"How Do I Love Thee" by Elizabeth Browning

The first line of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's most well-known poem, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways" (Beaty 811) has been written and quoted by people in love for almost one hundred and fifty years. Although, most people only know the first ten words of the poem, and they often make lists of actions or feelings that support the two phrases. However, Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous poem goes beyond simple lists of feelings or actions. She paints a vivid picture through images that pull at the emotions and senses of the reader. Furthermore, this poem is appealing to the readers because it is a basic form of expression that evokes emotions by "compressing language to what is most essential" (Pollick). Using this compression she is able to, in less than one hundred words, describe the physical, physiological and emotional boundaries of true love in this world as well as the boundaries of love after death.…