In this case, the simile is used to make the abstract idea more tangible and more material for the reader so that when the reader sees a red rose he/she would remember the emotion of love, or in some cases, it may be the other way around. In the beginning of the poem, the simile, “Oh my luve is like a red, red rose, / That’s newly sprung in June:” (1-2) for instance likens love which is an abstract emotion to a rose. Similes are identified with the signal words “like” and “as”, and these figures of speech are normally used in poetry to liken an abstract concept to a concrete representation. In Robert Burns’ “A Red, Red Rose” there is a profusion of similes and hyperboles to intensify the emotion of love in the poem. However, these tools should not be used without purpose otherwise, a piece of poetry becomes more confusing because figures of speech, when used appropriately, serve to make poetry less ambiguous and more accurate in conveying the intentions of the poet. Figures of speech are very effective means of conveying emotion in poetry.
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