What is Love?

Since the poetry went so well, I did one more lesson that involved introspective writing and another medium for self expression.

For the first half of class, we discussed the lyrics of three English love songs and then listened to them. We reviewed U2 "With or Without You", Alicia Keys "If I Ain't Got You", and Norah Jones "Come Away With Me". I chose these three songs because they are sung clearly and each offers a different message about love that helped stimulate discussion. I printed out the lyrics and we discussed the songs line by line. Everyone thought it was cool to listen to some of my favorite musicians.

During the second half of class, the students did a free-writing exercise in which they answered the prompt "What is love?" These were also enjoyable papers to read. Again, my students shared both personal and profound thoughts.

"Love to us is what water is to fish. We can't live without it."

"Love is amazing. It makes us show mercy to the poor, it brings peace to everyone's heart and it brings people together despite difficulties."

"I've learned that love can be romantic, but romance alone doesn't mean love. Sometimes I think I don't really how to love my boyfriend. I can feel that he also has the same problem. But neither of us give up. We just keep going and try to find more about each other."

"Love transcends material properties and social status."

"Love is mutual understanding and support. Love is forgiveness and sacrifice."

"Love is  a weird thing. When you desire it, it won't come to you. When you despise it, it asks you to accept it."

"Love means to respect each other even if we have different opinions. Love means to sacrifice something. Love needs to be patient. Love is simple."

While not the majority, several students did write about patriotism. It was surprisingly less students than I had anticipated given the indoctrination that plays a large role in their earlier education and the vague praises I've heard about current and past political leaders. Here's one example:

"There is a kind of love that is country love. It is a great love that everybody should have. You will not have any love if you don't have country love."

In sum, it was another great week that the students really enjoyed. They certainly appreciate any opportunity to share their ideas and opinions.