#7

The central theme of "Lonely Hearts" is that everyone wants a companion. Some of the ads are shallow like the business man's. He's looking for "something new." The biker, however, wants to find someone with whom he has something in common. He wants something real. Each ad places emphasis on a different trait in which the person is interested. All of the examples have the same format, and this helps them convey the same ideas although they have different meanings. Every person, no matter who they are, what they like or how they live, wants a companion.

#7

The theme of "Getting Out" is coming to a new realization. That's primarily what takes place in the poem. The couple seems not to want a divorce. They've tried to work out their differences, and they really do want to be together. He packs up his things to leave many times, but he can't because he doesn't want to give up yet. The end of the poem brings about a new side of the divorce. The couple cries when the divorce is finalized. They both obviously regret the divorce and don't want to go through with it, but they know that they can't work things out. They realize that the divorce is something they have to do in order to be happy, and that realization gets them both through it and helps at least him to move on.