Humans seem to have a long standing tradition of regarding sex as a taboo subject, yet still something everyone desires. Despite the differences between religions and cultures around the world, many civilizations have had similar restricting laws and social standards when it comes to sin and sex. Charles Baudelaire shows the two contrasting views society has regarding sex in “To the Reader” and “Her Hair”, exposing the hypocrisy humans have toward sex. In “To the Reader”, Baudelaire lists sex and lust as one of the sins the Devil tempts humanity with. Baudelaire is showing the actions of a shame-culture, which makes citizens feel guilty by social pressure. Sex is one of the sins that ruin humanity, preventing humankind from reaching heaven. In this poem, lust is akin to greed, a monster that can never be satisfied. Humans inevitably give in, but the culture makes people feel guilty of their actions, causing them to beg for forgiveness. They are only seeking forgiveness after they have committed the sin however, and never actually feel any guilt. “We …show more content…
For the lover in the poem, being with his soul mate is like a dream come true. Sex is more alluded to happening, rather than just blatantly stated like the other poem. However, even though this man is clearly in love with his soul mate, his dreams of her are still in a faraway land. All of the acts he lusts for take place away from his society, as the man dreams of escaping the pressure to behave like the status quo. Even if both of the people are in love, sex is still seen as a scandalous topic, which is a key reason why everything the man wants happens not only in a dream, but also in a non-existent place, not ruled by behavioral norms . In his dreams, they actually sail away together, leaving the judgmental life behind. He believes that being with his love is his