Poetry is important piece of
literature that allows people to create meaning to things. Each line signifies
an important event or relationship to the overall theme of the poem. Also,
poetry uses different literary techniques to provide a deeper context and
emphasize on intended messages. Using the poem of Robert Burns ‘A Red, Red
Rose’ I believe that the poem is about the enduring love of a person. This essay seeks to show the ability of the literary
piece to portray a theme of love, effective use of connotation/denotation,
character development and appropriate use of figures of speech.
Portraying the
Theme of Love
My first impression of the poem is that it
gives readers an idea of how the persona shows affection and love for a
specific person. It shows the passion and commitment of the character to express
this particular feeling to his/her significant other. Using the poem, the best
part that can describe the feelings of love and passion comes from the second
stanza of the poem. Here, Burns provide that “As fair thou, my bonnie lass, So
deep in luve am I, And I will luve thee still my dear, Till a’ the seas gang
dry” (1). Based from this quote, one can clearly examine the love of the person
that is enduring and lasting. Specifically, the use of the phrase ‘Till a’ the
seas gang dry’ (Burns, 1) is a good way to show that the person will love his
significant other forever.
Effective Use of
Connotation/Denotation
Another way that the poem portrays the
theme of love is how Robert Burns uses connotation/denotation. In this part,
the poem is pretty simple in describing the feeling of the person to another.
However, there are specific lines in the piece that have a different meaning.
One example would be the last line in the second stanza where it says, “Till a’
the seas gang dry’ (Burns, 1). Though it may be a possibility that seas run
dry, it does not specifically relate to the theme of the poem. If one would
closely analyze the particular stanza, it would show that this line serves as a
description about how much the person loves the other because it would take a
long time for the seas to dry out.
Another example of
connotation/denotation can be seen from the last line of the fourth stanza.
Here, the poem says that ‘Tho’ it were ten thousand mile’ (Burns, 1). Again,
this can be achieved by people but it would take a long time in doing so.
Relating this to the literary piece, Burns emphasizes that the persona would
come back regardless of the distance apart. Arguably, both examples of
connotation/denotation complement the poem’s ability to portray love because it
shows the extent that the person would make in order to be with the one she
loves.
Character
Development
The poem also allows readers to identify
the feelings of the character. Specifically, Burns tries to create the
impression of a persona who needs to profess love. The emotions and passion
remains to be overflowing as the individual tries to explain his feelings
through the use of descriptions. However, after admitting his feelings to the
significant other, the character mentions that he/she has to leave. In the last
stanza, he provides no reason why he/she has to leave but just gives a promise
that he/she will come back. Using this explanation, character development
happens when the persona has to endure the difficulty of leaving the person
he/she loves after his admission of what he/she feels.
Figures of Speech
Lastly, the poem also shows enduring love
through the use of the figures of speech. Looking closely, the first line of
the poem is an example of a simile. Specifically, the line “O my Luve’s like a
red, red rose” (Burns, 1) shows that the person compares his/her significant
other to a rose. Similarly, a simile can also be seen in the third line where
Burns mentions that “O my Luve’s like the melodie” (1). Now, the persona is
trying to compare the person to melody due to the sweetness of his/her voice.
Another example of figures of speech
used in the poem is hyperbole. This means that Burns uses exaggeration in order
to provide emphasis about the feelings and sentiments of the character in the
poem. To show this, one can look into the first and second lines of the third
stanza. Specifically, it mentions the lines “Till a’ the seas gang dry, my
dear, And the rocks melt wi’ the sun” (Burns, 1). Clearly, it would be
difficult for rocks to melt and the seas to dry. That is why the context that
Burns uses in this piece aims to show the deep emotions that the character has
over the other person.
Conclusion
Overall, the poem ‘A Red, Red Rose’ by
Robert Burns talks about the enduring love of a person to another. Using
different features, I was able to identify how love is portrayed. Through the
use of theme, Burns is able to show how this feeling is frequently mentioned in
the poem. Denotation/Connotation was also used to bring a deeper perspective on
the emotions felt. Also character development and figure of speech add deepness
to the feelings of the persona. It is through these elements that I am able to
appreciate the struggles of the character particularly in being with the one
he/she loves.
Work Cited
Burns, Robert. ‘A Red, Red Rose’ Poem Hunter. Web Available from
<http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-red-red-rose/>
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