Question

Love is like the wild rose-briar, Friendship is like the holly-tree— The holly is dark when the rose-briar blooms But which will bloom most constantly? The wild rose-briar is sweet in spring, Its summer blossoms scent the air; yet wait till winter comes again And who will call the wild-briar fair? What clues do these supporting details provide about the poem's main idea?

Answer 1

These supporting details reveal the speaker of the poem thinks friendship is more constant than love.

Step-by-step explanation:

The excerpt we are studying here was taken from Emily Bronte's "Love and Friendship". In this poem, the speaker compares love to a wild-briar, while friendship is likened to a holly-tree. Love, like the rose-briar, is intense. Its scent fills the air, and it blooms beautifully, but as soon as winter comes, it perishes. Winter is a metaphor for difficulties. In the speaker's opinion, love does not survive hardship. On the other hand, like a holly-tree, friendship lasts. It may not be as attractive as a rose-briar, but it is constant, and does not die during winter. Friendship is, therefore, more constant than love, and that is the main idea of the poem.