- What conclusions do you come to based on Bronte's comparisons in "Love and Friendship"?
- What images does "Stars" create as you read it?
- What does the speaker in "Stars" prefer and why?
Love and Friendship
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.
Stars
Ah! why, because the dazzling sun
Restored our Earth to joy,
Have you departed, every one,
And left a desert sky?
All through the night, your glorious eyes
Were gazing down in mine,
And, with a full heart's thankful sighs,
I blessed that watch divine.
I was at peace, and drank your beams
As they were life to me;
And revelled in my changeful dreams,
Like petrel on the sea.
Thought followed thought, star followed star,
Through boundless regions, on;
While one sweet influence, near and far,
Thrilled through, and proved us one!
Why did the morning dawn to break
So great, so pure, a spell;
And scorch with fire the tranquil cheek,
Where your cool radiance fell?
Blood-red, he rose, and, arrow-straight,
His fierce beams struck my brow;
The soul of nature sprang, elate,
But mine sank sad and low!
My lids closed down, yet through their veil
I saw him, blazing, still,
And steep in gold the misty dale,
And flash upon the hill.
I turned me to the pillow, then,
To call back night, and see
Your worlds of solemn light, again,
Throb with my heart, and me!
It would not do--the pillow glowed,
And glowed both roof and floor;
And birds sang loudly in the wood,
And fresh winds shook the door;
The curtains waved, the wakened flies
Were murmuring round my room,
Imprisoned there, till I should rise,
And give them leave to roam.
Oh, stars, and dreams, and gentle night;
Oh, night and stars, return!
And hide me from the hostile light
That does not warm, but burn;
That drains the blood of suffering men;
Drinks tears, instead of dew;
Let me sleep through his blinding reign,
And only wake with you!
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.
Stars
Ah! why, because the dazzling sun
Restored our Earth to joy,
Have you departed, every one,
And left a desert sky?
All through the night, your glorious eyes
Were gazing down in mine,
And, with a full heart's thankful sighs,
I blessed that watch divine.
I was at peace, and drank your beams
As they were life to me;
And revelled in my changeful dreams,
Like petrel on the sea.
Thought followed thought, star followed star,
Through boundless regions, on;
While one sweet influence, near and far,
Thrilled through, and proved us one!
Why did the morning dawn to break
So great, so pure, a spell;
And scorch with fire the tranquil cheek,
Where your cool radiance fell?
Blood-red, he rose, and, arrow-straight,
His fierce beams struck my brow;
The soul of nature sprang, elate,
But mine sank sad and low!
My lids closed down, yet through their veil
I saw him, blazing, still,
And steep in gold the misty dale,
And flash upon the hill.
I turned me to the pillow, then,
To call back night, and see
Your worlds of solemn light, again,
Throb with my heart, and me!
It would not do--the pillow glowed,
And glowed both roof and floor;
And birds sang loudly in the wood,
And fresh winds shook the door;
The curtains waved, the wakened flies
Were murmuring round my room,
Imprisoned there, till I should rise,
And give them leave to roam.
Oh, stars, and dreams, and gentle night;
Oh, night and stars, return!
And hide me from the hostile light
That does not warm, but burn;
That drains the blood of suffering men;
Drinks tears, instead of dew;
Let me sleep through his blinding reign,
And only wake with you!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"love and friendship" this poem really hits home i feel that this poem is about a person with a spouse and a really close friend. i think its saying that the person cant have both a loving realationship and friendship.how can he balance both? how can he keep the relationship alive and show the proper attention and at the same time keep the friendship alive. its like one will always out-shine the other,there will never be balance. so eventually he will have to choose. But which one is more important, which is better? love or friendship? Jasmine Dubose
ReplyDeleteStephanie
ReplyDeleteI think that the author is saying "true friendship lasts forever" Even when we loose ourselves to dark moments and we fall into the bottomless pits of despair, our true friendships are there to help us back to the top of the cliffs, and help us rise from the ashes. It's saying that love is most contant in the spring and friendships seems to fade in the spring but blossom in the winter.
April 26, 2011 9:22 AM
Chayvon: I read Love and Friendship by Emily Bronte. I found it very interesting and relatable, I like how she compared love to the wild rose-briar. When I think of the wild rose-brair I think; intimate, sensual, loving, and romatic. Which usaully associates with a relationship and love. I also like how she compared friendship to the holly tree. When I think of the holly tree I think of; secrete, bond, close, trust, and respect. Which would associate with a friendship.
ReplyDeleteLatisha Cunningham: I read the poem Love and Friendship, from my observation i like how she compares love and frienship to living things. When she compare love to a wild rose briar because it gives me the image that the author is saying that they have a strong bond or is very intiment with one another.. i also got the impression that love comes once in a blue moon but a friendship can last forever. in through the rough times of a relationship a friend is always there to comfort you. RESPOND PLEASE AND THANK YOU
ReplyDeleteDeliet Diawuo: In the stars poem, the speaker seems to find some type of joy in looking at the night sky. The images that the speaker uses such as", "gentle night, and "one sweet influence" make the scene of the poem sound calm and peaceful. The poem to me is like the speaker is dreaming about a night thats not filled with war or chaos but in reality he or she is experiencing some type of pain or societal stress.
ReplyDeleteLatisha, I totally agree with you. True friendship is everlasting, and love comes and goes
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJasmineee: woww you hit it right on the nail, i can honestly say i didnt look at it that way it made me rethink of a poem in a different tone. From the looks out it your observation is basically saying that the author is trying to figure out which is more important in a relationship the love or the friendship. JOB WELL DONE
ReplyDeletejasmine, i tottaly agree . I like the way you described the comparsions in "Love in Friendship" poem and you expressed the meaning of the poem very well. I like the way you think. I was going to read the poem too, but reading your information gave me a better understanding of stars from: jamal thompson
ReplyDeleteDyQuaisha Neita
ReplyDeleteEmily Bronte- Love and Friendship
This Poem is relating love and friendship to nature. Love is the Wild Rose- Briar and Friendship is the holly tree. Friendship is the foundation, the common ground and Love is wat blossoms from the friendship, the relationship, the connection. Thats why love was the rose and friendship was the foundation. It talks about the changes over the different season. I think this symbolizes the ups and downs any relationship has. The poem says "He may still leave thy garland green." I think this shows that even in the end the relationship and memories is still there.
@Jasmine;
ReplyDeleteWhen i read it i didn't see it how u preceived it. But know i see where your coming from. very nice
-Shanice Mosley
Jasmine
ReplyDeleteI think you did great, and I see where you are coming from.
stephanie. Thanks girl, i feel like we both were on the right page with another. this was done by Latisha Cunningham
ReplyDeleteFredo F. Loiseau:
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the poem, she speaks of the star as if it was an actual star in the sky. But as I read, I noticed that she was talking about a person instead of a star. She shows that she admires his presence because he makes her feel good and keep her company and that he also gives her life. She hates the morning because that then he has to leave. In reality, the sun makes it impossible to see the stars so she wants to hide from the sun. That is why she enjoys the night and can’t wait to close her eye and dream of him again. I enjoyed this poem because it was very visual and it shows great love and friendship between two people.
@Jasmine: I love your interpretation, especially the way you connect the need to tend to love and/or friendship with the symbols Bronte has used. The cycles of nature would fit your interpretation because the rose will lose its petals and the holly will shed its leaves.
ReplyDelete@Stephanie: I think you answer the question that Jasmine poses. I also believe that Bronte uses holly as a metaphor for friendship because hollies are evergreens, and roses do not bloom year-round. Very prosaic response.
@Chayvon: Great tone words. The words you have identified defiantly defend your argument about the poem’s mood as well as the comparisons that Bronte makes.
@Latisha: Your response relates to your classmates’ well. I like that you have added your personal mood that the poem’s comparisons give you, such as the intimacy related with caring for living things. You’re welcome!
@Deliet: You pose a legitimate reason why the speaker may prefer the night. I hadn’t thought of possible societal stress, but that would be a good argument to make. The sun, with its burning rays, could represent the thing in her life causing the speaker stress or pain.
@DyQuaisha: I like that you have overlapped the symbols Bronte has used. Your interpretation that the holly tree is the foundation for other life rather than separate from is a good one. You have also made a statement I hadn’t considered relating to memory and how “greenness” can symbolize the lasting nature of memories.
@Fredo: You’re so right! The sun makes it impossible to appreciate all of the stars that we can see at night. This adds a layer of complexity to the interpretations we have come to with this poem. The sun is overpowering in many ways, and the speaker (whether the stars represent a loved one or not) is a character who can appreciate the beauty in the humble and more minute aspects of life.
@Stephanie:I agree with your post. True friendships do last forever through anything. When you said that love is most contant in the spring and friendships seems to fade in the spring but blossom in the winter, I figured it was trying to say that when love is around friendships seem to fade, but whent that love is gone, friendships seem to grow again. So friendships are here to stay while love comes and go.-Chayvon
ReplyDeleteIn the poem "Love and Friendship" the poetic explains how he feels and his input about love and friendship as a whole, he is saying that when love comes friendships often disappear, but if you think about it which one will last the longest. Love is just seasonal and friendship is forever.-Raymond
ReplyDelete@Stephanie I very much so agree with your comment on the poem “Love and Friendship” in my mind he is stating that true friendship last forever.
ReplyDelete@ Chayvon
ReplyDeleteI like how you insinuate what she means when she talks about the different plants and how the different plants make you feel.
@ Chayvon
ReplyDeleteI like how you insinuate what she means when she talks about the different plants and how the different plants make you feel.
-Fredo Loiseau
@Ms. Burton i can agree with you with your response to Dyquaisha, she really did a good job, she also mad me look at the poem in a different way. I can agree with her symbolize with the different seasons, because a relationship changes but as long as you stick it through, thats all that matters
ReplyDelete@Mrs. Burton:
ReplyDeleteJasmine's response to the poem, really made me think and reflect on a relationship I had with another friend. A while back, I had to choose between love and friendship. I had chosen friendship over love, since that friend has always had my back. I made a good choice, because now the guy i liked has moved on and been in trouble alot.
Stephanie
@ Ms. Burton
ReplyDelete>@ Stephanie
You helped me understand what she meant about the evergreens and roses and how the evergreens last all year around but the roses do no bloom when it gets cold.
> @ Fredo
You did a better job at explaining the meaning of the sun than i did.
-Fredo Loiseau