Sometimes I wonder which one remains most constantly. Is It Love? Or is It Friendship? Emily saw friendship remain constant. I will recommend ‘Love and Friendship’ by Emily Bronze to people who are in love because this poem will give feedback for them. In this poem, Bronze symbolisms love as a wild rose-briar and friendship as a holly-tree by using similes. I believe that the poet used similes well. She referred love and friendship to plant in line 1 and 2 ‘Love is like the wild rose- briar,’ and ‘Friendship like the holly tree. It helps me understand what the poet anted to say by referring plant. The wild rose-briar normally blooms in spring and withers in winter. When it blooms, it looks sweet, beautiful and fragrant with the scent In the air. After It withers, the wild rose-briar no longer stays beautiful. I think that it indicates if the love between two lovers blooms, it will be beautiful and sweet for a moment, but It will break up soon. I wondered why she expressed it Like that because she was poor and her life was so difficult, so she might not have enough time and opportunities.
On the other hand, the holly-tree is late blooming and not as dutiful as the wild rose-briars, but it stays alive much longer than the rose-briar. I think that states making a true friend may take a long time and may not as beautiful as love, but I can lean on true friend when I take some doing, and the friendship between the true friends stays longer than love constantly. However, I found there Is a contradiction in this poem. Bronze did not seem to have made any friend outside her family.
Thus, I considered friendship in this poem might mean between siblings, not between friends because she composed many poetries with her sisters. I also lived that the poet used the connotation well. It helped me guess what the poem Is showing the message or Idea approximately. In line 10 and 12 ‘And deck thee with the holly sheen,’ and ‘He may still leave thy garland green,’ the poet used colors to connote. I guessed holly sheen and garland green both mean the friendship.
I also noticed there is another connotation in this poem that the wild rose-briars indicates spring and the holly tree Indicates winter. They are opposite seasons, which show love and friendship are opposite. Summer has positive image, which gives a warm ND a happy Image, so the love will be happiness In lovers’ life for a moment as the rose-briar blooms for a moment, but the lovers will break up in a moment and the love becomes coldness as the rose-briar withers In winter, Winter universally provides a cold image but we use heaters in our house in winter which gives a warm image to me.
So I think a true friend who we can lean on makes us feel warm and snug. In line 3 the holly is dark when the rose briar blooms’ by using contrasting colors, dark and pink. I think dark means a true friend stays alone, so this sentence ay show two people turn against their true friends when they are In love. As she said friendship stays longer, I think the poet might want us not to turn against our true friends when we are In love.
When I was reading ‘Love and Friendship’, the main image that I got was a garden which has the rose-briars, the holly tree and other flowers In spring season. I Imaged it because of the words the wild rose-briar’, the holly tree’ and the wild rose briar is sweet in spring. ‘
