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Introduction
Emily Bronte uses her poem “Love and Friendship” to illustrate the essence of the emotions in human beings. She shows how social relations are influenced by friendship and love at different stages of life. In this instance, friendship is prominent to some people, while others view love to be critical in their lives (Lewis). Besides, the two emotions overlap and effect relationships, especially when friends are replaced by newfound love. She argues that people don’t always exhibit the two emotions equally because eventually, one conquers the other (Lewis). However, in most cases, friendship prevails and lasts longer than love. Bronte uses her work to persuade her audience that it is critical to value love and friendship equally. In this instance, people should no pick one over the other because they are both essential. To pass her message effectively, the author uses poetic elements, including symbolism, imagery, and metaphor, to develop the theme of love and friendship in the poem.
Firstly, the narrator uses symbolism severally in the poem to develop the theme of love and friendship. Friendship in the piece is represented by the “holly tree” while the “wild rose-briar” represents love. Bronte uses the introduction to demonstrate the importance of each plant in the poem. Symbolism brings significant and more profound meaning to various aspects of literary works. In the poem, for example, “roses symbolize love due to their beautiful nature and the thorns that make them sharp” (Lewis). Therefore, the author shows that while love is beautiful, it has a negative aspect that causes pain. Besides, roses represent not only love and passion but also instability and anger. Next, the holly tree symbolizes friendship because of its green color that represents life. Therefore, unlike love, which has its downsides friendship, has a strong foundation and can last forever. Besides, while flowers blossom in the summer, they die, leaving no beauty in winter (Bronte). The holly tree, on the other hand, lives in all seasons, even during the coldest months. In essence, the author used symbolism in the text to demonstrate that friendship lasts longer than love.
The other literal element employed by the author in the poem is imagery that creates a picture in the mind of the readers. Authors generate an image in the minds of the audience through the use of human senses such as feeling, vision or seeing, and smelling. For instance, the author uses imagery when she notes that “The wild-rose briar is sweet in the spring” (Bronte). The statement by the author creates a sense of feeling in the minds of the readers. Besides, imagery is used when friendship is compared to the holly tree in the poem. The holly tree is, in this instance, used to illustrate the growth of friendship despite the challenges people face. In the third stanza, she notes that “when December Blights thy brow, He may still leave thy garland green” (Bronte). Thus, friendship is still manageable despite the challenges and other obstacles people face in life. Imagery, in the poem hence persuades readers to admit that bonds cannot be broken easily.
Lastly, the author uses metaphor to develop the theme of friendship and love in the poem. The whole piece by Bronte is primarily a metaphor that paints a picture in the minds of the audience. Metaphor allows the readers to understand the message of the author by following the idea of friendship and love (Lewis). The narrator depicts association as a holly branch, while love is illustrated as a sweet rose-briar. In this instance, because holly is enduring harsh climatic conditions, even friendship will survive the challenges presented by life. The author conclusively demonstrates her ideas and thoughts to the readers using the two concepts.
Ultimately, the author uses poetic elements, including symbolism, imagery, and metaphor, to develop the theme of love and friendship in the poem. Firstly, an analogy is used severally in the piece to establish the idea of love and companionship. Fellowship in the section is represented by the “holly tree” while the “wild rose-briar” represents love. Roses symbolize love due to their beautiful nature and the thorns that make them sharp (Lewis). Therefore, the author shows that while love is gorgeous, it has a negative aspect that causes pain. Next, the holly tree symbolizes friendship because of its green color that represents life. Unlike love, which has its downsides, the bond has a strong foundation and can last forever. Next, authors create an image in the minds of the audience through the use of human senses such as feeling, vision or seeing, and smelling. For instance, the author uses imagery when she notes that “The wild-rose briar is sweet in the spring” (Bronte). The statement by the author creates a sense of feeling in the minds of the readers. Thus, friendship is still manageable despite the challenges and other obstacles people face in life. Imagery, in the poem hence persuades readers to admit that bonds cannot be broken easily.
Works cited
Bronte, Emily Jane. The Complete Poems of Emily Jane Brontë. Columbia University Press, 1996.
Lewis, C. Day. “The Poetry of Emily BrontĂ«.” BrontĂ« Society Transactions 13.2 (1957): 83-99.