Identify the theme of "A Red, Red Rose".Briefly discuss how 2-3 elements of literature discussed in this discussion activity help to develop the theme you have identified.

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Ashley Kannan eNotes educator| Certified Educator

Technically put, the only person who could answer this poem would be you or the individual who has understood the "discussion activity."  These two words help to cast a great deal of light on the individual who was present during the activity and can bring what was discussed there to the question.  Anyone outside of this setting can give input, but the stipulation of being able to relate it to the "discussion activity" limits almost all answers.  Having said that, I think you can find multiple examples of elements of literature in Burns' poem.  The opening lines are an example of a simile, in that there is a direct comparison between one's love and the rose that blooms in June.  Another element of literature used is Burns' imagery.  He uses images such as "seas" and "sands o' life" to convey the experiences of love that are experienced by the speaker.

James Kelley eNotes educator| Certified Educator

The post by akannan is right; your question asks for something very specific, and we can't fully answer it because we don't know what was covered in the discussion activity. What we can do, of course, is run through a few elements of literature that are present in Robert Burns' poem "A Red, Red Rose" that may also have been discussed in the activity.

In addition to the elements identified by akannan, you may be able to talk about any of the following:

 1. Form: The poem has form or, more specifically, a regular rhyme, meter, line length, and (ballad) stanza structure.

2. Speaker: The poem clearly has someone (the speaker) talking directly to someone else.

3. Hyperbole: The poem is full of impossible exaggerations.