Skip to Content (press Enter/Return)
Essays
Topics
preview

The Expression of Emotion in Robert Burn's A Red, Red Rose

Good Essays
Open Document
“O my luv’s like a red, red rose that’s newly sprung in June” (Lines 1-2). These are the first lines of Robert Burn’s emotional and eloquent poem where he expresses his love for a woman. These first lines of this poem convey a sense of the emotions such as: Euphoria, excitement, and passion. These are a few of the emotions that a man in love expressed in his work, which also reflects in the overall theme of the poem. Another factor that plays an interesting role is how the poem gives of a sense of expectancy; it is as if the author was excited for what the future held. This is entirely contrary to the idea Burn’s critics held, which stated, the poem was only a farewell to someone the poet cared about, and was on his deathbed. This is a notion that seems almost silly to suggest when one analyzes the poem; they would see that it is just a love poem that is comparable to an eloquent love letter. The work absolutely brims with the author’s passion and excitement at what the future held with him and this woman he was deeply attracted too. Burn’s poem is simply an expression of his emotions that he had towards a woman, by use of overblown metaphors and an elegant writing style.
The primary idea that rejects the notion that the author was on his deathbed at the time of this writing is the fact that it is simply too upbeat. The literature also contains an “anticipatory” element in the poem. Also, the overall feeling of the poem is one of extreme happiness and excitement that Burn’s felt at the thought of a future with this woman. This is also reflected in the extensive metaphors used in this poem. The most obvious of these being the first few lines in which Burns compares his love with a newly bloomed flower full of “life”. There are ...

... middle of paper ...

...re used to express the extent of his affection for this woman, and were not meant to instill any type of gloom or sadness, in an otherwise happy, cheerful love poem. The author was just wanting to try and create a powerful, moving, poem using overblown and extensive metaphors, which could easily confuse a reader into to making all sorts of interpretations instead of the intended meaning. This poem both focuses on the eternality of ones love, but also the time that is spent on earth. However, as mentioned earlier, poems are meant to be interpreted how the reader sees fit, in fact poems can sometimes say more about the reader than the author, and this poem is no different. Although, as the reader one should ask themselves; which sounds better and to be more true a poem about man bidding his last farewells to his lover, or poem about the endless joys a new love brings?
Get Access
Related
Get Access