“Sex Without Love,” by Sharon Olds passionately describes the author’s
disgust for casual sex. She vividly animates the immortality of lustful sex
through her language variety. Olds’ clever use of imagery makes this poem come
to life. Olds frequently uses similes to make the audience imagine actual
events. For example, Olds describes making love as “Beautiful as dancers.”
(Line #2) In this line, she questions how one can do such a beautiful act with a
person whom one is not in love with. Olds also describes sex as “gliding over
each other like ice skaters over the ice.”(Line #3,4) She is referring to sex
as a performance. Imagine an ice skating performance. Each ice skater is
performing for judges and an audience to win an award. Olds uses this simile to
relate people performing for one another. When two people truly are in love,
there is no need for any special show or performance. Another simile the author
uses is “As wet as the children at birth whose mothers are going to give them
away,” (line #6,7,8) to simulate a sweaty lovemaking scene. The simile
“light rising slowly as steam off their joined skin” (line #11,12,13) can
also be used to perceive the same image of a hot, sweaty, and passionate love
making scene. The author repeatedly questions how two people who are not in love
can perform such a spiritual act. The simile “As wet as the children at birth
whose mothers are going to give them away,” can also be used to represent the
outcome of lustful copulation. When two people engage in sexual activities, a
large percent of the mothers choose to ignore the outcome and either abort or
give their children up for adoption. Olds compares the lovers with “great
runners.” (Line #18) In this simile, she implies that lovers are alone with
their own pleasures. Olds’ questions this selfishness throughout the poem. How
can two people be alone in pleasure, when sex is supposed to be both physically
and emotionally shared between lovers? Olds uses hyperbole to describe her
belief that sex and God are entwined. “These are the true religions, the
priest, the pros, the one who will not accept a false Messiah, love the priest
instead of the God.” (Lines #13-17) In these lines she says that sex is more
than pleasure, and if one is merely using sex for pleasure they are accepting a
false God. She describes people as hypocrites who claim to love the lord, yet
engage in immoral sex. In the lines, “come to the come to the come to the God
come to the still waters, and not love the one they came there with,” (lines
#8-11) Olds describes two people climaxing. Olds perceives sex as spiritual, and
wonders how people can bring a person with whom they are not in love with before
God. Olds uses hyperbole to share her disgust of casual sex with her audience.
In conclusion, Olds clearly despises people who engage in sex without being in
love. She is able to emphasize her view in a tasteful manner by using imagery
throughout her poem. Olds is able to express her disgust by using imagery to
portray her objection to casual sex.