A Red, Red Rose论文：Figures of Speech in “A Red, Red Rose”.doc

A Red, Red Rose论文：Figures of Speech in “A Red, Red Rose” abstract “a red, red rose”, one of robert burns’ masterpieces, is famous for its beautiful language. within only 16 lines, a variety of rhetorical figures, simile, repetition, hyperbole, alliteration, inversion, metaphor, parallelism, verbal symbol included, are used to offer the most wonderful interpretation of the eternal theme ——love. key words “a red, red rose” figures of speech robert burns, a best-known scottish poet, is chiefly remembered for his works written in scots language with a wide rang of subjects, natural beauty, and pure emotion. among his masterpieces, “a red, red rose” is the most famous one. short as this poem is in size, we utterly touch by the poet’s deepest affection to his love. after reading the 16 lines several times, we can easily find that the successful description can be attributed to the use of various figures of speech. according to the book english rhetoric, “figurative language speaks indirectly and involves expressed or implied comparisons of some sort. such comparisons are called figures of speech, and the language in which they are expressed is called figurative language”. in that 16-line poem, the poet uses many kinds of rhetorical methods to express his strong emotion to his love, arousing readers’ sympathy. i will show some instances as follow. the first one is simile. as samuel johnson puts it, “a simile, to be perfect, must both illustrate and ennoble the subject, must show it to be understanding in a clearer view and display it to the fancy with greater dignity.” as one of the most common figures, simile is used in this poem on many occasions. “o, my luve’s like a red, red rose, /that’s newly sprung in june.” at the very beginning, comparing his lover to a red rose, a symbol of love and passion, the poet declares his love right at the outset. meanwhile, from this comparison, we find that in the poet’s heart, the appearance of his lover is as delicate and charming as