Poetry Journal: XX Comparison

The work I will be comparing to Neruda's poem XX is the chorus from the song "Tattoo", written by Amanda Ghost and Ian Dench (performed by Jordin Sparks).

Don’t look back got a new direction
I loved you once, needed protection
You’re still a part of everything I do
You’re on my heart just like a tattoo
Just like a tattoo
I’ll always have you
I'll always have you

Neruda's poem (XX) is about a man coming to terms with the end of a relationship.  In the poem, the
speaker tries to convince himself that he has moved on from the woman he once loved, but we
can see that she is still important to him, and he actually still loves her.  One of the ways Neruda
highlights this idea is through the repetition of the line: "I no longer love her, that's certain".
Because the speaker uses this line more than once in this poem, it seems as if he does not believe
what he is saying, so he must say it multiple times to try to make himself believe it.  Although he
wants to move on and move forward with his life, the speaker cannot convince himself that he is
really over his previous girlfriend.  Another technique used by the poet to convey this idea is the use
of the terms "her" and "she" when referring to the woman.  Because the speaker dose not use the
woman's actual name when talking about her, we can see that he is doing his best to forget about her
by de-personalizing their relationship.  However, his love for her gets the best of him as we see through
the numberous amounts of times he brings her up (using "her" and "she" - 30 times).  Although the
speaker has attempted to move on from the relationship, he cannot because he still loves the woman.

Like the poem (XX), "Tattoo" is about the end of a relationship, and somebody being forced to move on.  Unlike the
speaker in the poem, the speaker in the song seems very willing to move forward.  We can see that she wants to
move on with her life through the line "Don’t look back got a new direction".  The speaker in Neruda's poem is
much more hesitant - he knows he will have to move on, but is not completely willing to let go of the
relationship yet.  Since the speaker in the song is much more accepting of the fact that she will have to move on,
she is also more willing to embrace the fact that since she used to love him, he will never be completely erased
from her life.  This point is emphasized through the use of the simile "you're on my heart just like a tattoo".  In
using this simile, the writer of the song emphasizes the permanent effects the relationship has had
(and will continue to have) on the speaker.  This idea is proved even more through the repetition of the line
"I'll always have you".  The reader leaves this song chorus knowing that the speaker is ready to move on from
a past relationship while acknowledging the fact that the person she used to love will be on her heart "just like
a tattoo" for the rest of her life.  The person leaving this relationship is much stronger and self-assured than the
speaker leaving the relationship in Neruda's poem.