts. Justice’s portrayal of the struggle against romantic attraction speaks to the universal experience of grappling with uncontrollable emotions, ultimately revealing the power and inevitability of love.

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