The Many Faces of Love

I'm always thinking about possible lessons I can use in the classroom these days, and today, for some reason, I was mulling over the idea of love songs and love poetry. After Sukkot, my juniors and seniors will be entering the Middle Ages, and we're going to spend a goodly amount of time on the Romantic ideal in relation to knights, their ladies, and the chivalric code.

I tend to blare my radio, windows down, singing off-key, on my way to pick Madeline up after school. I have a good 20 minutes in the car these days, so I get to listen to several songs. Today, one of the first songs I heard was "Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado. Immediately after that, "You and Me," by Lifehouse, came on. I was struck by the irony of how similar and different these songs are at a glance. The former has a great beat and is perfect for dancing, working out, or making out; the latter, great for making out, but is closer to a ballad than Ms. Furtado's song. However, the underlying message is shocking similar: I like you, I am attracted to you and want to be with you. Each is effective in its own way, and each is useful, depending on how one is trying to woo a potential mate.

I KNOW I can use this in the classroom, though bringing in Furtado's version to play for the students *might* not be the best idea. I am, still, in search of the perfect love songs.