Introduction
The chapter titled “Love and Hate” criticizes the idealistic portrayal of love that exists in some media. It typically displays love as two people seeing each other, falling in love at first glance, and clicking together like two pieces of a perfect puzzle, never having a disagreement in the world, and effectively being “two of one soul” (Abcarian et al., 2019). In my experience, such pairings do happen, but they are extremely rare.
Main body
I have been in a loving relationship before, and I always found that it is more about the balance of good and bad. There will be parts of your partner’s appearance or personality that you do not like, but so long the benefits outweigh the setbacks, it is all good. At least, that is the rational part of the approach. Lust, passion, and attachment further complicate the issue, which is why so many people are stuck in unhealthy relationships with abusive partners.
The reading reminded me of the famous Shakespearian play, titled “Othello.” It demonstrates the relationship between love and hate. Because both partners are at their most vulnerable to one another, any slight, whether real or perceived, is felt as the worst kind of betrayal (Abcarian et al., 2019). It is the reason why Othello was so gullible and fell to Iago’s ploy. The reason why love and hate are so interconnected is because betrayal is always committed by people close to themselves, rather than their enemies.
Conclusion
This chapter reaffirmed and added to my viewpoints about the issue. It made me consider the irrational part of love and furthered my understanding of why people who used to love each other end up being the most bitter of enemies. It also taught me to approach readings about love with a critical eye – stories without internal conflict between lovers are typically idealized versions of a very complex and intricate phenomenon, which should never be simplified.
Reference
Abcarian, R., Klotz, M., Cohen, S., & Hacker, D. (2019). Literature: The Human experience (13th ed.). Bedford/St. Martin’s.