Red Rose By Robert Burns example essay topic

Love can be described as having genuine affection towards someone. Whether it be a family member or your soulmate, love comes in many shapes and forms. Love is also defined as timeless and infinite. In the poem "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns, there is many connotations about love. Throughout the poem the speaker symbolizes his love for someone. He uses various metaphors to get his point across about how he feels about this particular person.

However, what makes this poem differ from other common love poems is that it emphasizes how the author leaves but will still always love the other person thus making love endless. Robert Burns was born in Scotland, January 25th, 1759. He was the son of William Burns, or Burness, at the time on the banks of the Doon in Ayrshire. He married Jean Armour whose father did not approve of their marriage. They moved all over England and finally ended up in Dumfries where he died at thirty-eight. Historians believe that the poem 'A Red, Red Rose' emerged from the difficulties Jean Armour's father had of their marriage.

Regardless of her father's disapproval, he wed her and created an ageless poem of his love towards her. 'A Red, Red Rose' uses various similes and metaphors to describe love. Love is conveyed through a rose. The color "red" is also a symbol of passion and love. In lines 3 and 4 Burns is compelled again to write another metaphor about his love. This time he compares her to a melody from a song.

This is, however, a temporary beauty since a melody eventually ends. In the second stanza he believes that his love will last forever. The line "tell a' the seas gang dry" (Burns 1401) does not put a limit of time in his love. The probability that this would happen is next to impossible making his love continuous.

Lines 9 through 11 also convey the same message as lines 5 through 8. His love will last until "the rocks melt wi' the sun" (Burns 1401) Burns emphasizes again the fact that his love will never end. This reiteration tells readers that he truly loves this person and that he will not stop loving this person until the end of time. The final stanza has multiple meanings. He could mean that their love is separated above or beyond the sands of time. This shows that love will last forever and won't change because of time.

On the other hand, he seems to emphasize the fact that the sands are running, or running out of time, such as an hourglass. Lines 13 through 16 seem to shift away from his love, assuring her that he will be true and will return. David Kelly, an acclaimed critic, teaches creative writing. He examines the idea of simplicity in "A Red, Red Rose".

He says that the poem is "a declaration of love, particularly a vow, on occasion of leaving to keep love alive". (159) This explains that love, no matter how strong it is, needs space to keep it thriving. However, even with the space and departure of a love, true love will always return in the end. Burns' promise displays that love can withstand anything that life throws at them even a large separation. Kelly also believes that Burns talks like someone in love. His language is hyperbolic: he appears to think in extremes, like lovers do.

(160) This shows that the Burns' love is strong but may be overwhelming and over the top. In the beginning stages of a relationship, love can be over exaggerated. Eventually, however, reality sets in. A large obstacle such as a separation between lovers can test the love between two people. If at the end love returns (as Burns' vows in the poem), it is true love. Kelly has a theory that you need to understand more in depth Burns' poems.

(161) One needs to put more understanding into reading his poems. This is true because you need to understand it fully to appreciate the poem's beauty. Burns' may not be speaking of a physical separation in his poem but a separation in death. (161) In this case, Burns' love will always remain with her even in death. In the poem "A Red, Red Rose" by Robert Burns is a series of comparisons that are intriguing in their own right. Burns' expression of love is strong in a sense where it can stand any dividing life decides to give them.

It's the devotion that drives the poem home as a personal note of dedication and an expression of timeless love.

Bibliography

Burns, Robert. "A Red, Red, Rose". The Norton Anthology English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams. New York: Norton. 2001.
877-903. Draper, James, ed. World Literature Criticisms. Michigan: Gale Research Inc. 1992.