Love in Today's Society A key to understanding sociology and the social sciences in general is to evaluate subjects over time and compare and contrast characteristics that have changed and those that have remained the same. For this assignment I chose to access three sources that deal with love; in three distinct periods of the modern era. First we will look at one of the first popular means for the expression of love; that of poetry. I chose a poem by WHAuden to represent the early part of this century, specifically the 1930s and 1940s. I knew I had to include a song by my idol Jim Morrison. Not only is he the perfect voice of the fickle sexual revolution of the '60s and '70s; his work captures the profile of a rock star who undoubtedly acquired his domineering attitude from the endless cult of submissive women. Finally we enter the modern era with an article from my favorite magazine Men's Health on the mistakes a man must avoid to please his lover. As we will see, the greater freedom is very interesting in our representation from first to last. My goal is to show how love has changed. I hope to show what is accepted in our society today, compared to just several decades ago. Application My sources run the gamut of ideas on the topic of love. I think Auden's poetry is the best representation of what has been called "courtly love." This seems logical, since this type of Romantic-era love was a precursor to what we know as modern love. The author takes on the role of troubadour in his humming style of praising the qualities of his love. He idealizes his partner and is satisfied just to be in the same room with her. There are no obvious ulterior motives. Auden would be classified as a “heavenly lover,” as his love is more elevated and sacred. However there is a stark contrast to this idealism. In the last lines the author unreservedly recounts his pain at the loss of her to another. Morrison's Love Her Madly could almost be interpreted as a form of limerance. He has this extreme passion for his subject: “Don't you love her like crazy?” Anyone who knows the story of Jim Morrison knows that the theme of love, and everything that comes with it, was an integral aspect of his being. It's a good example of love in the context of a super-star entertainer. Morrison's songs, and most others, find themselves... in the middle of paper... and resolve their issues before they explode. Conclusion It is absolutely true that attitudes towards love have changed in the last ten years. Social structures and norms have fluctuated and influenced people's decisions in their own lives as well as perceptions of others. Many people would rather go back to Auden's innocent times, where love was seemingly true and had no strings attached. There seems to be a problem with the increasing fragmentation of society when it comes to finding love today. Gone are the days when you married your high school sweetheart and lived happily ever after. Increased mobility and ease of travel have made love more available and open. People today need more help from external services such as dating hotlines and the help of marriage counselors and psychologists to solve their problems. It follows, however, that society is more complex and therefore better. Women have more rights and a greater say in society. There is no doubt that women were more exploited in the past than today. Although society's attitudes have changed over the years and will continue to change, one thing remains the same: love is a driving force in our lives.