EN 1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: The Sick Rose
Document Summary
William blake"s the sick rose revolves around the rose, a symbolic representation of love, purity, and nature, as a central object poisoned by the invisible worm (blake, 2). Ironically, the rose itself is mentioned only once in the entire poem: o rose, thou art sick (1). However, blake"s work is written in such a way that everything the worm does relate back to the rose. In the first stanza, there is a tone of empathy for the rose which transitions into a fearful tone at the introduction of the worm. On the other hand, the second stanza is miscellaneous; it alters between an ecstatic and sad tone. The first line begins by telling the rose that it is sick: o rose, thou art sick , perhaps suggesting that love is sick.
