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Jazzminn Jackson
Instructor C. Boyd
English 111
06/19/2014
What is Love?
Love (as a noun) has a very broad meaning. At first, I felt it would be easy to define,
because I feel love every day Im alive. Then, I realized to feel love and to define love were two
different things. Therefore, I had to break down this feeling into words of fact and explanation.
Love can be defined most commonly in three ways; by having love, being in love and making
love. Using these three forms I am confident that I will give you a better understanding of the
word love.
To have love for a person, place or thing is to use the word love as a verb. This is
especially common when making statements such as I love music or She loved her students.
Love is a strong liking, yearning, or affection. Unlike hate, used in times of distress and
negativity, it is used as a form of endearment and positivity. Love makes you happy, not angry. It
can even extend your life time and make you feel better from an illness faster. Laughter, smiling,
hugging, and even having favorite foods and favorite places you like to go to all stem from the
same emotion; which is love. So the next time you say I loved visiting Los Vegas or ask
someone Do you love him/her? you will know this word emotionally and be able to make a
logical/rational connection.
To be in love with someone is to use the word love as an idiom. This way, unlike the
verb, is typically used as a feeling of strong affection or passion for someone or an idea. This
form of the term is used often when making the statement I love you. But, this can be better
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explained and broken down without mistaking it as a verb. A better way to make this statement is
by using it to be more specific when making said statement. Instead of saying I love you, the
phrase would be I am in love with you. Well, is there really a difference? After asking around
campus and many random people at grocery stores and my neighborhood I was able to more
accurately conclude that they are in fact different. Many people responded by saying being in
love and having love for someone are two different ways to use the word because of its very
broad definition. To love someone can be a physical mental or emotional/spiritual connection
described as a form of passion, strong affection and deep fondness/liking. But they are
connections that are typically made separately, one at time; one more than the other or standing
alone. To be in love is to have all three connections with a person working in union with each
other simultaneously. This is to love a person for who they are, the way they are. You cannot be
in love with someone because you adore the way they look and have a strong physical affection
for them but hate the way they think or make you feel emotionally/spiritually.
In addition, you cannot be in love with someone because of how they think
intellectually, such as their views, ideas or beliefs; yet hate there physical appearance. That is
being in love more so with a persons ideas and mind set rather than being in love with the
person themselves. To truly be in love you have to accept them and there flaws. No one is
perfect. To connect with someone on an intellectual level as well as a physical and
emotional/spiritual one is how being truly in love is defined.
Lastly, to make love is used also as an idiom. To make love is to embrace and kiss as
lovers leading to or while engaging in sexual activity. This form of love is most often used when
consummating ones marriage; a tradition and in some places a law that has been passed on all
around the world. In simple terms, making love is just that; Sexual intercourse between two
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people, who love each other, practiced by same sex couples or different sex couples. Come may
ask what the difference is between having sex and making love. Well, notice what you read in
the second sentence. The difference is love. It is two people who love each other and have a deep
affection and attraction/passion for one another. They then express this love through body
language; thus leading them to sexual intercourse. This form of the word is often used when
making statements such as The child was made from love or After the wedding the happy
newlyweds consummated their love on their honey moon, as well as I want to make love to
you.
In conclusion, love can be defined in three ways; to have love for (person, place, or
thing), to be in love, and to make love. Though love has many forms and many different ways it
can be defined or explained around the world, I have broken it down into three simple terms.
Love is one of the most important feelings we can have. But, to have an understanding of what
love truly is, is even more important. It is our way of comprehending and applying our
knowledge in our daily lives that separates us from animals. Our hearts, our souls, our minds,
and our body must all be working in union simultaneously to show honest and true love for one
another; whether we are making love, falling or are in love, or have love for someone or
something dear to us.