Love and Friendship by Emily Bronte
Love is like the wild rose-briar,
Friendship like the holly-tree --
The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms
But which will bloom most contantly?
The wild-rose briar is sweet in the spring,
Its summer blossoms scent the air;
Yet wait till winter comes again
And who wil call the wild-briar fair?
Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now
And deck thee with the holly's sheen,
That when December blights thy brow
He may still leave thy garland green.
P(Paraphrase)- The message of this poem is related to the nature. Quite a few metaphors have been used in this poem to represent love and friendship. Love is described in a simile as a 'wild rose-briar' and friendship as the 'holly tree'. This poem then goes on to describe the qualities of these two significant 'beauties' in the environment of the nature. The beauty of love is described through the rose-briar, but the stingy sides of love are not excluded from this poem, because it also mentions how when 'winter' comes it suddenly seems to become unappealing. That is when the 'holly tree' steps in, and it seems to describe that if and when the rose-briar sort of loses its appeal, the holly will always be there, more lovely than before. Overall, this poem about love and friendship decscribe the qualities of each, and how friendship will linger when another love has died out.
C(Connotations)- There are similes, like in line 1 and 2, where is says:'Love is like the wild rose-briar,Friendship like the holly-tree --' these similes are an introduction to the poem, to clarify to the reader what each plant symbolizes. So there is symbolism here, because when you think of a rose it's universally known to indicate passion and love, but also anger, blood, and instability. It may be good while it lasts, but this poem shows how passion can also spark negative things. Unlike the rose, the holly is described as green, which seems to be a pleasant colour for people to look at, symbolizing peace and nature. This is appropriate since friendship can be longer-lasting than love in many cases, and there isn't as much emotional turbulence, since genuine friends will always be there to catch each other should they fall, unlike love that may not last. The rhyme scheme is A, B, C, B, D, E, F, E, G, H, G, H. The steady, rhythmic flow of this poem is very nice for the reader to follow along the poem. The reader can also see many of the things described, so there is a lot of imagery involved. For example in lines 10 and 12 there are phrases like 'holly's sheen' and 'garland green' that evoke certain images. Also I noticed the seasons winter and summer have been used in the poem. I assume that Summer represents brightness and optimism in someone's life, since summer is well loved by many for the warmth and happiness it seems to bring. That could represent the happy times in one's love life, when they are blissfully oblivious of things because the lovers are so inlove. Winter has more negative connotations, because it's cold and people are catching the flu and it seems a whole lot drearier than the summer season. So winter could be seen as a unsteady and unhappy phase in someone's life, for example if two lovers have broken up and are devastated about it.
A(Attitude)- The attitude in the poem is mixed, I sense some bitter and hopeful emotions. When the narrator talks about winter, she talks in a somewhat unhappy tone, questioning, "Then scorn the silly rose-wreath now", which clearly indicates her moodyness. But towards the end of the poem she does give lovely descriptions of the holly tree, which leads the reader to feel secure and hopeful about situations where love is involved.
S(Shifts)- There seems to be a significant shift in the last four lines of the poem, which is also the "alternative" part of the rhyme scheme, if that was any indication. The whole poem has a kind of 'pondering' tone, as if the narrator is undecided about if the 'rose-briar' or the holly-tree' is better or more efficient. But when it comes to the last four lines, the phrases are no longer said in questions, but in more definitive statements. This shows that the narrator is being more sure of herself than she was before, and she is kind of 'concluding' her thoughts that were going through her head. The mood after the shift seems a little more confident and optimistic than before, since she seemed to be doubtful of both 'love and friendship' before.
T(Theme)- The theme is love and friendship. The poet has put into the poem a concise interpretation of what love and friendship are like. The reader can clearly depict the similarities and differences. The central message within the theme seems to be that no matter how beautiful love seems to be, it may not always turn out as one may hope. This poem portrays how someone can almost be deceived by the appeal of love, and how significant it is not to forget about strong friendships during that process. It is also shown that love may desert you or become weak and unpassionate, and friendship is more like the steady hand that will keep you still and on your feet during that time. So this poem shows that both love and friendship are important in relationships with others and how they can balance each other out.
T(Title)- I think the title should stay as it is, since it's simple and clear, and shows the main idea for the readers to see.
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