English Pub #4

Joseph Cannizzaro

Prof. Brady

4/30/19

English 102

The song “Grenade” by Bruno Mars, the poem “True Love” by Piet Modiba and “This Much and More” by Djuna Barnes each express the theme of being in a loving relationship and each of the narrators and singer are willing to do sacrifice whatever for the person they love. Each of the poems and the song share a common theme of affection, sacrifice and love. In the song by Bruno Mars he sings about how he just got out of a relationship where he loved this person very much and then describes all the things he would do for her and the things he do to get her back. The poem “True Love” emphasizes the idea of how far the narrator is willing to save a relationship. The other poem “This Much and More” is about how the narrator is willing to do whatever ever it takes to get back to their lover because that is where the narrator feels home is.

“Grenade” by Bruno Mars main idea this that he explains all the things he would do for the person he loves, but he feels that his lover wouldn't do the same. The central theme of this songs is about affection for someone and how far that person is willing to go for the person they love. For example, a line from the song is “Gave you all I had” (Mars, Line 5). In this line of the song, Bruno Mars says that he put all his time and effort into loving this person, doing everything he possibly could emphasizing the theme of affection. Mars than says later on in the song, “I'd catch a grenade for ya, throw my hand on a blade for ya, I'd jump in front of a train for ya, you know I'd do anything for ya”(Mars, Chorus). In this part of the song Mars lists all the things he would do for the person he loves. He says he will catch a grenade to save her, even jump in front of a train if she wanted him to just to show how much he loved this person. This relates back to the theme of affection because it shows how much love he had for this person and how far he is willing to go to save it. The Poem by Piet Modiba has a similar central theme as the song by Bruno Mars.

The Poem “True Love” by Piet Modiba is about how far a person is willing to go for love and that's what true love is. This poem relates to the central theme of affection and the things people are willing to do for love. An example of this from the poem is, “And judged by how low you are willing to crawl, Just to save it and make it last, It is determined by how willing you are to open up and offer your trust, It is hospitable, amazing at all times, and always kind” (Piet Modiba, Line 2-5). This quote goes on to show that in a relationship it is about the sacrifices that each person is willing to make for the person they love and that's what love is. It also talks about how wonderful love is and all the good things that come with it when you find your soulmate.

The poem “This Much and More” by Djuna Barnes expresses the central theme of having affection for someone and willing to make sacrifices to please the person they love. The narrator is saying how wherever her husband is, she will be there right next to him. The narrator feels most comfortable and feels at home whenever he is around. An example from the poem is, “Yea, if they buried him ten leagues beneath the loam, My fingers they would learn to dig, And I’d plunge home!”(Barnes, Line 5-8). The narrator portrays the theme of love and affection by expressing how wherever here husband is, she will be alongside him. If he were to die she says that she will still be right there with him, showing how much she truly loves him.

In the poem “True Love” by Piet Modiba and “This Much and More” by Djuna Barnes, each show how much each of the narrators are willing give up for the person they care about and the kind of sacrifices they will go through just to make the person they love happy. The song “Grenade” by Bruno Mars also helps to emphasize a similar idea of the types of things people will do for love. In each of the poems and the song, the central idea is about love, sacrifice and how much affection one person can have for another. For the reader or listener it helps them realize a lot goes into loving someone and that the mind is willing to do crazy things just to make the person they love happy and to bring nothing but pleasure to them. Love can’t be love without little sacrifice and affection.

Work Cited

Barnes, Djuna. “First Communion.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 31 Oct. 2018, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/much-and-more.

“Mars,Bruno – Grenade.” Genius, 28 Sept. 2010, genius.com/Bruno-mars-grenade-lyrics.

Modiba, Piet. “True Love.” Family Friend Poems, www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/true-love-1.