Freudian psychoanalysis is all about unconscious drives, fears, desires, and neuroses; note how the worm in this poem is invisible, flies in the night, and possess a love which is dark and secret. The use of symbolism is vital to the poem, with the two most significant being the rose and the worm. I have read a dozen of online and offline resources and will try to throw light on most of the themes which can be drawn from this poem. We’ve offered some tips for writing a brilliant English Literature essay here. With only two stanzas, each made up of four short lines, the entirety of the poem can be read very quickly. During his lifetime, Blake was held in low regard and often criticised, however today his work is seen as being a key starting point for the overall Romantic movement, and influences many poets and artists today. The poet is in conversation with a Rose, which is the symbol of beauty. The poet says that the rationality and the freedom of doing whatever one desires are like a worm which flies in the night (sex is more common during the night). The rose is sick, and the poem implies that love is sick as well. It is also an accessible introduction to the Romantic movement, helpful for students who may find the challenge of analysing poetry from two hundred years ago daunting. ‘The Sick Rose’ is easy enough to summarise.
But the poem isn't just about any old death; it's about a very strange kind of death associated with "love."
Till upon the altar white, Vomiting his poison out This indicates to a reader that the key themes of this poem are likely to be along these lines. Its power comes from our ideas about language such as: ‘sick' ‘worm' ‘howling storm' ‘thy bed of dark crimson joy' ‘dark secret love'. I have read a dozen of online and offline resources and will try to throw light on most of the themes which can be drawn from this poem. Some words of analysis may therefore be helpful.
The poet uses personification throughout the poem. The idea of freedom made the people follow their desires (forbidden) which has destroyed the morale and ethics of humanity. The third perspective that we can find in the poem is that of Good vs Evil.
The worm enjoys crimson joy by cutting its Petals. He is the author of, among others, The Secret Library: A Book-Lovers’ Journey Through Curiosities of History and The Great War, The Waste Land and the Modernist Long Poem. That none did dare to enter in The innocent rose is ruined by an experienced worm. But the poem isn't just about any old death; it's about a very strange kind of death associated with "love." Mortality. All his slimy length he drew The worm i.e.
If you’re looking for a good edition of Blake’s work, we recommend Selected Poetry (Oxford World’s Classics). It pretends to satisfy the vag-ina (by giving it pleasure in the form of org-asm) but in reality, it is destroying the woman-power which lies in virginity (according to the poet). It visits rose secretly. Do you think the poem's focus on death is appropriate for children?
Does Blake give an indication of who is responsible for the suffering experienced by the rose? We cannot conclude a single meaning to this poem. Love and death are associated in this poem because the poem wants to suggest the proximity of life and death, the cycle of nature. The fact that the worm is a creature of the night suggests that it is like a demon or other night-visitor which feeds upon people as they sleep (back to that ‘bed’ again), like a succubus or incubus sexually ‘feeding’ upon sleeping victims. Is it metaphoric and how so: explore, discuss, analyze, repeat. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Shmoop and verify that you are over the age of 13. The poem might be read, slightly differently, as a take on Christian doctrine: ‘worm’ can also be a poetic word for ‘snake’ or ‘serpent’, and this conjures up the Garden of Eden (that bed of roses again?). By giving it a disease?
The rose is a symbol of love, which is destroyed by selfishness. We’d love to hear why you gave this rating: A Level, Edexcel, English, English Literature, English Romantic Verse Pre-1900, Love, Sexuality, Societal Attitudes, Songs of Experience, The Romantic Period, The Sick Rose Poem, Transience, William Blake, Hi great analysis, was just wondering what poem would be best to compare this to from the Romantic poetry collection. The Sick Rose Themes . A crimson rose has been entered, sickened, and destroyed by a worm. Blake is one of the great poets of the Romantic era, well known today for a variety of works including ‘The Tyger’ and his ‘Songs of Innocence’ and ‘Songs of Experience’ collections, with ‘The Sick Rose’ being part of ‘Songs of Experience’.