Sappho

Sensuality can be described as "Of or arousing gratification of the senses and physical, especially sexual, pleasure" (Oxford, 2016). Circa says “Most commonly the target of her affections was female”. One disagrees that her poetry displays a confession of a sensual relationship. Rather, it just lets out her emotive feelings. My argument is that her poetry is metaphorical showing a new and creative representation of the future and although could view her poetry as having sensual links, this does not mean she is the persona. Sappho’s work has been criticised by many scholars, one of which being Nazianzen. Sappho's books were burned by Christians in the year 380 A.D. at the instigation of Pope Gregory Nazianzen (Hare, 2011). Another book burning …show more content…
This does not mean that this love defines sensuality. While doing close reading of this poem some people could interpret that she is talking about time, arguing that time is currently a "charriot of gold", yet she has a longing desire to "flee" and "pursue" the future. Sappho juxtaposes the feelings within the poem on a frequent basis, "If she doesn't love you, soon she shall love". This line in particular suggests that you will enjoy time changing because you have to, it is going to happen whether you like it or not, "even if she's unwilling". This poem could show an extended metaphor, forming an allegory for wanting certain elements of time to stay but still longing to move forwards with time. “Hymn to Aphrodite” begins with the unidentified speaker calling on the immortal goddess Aphrodite, daughter of the mighty Zeus to use her unique skills to rescue a reluctant lover. She entreats the goddess not to ignore her pleadings and so break a heart which is already stricken with sorrow. The poet reminds Aphrodite of her devotion in the past and of the songs that have been sung in honouring her, and of how the goddess has previously heard and answered the speaker’s pleas and made the trip from her father’s golden palace to this mortal’s humbler and normal home. Sappho organised her students into a cult that worshipped Aphrodite with songs and poetry, and “Hymn to Aphrodite” was most likely composed for …show more content…
A theory could be that they wanted to challenge the dominated society of men, making their voice heard. Sappho could be viewed as a socially defined craftsperson. This was a reoccuring pattern and a model for the Romantic movement. Therefore, she may have been creating different material deliberately for the reader to enjoy, something they had not heard before. Her poetry is not addressed to anyone in particular, which leads one more so to the conclusion that her poetry is not for a person. Some of the poets meaning has been lost in translation, leading critics to fill in the blanks and create their own effects and shape her poetry themselves. Sappho's poetics could represent a movement of time, wanting to carry elements of ancient Greece forward to present day. It could be that she wanted equal rights for women, and refused their voices to be hushed on topics that were not considered to be mundane. Aphrodite could have been a role model for Sappho, encouraging women to be inspired by love. There could be another persona other than Sappho. Each individual is seen to create their own version of Sappho depending on their needs and interests. Equally, she could be writing about the beautiful interaction that takes place between the