Go, Lovely Rose - Poem Analysis

Summary

In this Try Tutors video, the poem 'Go Lovely Rose' by Edmund Waller is explored, highlighting its themes of love, beauty, and the fleeting nature of time. Waller uses the rose as a symbol to convey his message of seizing the day, urging the woman he admires to appreciate her beauty before it fades. The analysis delves into the poem's structure, including its rhyme scheme and the use of imperatives, revealing a calculated argument behind the passionate tone. The video aims to help viewers understand the poem's context, emotional depth, and the poet's historical background, encouraging them to appreciate the art of lyric poetry.

Takeaways

• 📜 'Go, Lovely Rose' is a lyric poem by Edmund Waller, known for its emotion and musicality.
• 🎭 Edmund Waller was an English poet and a member of parliament, with a history involving conspiracy and exile.
• 🌹 The rose in the poem symbolizes love, beauty, romance, and fragility, highlighting the theme of time running out.
• 💌 The speaker sends the rose as a gift to a woman he desires, hoping it will persuade her to reciprocate his feelings.
• 🗣️ Apostrophe is used in the poem, where the speaker addresses the rose as if it could communicate with the woman.
• 🎶 The poem features alliteration, assonance, and a rhyme scheme (a b a b b), contributing to its lyrical quality.
• 📝 Each stanza of the poem gives the rose instructions on what to convey to the woman, drawing comparisons to her beauty.
• 🕊️ The poem suggests that beauty is wasted if unappreciated, likening the woman's beauty to a rose that dies unnoticed.
• 🌅 The final stanza emphasizes the fleeting nature of beauty and the urgency to seize the moment, with a dramatic pause indicated by an exclamation mark.
• 📚 The poem's themes include seizing the day (Carpe diem), obsession, infatuation, time, mortality, and the celebration of physical beauty.
• 📉 The mood is passionate, and the tone varies from brazen and assertive to confident and, at times, slightly threatening.

Q & A

Who is the poet Edmund Waller?

Edmund Waller was an English poet born in 1606 and died in 1687. He was known for writing lyric poems filled with emotion and musicality and was also a member of parliament from a young age. He was involved in a conspiracy, exiled, and narrowly avoided the death sentence.

What is the main theme of the poem 'Go, Lovely Rose'?

The main theme of 'Go, Lovely Rose' is the celebration of beauty and the concept of seizing the day. The poem uses the rose as a symbol to represent love, beauty, romance, and fragility, emphasizing the transient nature of beauty and the importance of appreciating it before it fades.

What is the significance of the rose in the poem?

The rose in the poem symbolizes love, beauty, and romance, but also represents fragility and mortality, as roses are known to die quickly after being harvested. This symbolizes the theme of running out of time and the need to appreciate beauty while it lasts.

What literary device is used when the speaker addresses the rose as if it were a person?

The literary device used when the speaker addresses the rose as if it were a person is called apostrophe. This figure of speech personifies the rose, giving it the ability to communicate and carry a message to the woman the speaker admires.

What is the purpose of the speaker sending the rose to the woman in the poem?

The speaker sends the rose to the woman as a gift and a message. He hopes that through the rose, he can convey his admiration and desire to be with her, and that the rose's beauty and transient nature will convince her to seize the moment and reciprocate his feelings.

What is the structure of the poem 'Go, Lovely Rose'?

The structure of 'Go, Lovely Rose' includes a rhyme scheme of a b a b b, with alternating short and long lines that rhyme together. The poem uses imperatives to create a commanding and demanding tone, reflecting the speaker's calculated argument for why the woman should be with him.

What is the tone of the poem?

The tone of the poem is passionate, brazen, blunt, assertive, confident, and at times, frustrated and threatening. The speaker's tone reflects his strong desire and the urgency of his message.

What is the mood of the poem?

The mood of the poem is one of infatuation and lust, with an undercurrent of frustration due to the woman's apparent rejection of the speaker's advances.

What is the message the speaker hopes the woman will understand from the dying rose?

The speaker hopes that when the woman sees the rose die, she will understand the mortality of her own beauty and be motivated to seize the moment, appreciating and acting on her beauty while it is still vibrant.

How does the poem use repetition to emphasize its themes?

The poem uses repetition of phrases like 'sweet and fair' and 'how small a part of time' to emphasize the transient nature of beauty and the urgency to appreciate it. This repetition creates cohesion and reinforces the poem's themes.

What is the significance of the poem's title 'Go, Lovely Rose'?

The title 'Go, Lovely Rose' is significant as it sets the stage for the poem's narrative. It introduces the rose as the messenger and the central symbol, and the imperative 'Go' reflects the speaker's command for the rose to carry his message to the woman.