A Cognitive Approach to A Dead Rose by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Abstract

The mind of the human being is a highly complex organ that is still under investigation and exploration. A lot has been discovered about its normal functions. Sciences that study matters related to the mind are highly related to concepts, logic, and cognitive linguistics. The goal of cognitive linguistics is to explain how the mind works in matters related to language. Cognitive stylistics is an important branch of cognitive linguistics that takes into consideration the cognitive processes by which readers react to particular aspects of texts. This research aims to analyze the selected poem A Dead Rose by Elizabeth Barrett Browning using a cognitive stylistic approach. The aim is to analyze the poem stylistically using a cognitive approach to reach a better and more comprehensive understanding of the poem. The purpose is to grasp the theme of the poem cognitively. The reason for selecting this particular poem is that it is considered one of the mostfor selecting this particular poem because it is considered one of themost-read pieces of English literature through the ages and it is rich data for such analysis. One of the conclusions arrived at is that the use and repetition of phrases and clauses add to Browning’s writing style, highlighting the brilliant use of language and how she can transfer us as readers to the landmark of the poem. Through this we are able to know that the poem is a love poem where the lover is either the rose or the speaker