Form, structure and language
Form
Love and Friendship is written in three A stanza in poetry consisting of a group of four lines.. This straightforward grouping of sets of four lines is one of the simplest and most recognisable poetic forms.
Structure
The poem has three Lines of poetry that make up a section; a verse.. The first and second stanza have the pattern abcb, although in the second stanza the first and third lines have a half-rhyme in ‘spring’ and ‘again’. The final stanza uses full-rhymes and a clear abab pattern. In this way the rhyme scheme seems to mirror the changes that happen in romantic love; starting from something new and unusual and then fading to something routine.
Similarly the rhythm of the poem becomes steadier as the stanzas progress. The first stanza, when the rose is introduced, uses an irregular rhythm, perhaps reflecting the excitement of new love. The second stanza becomes more even and by the final stanza a regular rhythm is established, again reflecting the routine nature love can fade into.
At the end of the first two stanzas a question is posed. The first, ‘But which will bloom most constantly?’ asks whether love or friendship is more constant. The second, ‘And who will call the wild-briar fair?', marks a turning point in the poem, when love is challenged. Although the poem asks questions, these seem definitively answered in the final stanza where friendship and its symbol, the holly tree, are celebrated for their durability. Although the first line of the poem deals with love, the final line is about friendship, emphasising its lasting nature.
Language
The vocabulary in this poem is simple:
- Many of the words in this poem are A word consisting of a single sound. consisting of just one sound. The speaker seems very direct and uncomplicated.
- Producing a hissing sound like that of 's' or 'sh'. runs through the poem with the repeated ‘s’ sound. This seems to emphasise the sweetness of the rose at first, and then later highlights the scornful rejection of it.
- The holly tree is A type of imagery in which non-human objects, animals or ideas are given human characteristics. in the final line with the personal pronoun ‘He’, which suggests that there is a human friend alluded to by the poet.
- The poem is superficially straightforward in structure and vocabulary, however the use of A metaphor (where one thing is represented by another - eg hope as a seed) that is developed or recurs throughout a text. and a shifting rhyme scheme offer a depth to the poem and its meaning.