Love and Loss

	I think that the themes of love and loss are recurring throughout all of Antigone. The entire basis for the story is an act of love in a reaction to loss. The soon to be princess Antigone has a brother, Polyneices, who betrayed his country and died doing so. Because of this, the king, Creon, decreed that he was not to be buried. Antigone believed that her brother deserved proper burial and she did that the best that she could. When she was found out, it started a downward spiral in the king's life.
	He sentenced Antigone to be sent to an isolation chamber. Creon's son, Haimon, did not want this to happen because he loved Antigone and they were engaged to be married. He went to the chamber and found Antigone, dead in the noose that she tied for herself. He was so saddened that when his dad found the two of them, he lunged at his dad, missed, and then put his sword to himself. Upon hearing this, his mother and Creon's wife, Eurydice, killed herself as well. The king was left alone with his kingdom. Everyone he loved he lost, and everyone he loved lost their loved ones as well.

As It Is With Strangers

	Love and loss is what causes all of the events in this story. A 16-year-old girl has a son with her boyfriend. She loves her son very much but because she is so young she feels that the best option is to put him up for adoption and she does so. It is in the best interest of her so she can go to college and continue her life, and it is in the best interest of her son so that he can the good upbringing that he deserved. She has a wonderful daughter, and out of love she does not tell her right away about her brother.
This of course rips a part of her heart out Even with all of these arguments, she is still saddened and throughout her life wonders about her son. The sacred bond between mother and child was broken, and to add to it all she was, in many respects, responsible for it. She gives her name to a company so that they can be reunited, and one day he comes to her door. They have a nice, but awkward dinner. They are reunited, but of course they will never be able to attain the relationship that they would have had had she raised him herself.

A Blessing

	I liked this poem a lot as the descriptions in it were very vivid. As I was reading it, I felt like I was experiencing it. The poem is about two very lonely who have only each other. Occasionally, a man and his friend come to see them to pet them and give them food. The ponies love each other as they are all they have most of them time and they love their visitors and the visitors love them. The writing is so beautifully that it lets you feel the absolute love and kindness that is embodied it.
	The bright moment that is described in the poem is something that only happens once in a while. The visitors that they love must go after they come. Both the ponies and the men feel this loss. The ponies have an extreme love for each other and for their visitors. When the men leave, it is almost like the ponies are losing a few of their own.

Requiem For A Dream