Summary

The poem "A Red, Red Rose" was written by Scottish poet Robert Burns. It's a poetic song about the speaker's undying love for his sweetheart. The poet has created a very vivid and realistic picture of his beloved using literary tricks. It comprises four stanzas in which he expresses his passionate affection.

The speaker compares his girlfriend to a red rose that blooms in June in the opening line. Similarly, he likens her to a melody performed along with the music. The speaker imagines his sweetheart as a lovely, fresh, and delicate red rose in June. He considers her to be the most gorgeous lady in the world, as well as sweet as melody and the newly sprung red rose.

The speaker compliments her attractiveness in the second and third stanzas. He is completely inspired by her, and as a result, he is madly in love with her. He doesn't want to be apart from her. He wants to be in a profound love connection for an extended amount of time. He will adore her till the earth's waters dry up and the rocks melt in the sun. He will adore her till he has blood in his veins.

The speaker mentions temporary separation in the final verse, although he is not overly negative about it. He is quite excited to see her and wishes her a happy life and a successful future. He bids her farewell during their brief separation, but pledges to see her again soon, despite the ten thousand mile travel. He resolves to be with her by overcoming the difficult hurdles. In this poetry, we see the speaker's intense love for his sweetheart. It is poetry of comparison, admiration, hope, and promise

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

a. To which two things does the speaker compare his love in the first stanza?

The speaker compares his love with the tenderness of the freshly sprung rose and the sweetness of the melody played in tune.

b. What does the speaker promise in the second and third stanzas?

In the second stanza he promises that his love will never end and in the third stanza he promises that he will love her until the seas dry up, stones melt and the sand decay.

c. What imagery does he use in his promise, and why do you think he uses such language?

Imagery in poem is used to create visual effect that helps the readers to visualize. He creates the images of dry seas, decaying sand, and melting stone. He uses such language to justify the intensity of his love for his beloved and to make it easy for the readers to connect with his feelings.

d. In the last stanza, what event is about to happen by mentioning the number of miles?

Mentioning of number of miles indicates that the speaker is going away from his beloved for a certain period of time. However, he also promises to return to her and expects that she waits for him.

e. Which image in the poem do you find the most memorable or surprising and why?

The image that I found most memorable and surprising is that he compares his love with the red rose that is freshly sprung in June. I find it surprising because rose is a physical object and love is an abstract feeling. He tries to show similarity in these completely different things.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

a. What do you infer about the speaker's devotion to his beloved from the following lines?

“And I will come again, my love,

Tho' it was ten thousand mile!”

These lines show that the speaker is completely committed to his beloved and he is in love with his beloved so much that even if he is far away from his beloved, he will return to her at any cost. This shows that he loves and will love his beloved more than others and never want to fall in love with someone else in her absence.

b. What is the theme of the poem?

The major theme of the poem is that true love never dies and will remain until apocalypse.

c. Paraphrase the whole poem into simple prose form.

The speaker's beloved is stunning. She is as lovely as a fresh red rose and a well tuned symphony. He is madly in love with her. He will adore her till the waters dry up and the rocks dissolve. He will adore her until the end of time. Because the writer is embarking on a lengthy journey, they will be apart for some time. Yet their love will endure despite their absence. He will undoubtedly return to her one day.

d. Literary devices are tools that enable the writers to present their ideas, emotions, and feelings and also help the readers understand those more profound meanings. Analyze the poem in terms of literary devices such as simile, symbolism, imagery, alliteration, and assonance.

1. Simile:

Similes are used to clarify concepts by comparing an item or person to something else. In a simile, the comparative term 'like' is employed.

For example "My love is like a red red rose". The poet, here, makes comparison of his beloved with the flower rose that is red. Actually, he compares his love with the tenderness of the petal of the rose. Similarly, he says, "O my love is like the melody". By this he compares his love with the soothing sound of any music that only provides happiness.

2. Symbolism:

The use of symbols to represent ideas or attributes is known as symbolism. Symbolism provides a symbolic meaning that is distinct from their literal meanings. In the poem ‘Red rose’ is a flower that is associated with the feeling of love. Not only the texture of the rose indicates tenderness of feeling, but also the color red stands for the blood without which no life is possible.

3. Imagery:

Imagery is the portrayal of anything that can be comprehended using all five senses. In this poetry, the poet employed three (visual) images.

a. "O my love is like a red, red rose": This involves touch and sight.

b. "And the rocks melt wi' the sun!": This involves sense of touch.

c. "While the sands o' life shall run.": This involves the sense of sight.

4. Alliteration:

Consonant sounds are repeated in the same line:

"O my Love is Like a Red Red Rose"

5. Assonance:

Vowel sounds are repeated:

"I will love thee still, my dear".

Here /i/ sound is repeated in 'will', 'still', and ‘dear’.

e. What is hyperbole ? Explain its purpose citing examples of hyperbole used in the poem.

Hyperbole is a device employed to make something appear larger than it is. Overstatement is used by poets to emphasize something through exaggeration. It has a positive impact. Its primary function is to emphasize something or to make a point.

1. "Till a' seas gang dry". This is exaggeration because sea is never going to dry.

2. "And the rocks melt wi' the sun". This is exaggeration because rocks never melt with the heat for sun.

3. “While the sands o’ life shall run.” This is also exaggeration because sand is never going to decay.

f. What is a refrain ? Why is it used in the poem ? Explain citing an example from the poem.

A refrain is a phrase, line, or group of words that is repeated at regular intervals, usually at the conclusion of a stanza. Since it is repeated in the second and third stanzas, the phrase "And I will love thee still, my dear" has become a refrain

REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT

a. What kind of love is expressed in "A Red Red Rose"?

This poem expresses an extremely romantic and passionate love. As the title suggests, the speaker is madly in love with the girl. The phrase "My love is like a scarlet red rose" expresses his affection. His love is eternal and infinite. Whatever happens in the future, it will never vanish. Every image in the poem conveys his undying devotion to her.

b. Do think that love has power? Why do the poets compose poems addressing their beloved?

A strong sense of fondness for someone or something unique is defined as love. To retain this love, one can go to any length. If love teaches us to bear any difficult circumstance in life; it also guides us in the correct route. Love is powerful in every aspect. It has an impact on every aspect of our life. It is not enough to love someone; it is also necessary to demonstrate that affection.

Poets can more readily communicate their feelings via poetry. Other mediums make it harder to portray such sentiments. They address their beloveds in order to forcefully communicate their affection, feelings, or emotions. In this way, they also immortalize their loved ones. Yet, not all of the poems are directed to loved ones.

c. Poetry is the expression of feelings and emotions. Explain.

Poetry is a lovely method to communicate one's ideas and feelings. In Hindi, it is said that the first poetry was written by dipping a pen in tears. 'Tears' clearly reflect emotions in this context. Poetry represents a person's emotional state at a given period.

Poets convey many feelings. They express feelings other than love, such as pain, separation, hatred, desire, happiness, and so on. These are poetry on seasons, fear, and love of country, among other things. Poetry has a strong method of expressing any human feeling. Thus there is no doubt that poetry expresses every human emotion.