My Love is Like a Red Rose Essay -- Robert Burns Poetry Literature Ess

Life is like A Red Rose This is the loveliest lyrical song of all time for Robert's wife - Jean Armour. It is widely known for not only its emotional significance bur its perfect form as well. Robert Burns opens this poem with a traditional comparison:"Oh my love is like a red red rose" Up to now, "rose" is considered the symbol of love. In this case, rose "is newly sprung in June", we can understand that his love is always at the starting point. Robert uses his rose with the meaning that it is very strong and passionate. In the second comparison, the poet shares, "the melodie" that "sweetly played in tune": "Oh my love is like the melodie" This is the conventional comparison that evolves the hearing sense of the beats of two hearts of those who are in love. This sounds very harmonious and is played sweetly in tune. The next stanza is begun with an inversion in the first and second lines to emphasize Robert's love becomes deeper and deeper. " So fair art thou, my bonnie lass So deep in love am I" The first speciality of this poem is the end of the second stanza and the beginning one of the third stanza are the same:" ...Till a'the seas gand dry" and "Till a'the seas gang dry, my dear..." Here is the link of the poem and also the continuing love Robert Burns has. There are two exaggerated images proving the poet's passionate and deep love: "Till a'the seas gang dry, my dear, and the rocks melt wi'the sun." The seas are so broad to get dry an...

Waiting for the phone call

The room is stuffy. It has a gaudy lino floor with pattern rubbed away in front of the sofa and round the table; the walls are damp and cluttered with old calendars and pictures torn from magazines. There is a rotten stench. The mantelpiece by the fireplace is filled with china ornaments: big-eyed flop-eared rabbits and beribboned kittens and flowery milkmaids and a porcelain doll wearing a Victorian dress and her long, golden hair in two neat plaits. The room is silent; except for the steady paced ‘tick-tock' from the ancient Grand-father clock. It is Dorothy's birthday, 12th August. She is hunched up on her old tacky sofa on an early August morning. Dorothy is startled by birdsong echoing across the garden outside and, for a long time, she stares in confused remembrance towards where the swelling orange sun is burning the faded floral wallpaper across from her old-fashioned table. ‘It's my birthday,' she finally realises. ‘I'm seventy-six today. Where did it go?' Climbing painfully from a lumpy sofa, standing in a striped night dress by the window, Dorothy stares outside in her back garden. There's much too be done. Later. Much later. These days it's all weed killing, backache and sore bones. ‘It's my birthday.' Dorothy's cat slithers past a glass sharp wall and drops beside its shadow under an apple tree, stalking anxious sparrows. Under the broken birdhouse a mouse plays with a nibble of yesterday's bread. Shadows shrink in bright shyness against all the garden fences and the last star melts into dawn rise. There's heat in the breathless August day already. Dorothy sits in her kitchen. Silent. The house, holding its breath around her, the roof heavy and oven baked. Dorothy's thick veined hands brush toast crumbs from the plastic tabletop and when she moves her faded dainty feet dust dances giddily on the sun patched carpet. She listens to the awakening of the new day: the clock on the dresser ticks hurriedly and the letter box snaps awake. Dorothy walks to the hall and picks up bills and ads that promise discounts and holidays abroad, Dorothy has never been out of England, never been on a plane. Her tired eyes examine the envelopes at arm's length. There are no birthday cards to sigh over – Not even from her family! Returning to the familiar kitchen she slides a knife along her letters, slitting out the folded information. It's better than nothing. Even if the electricity is red and overdue – At least, they keep in touch. No longer absorbed in her letter opening task Dorothy looks at the sunlight shining blindly on her glazed, brown teapot and then she pours some lukewarm tea. She sits and thinks about birthdays back then – Cakes and drinks, songs and celebrations and her precious beloved family members spending time with her on her special day. Back when. ‘Time flies,' she says. She's talking to herself most days – who else will listen? Up in the still shadowed parlour a clock chimes the hour and Dorothy rises tiredly and prepares to face the day. She stumbles into the living room and looks up to the mantelpiece. No birthday cards – Only a picture of her and her adorable grandchildren, Steven and Carol. Her eyes close. She becomes delirious with dreaming†¦ Carol skipping up the lawn with a small straw basket, picking up little daisies and carefully placing them in the basket. Steven, being 2 years old, filling the bird house with crunchy treats awaiting the magpies to glide in. Dorothy is stood under the apple tree, tip-toeing up and grabbing fresh, ripe apples for her relatives. Carol and Steven run over to Dorothy and wrap their arms tightly around her as if they were to never let go†¦ Dorothy smiles and wishes she could still feel their small hands around her waist, grabbing securely. She dresses and walks to the front door and checks the windows and the bolts and all's secure. When the night time house creaks with its own age, Dorothy thinks of burglars and imagined violations and trembles in case they invade her. Dorothy swings open the front door and sees Carol and Steven stands there, smiling like sunlight. ‘Happy birthday Grandmother!' No longer astonished, Dorothy smiles back and sighs because they aren't really there. Her head sinks and she wonders back to living room. She notices the phone on the table. She slides over to it. Gently picks it up to check if the dial tone is there – she is reassured and drops it down. No phone calls. No phone messages. No birthday cards. She collapses into her tacky sofa. When she turns on the television the news assaults her soul. The world is littered with dead children and pain. The world has gone mad with cruelty and nobody seems to have noticed. It was different back in her day, when children could go out and play happily on the street without anybody worrying that someone would come abruptly attack them. Back when. She is startled by the sharp ringing of the phone. Her heart is pounding – could this be the phone call she has been waiting for all day? Is this her treasured family? She reaches over and clasps the phone. ‘Hello?' she asks waiting urgently for answer. ‘Hello. My name is Abigail Taylor calling on behalf of†¦' the woman replied. Dorothy slowly lowers the handset and replaces it back in the holder. She stands there paralysed. A tiny tear drop trickles down her wrinkly skin. She felt so much pain it was as if someone had stabbed her millions of times in the heart. What is the point of living if there is nobody who even knows you exist? The Grandfather clock strikes six in the evening. She strolls back to the photo of her with her grandchildren. Dorothy bursts out in tears – her eyes sore and red and waterfalls of tears flowing down her face. She picks up the photo and holds it against her broken heart. Dorothy still hopes to get that special phone call from her much-loved grandchildren.

John Donne - 1376 Words

John Donne is the name in English Literature who gave new direction to the literary activities of his age. He is in a sense founded the metaphysical lyric, which was practiced by scare of writers. As Dowden says, â€Å"We are told that in the decline of the greater poetry of the Elizabethan period, a metaphysical school arose and that John Donne was the founder or the first eminent member of this school.† John Donne set up a new tradition in versification by and large Donne must be regarded as an original poet, â€Å"a poet who gave much more than what he borrowed from his age.† The word â€Å"metaphysical† has been defined by various writers differently. The learned critics feels that â€Å"metaphysical poetry† is inspired by a philosophy,†¦show more content†¦Then comes a conceit which also expresses the passion of the lovers: SHE’S ALL STATES, AND ALL PRINCES I; NOTHING ELSE IS. The most striking and famous one is the comparison of man who travels and his beloved who stays at home to a pair of compasses in ‘A Valediction Of Forbidding Mourning’. Here soul of the beloved is like the fixed foot of compasses as by her inborn nature she stays at home whereas the soul of the lover is like the other foot of compasses which moves beyond the center to complete a circle of journey. IF THEY BE TWO, THEY ARE TWO SO AS STIFF TWIN COMPASSES ARE TWO, THY SOUL THE FIX FOOT, MAKES NO SHOW TO MOVE, BUT (DOTH) IF THE OTHER DOE. In The Relique, John Donne imagines himself lying in a grave as a skeleton with the undeniable token of spiritual love in the sphere of his beloved’s bright lock of hair forming a bracelet about his wriste borne and because of their great love, he and his beloved will be honored like saints, ALL WOMEN SHALL ADORE US, AND SOME MEN. Another feature is the use of colloquial speech which marks the metaphysical poetry. In John Donne’s poems, the vigor of colloquialism is especially apparent in the abrupt, conversational opening of many of his poems. He selected colloquial diction which has vigor, freshness and originality. He discarded literary words and phrases which became rusty because of repetition. Another characteristic of metaphysical poetryShow MoreRelatedEssay on John Donne1928 Words   |  8 PagesJohn Donne John Donne had a rich life full of travel, women and religion. Donne was born in 1572 on Bread Street in London. The family was Roman Catholic which was dangerous during this time when Catholicism was being abolished and protestant was taking over. Donne’s farther was an iron monger who died in 1576. At 11 Donne and his younger brother went to university and studied there for three years then he went to Cambridge for a further three years. He left without any degrees becauseRead More Biography of John Donne Essay3729 Words   |  15 PagesBiography of John Donne John Donne was an English poet and probably the greatest metaphysical poets of all time. He was born in 1572 to a Roman Catholic family in London. His father died when John was young leaving his mother Elisabeth to raise him and his siblings. Throughout Donne’s life his experiences with religion were full of trials and tribulations, something that can be clearly seen in his poetry over time. He remained Catholic early in life while he attended both Oxford and CambridgeRead MoreJohn Donne Poetry Analysis2693 Words   |  11 PagesJohn Donne Poetry Essay The metaphysical poets were segregated in the seventeenth century to form a new and distinct style of poetry that employed immaculate wit, complex metaphors and luminous imagery. John Donne’s poetry is no exception to the form and thematic volume of the metaphysicals. Donne explores ideas in a manner which some readers find confronting and enlightening through relentless use of metaphysical conceits and his direct address to an individual or god. Donne confronts and enlightensRead MoreMetaphysical Poetry By John Donne1590 Words   |  7 Pagesgot involved in metaphysical poetry like: Samuel Johnson who wrote his book which is known as ‘’Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets’’, Henry Vaughan, Andrew Marvel, Richard Crashaw, George Herbert and finally who was the main founder, John Donne. John Donne (1572 - 1631), the founder of the Metaphysical school of poetry, lived and wrote during the succeeding reigns of Elizabeth I, James 1 and Charles I. His early life was passed in dissipation and roguery, much occupied with secret love-makingRead MoreMetaphysical Poetry of John Donne1441 Words   |  6 PagesKirsten Furnish AP Literature Mrs. Hendricks November 1, 2012 Literary Analysis of John Donne This examination of John Donne’s metaphysical poetry includes analysis of Donne’s use of topic, structure, scansion, style and theme. John Donne is known as one of the best writers of metaphysical poetry, a genre of poetry that is characterized specifically by themes of knowledge, intellect, and having a somewhat unrecognizable meter or rhyme. Metaphysical poetry forsakes pure and genial nature of otherRead MoreJohn Donne And George Herbert942 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Donne and George Herbert are two metaphysical poets that lived in the United Kingdom around the 17th century. Although they are almost a generation apart in age, both poets showcase an unbelievable amount of comparison in their poems. Each of these poets has written about their life experiences from troubling times to love and compassion. Though they share similar backgrounds, each poet has a unique style that shows a great amount of symbolism, irony and spirituality. The poems EasterRead MoreSonnet 116 And John Donne1059 Words   |  5 Pages William Shakespeare’s â€Å"Sonnet 116† and John Donne’s â€Å"A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning† similarly explore the theme of everlasting true love. However, both poems differ in rhyme scheme, techniques, and meaning. The poets use these tools to convey to the reader that everlasting true love does in fact exist. Although both speak so passionately about said love, only the speaker of Donne’s poem has actually experienced it. While both poems explicate eternal true love, their rhyme scheme differencesRead MoreDeath Be Not Proud By John Donne1329 Words   |  6 Pagesthe insignificance of death as a state in Donne’s time. However, this value does not transcend to our modern existential contexts, as epitomised in W;t, where death, seen as a terrifying fate, is the end of everything. Through irony and wit, we see Donne finally dismissed death, â€Å"Death, thou shalt die.† Consequently, we see how, through Donne’s context, the perennial issue of death is ridiculed and disempowered. In contrast to Donne’s poetry we see how the transition through time of sociologicalRead MoreDeath Is Inevitable By John Donne Essay1560 Words   |  7 PagesMeditations XVII by John Donne, the speaker talks about how everyone has a path in life and God is the one that decides who dies and who doesn t. By many, death is seen with fear, anger, denial, and grieve. In the poem, I Felt a Funeral in My Brain by Emily Dickinson, the speaker appears to be losing her mind and uses funeral as a metaphor; a representation of the speaker s emotions dying. For me, death is a way for a person to start a new chapter. Perhaps even a better â€Å"life†. John Donne was an EnglishRead MoreJohn Donne s A Fever1270 Words   |  6 Pagesmetaphysical poet, John Donne is known for use of strange paradoxical imagery, complicated thought, and questioning the nature of the reader’s reality. In the sonnet, â€Å"A Fever,† Donne explores an unusual and complex love that he has for a woman. Throughout this poem Donne makes use of the contrasting themes of love and hate. While some might this consider this unusually, Donne’s use of the contrasting themes of love and hate show that the love a woman can give purpose to a man’s existence. Donne begins his