In-class work by Lin Guo

In Class Writing (Pratham Wadalia)

2026-01-29 18:23:28 UTC

Both books go about defining love in their own ways. the author Bell Hooks defines love as a practice rather than a feeling, describing it as care, commitment, trust, responsibility, respect, and knowledge, and as the “will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth” (Hooks, 1999, ch. 1). In the book - The Road Less traveled, M. Scott Peck defines love in an also similar fashion. Stating that love is the “will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth” (Peck, p. 81). A major similarity that I found between both authors is that they both tend to see love as something you physically do, not something you just feel. Peck makes it very clear when he says “love is an act of will” (p. 84), Hook also argues that feelings alone are not enough. However, the line is drawn when it comes to their focus, Peck looks at love a lot more as an individual mental process that is linked to discipline and growth. On the other hand, Hooks sees love as a social and ethical process that includes things like responsibility. Personally, coming from a religious family our definition of love is found in both mental and physical aspects. We understand that one can yearn for another through sheer love, and also physically provide this “love” through gifts and acts of care.

paragraph in class writing

2026-01-29 18:24:05 UTC

In All About Love, bell hooks defines love as an action, explaining that love is made up of “care, commitment, trust, responsibility, respect, and knowledge” (hooks, 1999, p. 13). In The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck defines love as “the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth” (Peck, 1978, p. 81). Similarly, both authors agree that love is not just a feeling but something we choose to do. Hooks shows that love must be practiced through daily actions, not just words, while Peck emphasizes that love requires effort and discipline (hooks, 1999; Peck, 1978). This similarity matters because it shows that real love takes work over time. However, the authors differ in their main focus. Unlike Peck, who focuses more on individual spiritual growth, hooks believes love must also include justice and care for others in society (hooks, 1999). From my cultural background, love is shown through loyalty, supporting family, and being present during difficult times. Based on these readings and my own experiences, I define love as choosing every day to care for others, help them grow, and treat them with respect and fairness.

A in class writing

2026-01-29 18:24:44 UTC

Both Hooks and Peck didn’t directly show their total understanding of love in their definition to the love. To understand their definition, the analyze to all text is needed.

A overlap between both authors in sure is that their all use the word “love” to identify the object they’re researching.

The divergence is that they are using different words to describe the love.

In my opinion, I doubt that the combination of “L O V E” could naturally refers to some meaning. If we want to discuss the “love” or some relationship between people(maybe), we shouldn’t detach the real world scenario from our discussion. Otherwise, I can’t understand what is it.

In Class Writing - Prateek Singh

2026-01-29 18:26:19 UTC

In all about love, bell hooks defines love as showing up with care and responsibility all the time. In the road less travelled, M. Scott Peck defines love as a short emotional high that doesn't last and isn't the same as true love at all. Both hooks and Peck emphasize that it's beyond feeling. It seems like they overlap, but hooks makes it sound more about connections with others, while Peck is on individual responsibility. Hooks focuses on how it's an ethical practice in relationships, kind of weaving it into daily actions, whereas Peck, though, leans into the personal side, the willpower, and owning your part in it. Based on these readings and my own background, I define love as the intentional practice of nurturing growth while working toward justice.

2026-01-29 18:28:05 UTC

In all about love by Hooks, she defines love as affection that requires one to really push themselves to do. She makes a point about how she is not a believer in modern love or the concept of falling in love, she states that falling in love is a feeling that we cannot control nor requires any effort. She claims that since it’s effortless it’s not true love.

2026-01-29 18:28:44 UTC

In All About Love, bell hooks defines love as “the will to nurture our own and another’s spiritual growth.”(p.6) Similarly, in The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck states that “love is an act of will.” (p.83) Each author views love as a choice a person makes for themselves. Whereas Peck emphasizes that spiritual growth happens through love more than hooks do. Peck defines love as a method for spiritual growth. Based on these readings and my own background, I define love as automatic responsibility. In contrast to hooks and Peck, I believe that we can ‘fall in love.’ Loving first can be unintentional; however, if we start to love, responsibilities follow.

2026-01-29 18:31:01 UTC

In All About Love, Bell Hooks defines love as “a combination of care, commitment, trust, knowledge, responsibility, and respect” (pp. 7-8), while in The Road Less Traveled, Peck’s definition of true love is “The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth” (p. 81). A common thread in both definitions is the idea that love is a choice. They both emphasize that love involves not only feelings but also a conscious choice of whether and how to love. When our desires are sufficient, we are willing to love, and we choose to take the actions for love. Whereas Hooks centers on the idea that love combines various parallel factors and communal responsibility, Peck prioritizes that love progresses in stages, and the ultimate goal of love is spiritual growth. This distinction is crucial because it shapes how individuals approach relationships. From my cultural perspective, love is selfless and unconditional, which includes family love, friendship, romantic love, and so on. To some degree, I agree with the view that love is a choice, for we choose to love those we deem worthy of our love. Therefore, Love, in my view, is a selfless and deliberate choice that progresses in stages, encompassing family love, friendship, and romantic love, given to those whom we deem worthy, without expecting anything in return.

In class writing

2026-01-29 18:32:54 UTC

In All about love, the author Bell Hook define love as a combination of care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge. Express that love is an action more than just a feeling. In the Road less travel M. Soot Peck defines love as the training for spiritual growth for one's and another. The similar part between two authors is that they both see love as a serious and heavy responsibility that requires effort, not something that happened just with feeling. Both authors mention love could be stress because it comes with commitment and discipline, showing the real love takes work over time. However, it is slightly different in their focus. From author hook describes that love is a social practice that comes with many responsibilities, but Peak focuses more on the practice of spiritual growth. Myself growing up in the Asian family, love comes with lots of sacrifice and desire, putting family and groups needs before personal needs. From reading both of these books I’ve learned that love comes with lots more action than just a feeling, doesn’t matter from what culture, but from the support of the brings significant power to life and that is why there is love that exists in human life.

2026-01-29 18:36:52 UTC

In All About Love, bell hooks defines love as an active practice that includes care, commitment, responsibility, trust, and respect, arguing that love is demonstrated through consistent action rather than emotion alone. In The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck defines love as the will to extend oneself for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth. Similarly, both authors view love as intentional and disciplined, emphasizing that it requires effort and responsibility over time. A common thread in both definitions is the idea that love supports growth, whether through hooks’s focus on mutual care or Peck’s emphasis on spiritual development. This similarity matters because it challenges the idea that love is simply a feeling that happens naturally. In contrast to hooks, Peck frames love mainly as an individual psychological process and pays less attention to social or cultural relationships. Unlike Peck, hooks stresses that love must involve justice and ethical responsibility, especially within families and communities. From my cultural background in China, love is often expressed through long-term responsibility, sacrifice, and actions rather than verbal affection, which aligns with both authors’ emphasis on commitment. Based on these readings and my own experiences, I define love as a sustained practice of care and responsibility that supports personal growth and mutual respect.