Substance of William Blake’s poem, The Sick Rose

The Sick Rose

William Blake

1. Write a substance of Blake’s poem, The Sick Rose

Answer: The poet William Blake looks at a rose and senses that the flower is sick. 

An invisible worm, probably the canker, has attacked the deep red petals of the flowers. The invisible worm flies at the time of night also as when the howling storm blows. The attack to the petals could also be taken because the expression of affection on the part of the worm. 

Since this love is vicious, it's going to be called seduction. However the love of the worm for the Rose has made it diseased and can lead ultimately to the withering away of the Rose. If we take the Rose as a symbol of a beautiful girl and the worm as some unknown evil forces of decay and disease we can say that the poem is about the destruction of the objects of beauty by some unknown evil forces of decay and disease. 

The invisible worm may be symbolic of the clergyman who conducts a loveless marriage. The invisible worm selects the pettiest and the most joyful crimson rose. This relationship is loveless and this love is said to move forward at the cost of the life of the Rose. If the Rose and the invisible worm are looked upon in terms of Freudian symbolism, the Rose may be said to represent the female partner while the worm stands for the male partner. 

The worm being invisible becomes associated with the libidinal instinct of the male which remains suppressed due to social provision. The worm flies in the night. This flying is the image of seduction. The worm can withstand the howling storm but not the rules. So it withers away in course of time if not in the storm. From the perspective of innocence and experience the poem is said to dramatize the passage from innocence to experience. 

Thus the simple prosaic meaning of the poem will vary according to the meaning of the symbols will acquire.

2. Draw the central idea of Blake’s poem The Sick Rose.

Answer: William Blake’s The Sick Rose represents the confrontation of innocence and experience. If the rose is suggestive for innocence, the worm, on the other hand, represents experience. 

The invisible worm, probably the canker, has attacked the deep red petals of the flower. The invisible worm flies at the time of night also when the howling storm blows. The attack to the petals could also be taken because the expression of affection on the part of the worm. While the rose stands for innocence, the worm represents experience. 

Since this love is vicious, it's going to be called seduction. It is due to the innate innocence and simplicity of the Rose that the worm can attack if even without it being aware of the presence of the worm. 

It is the poet who discovers that the effect of experience upon innocence has made the rose sick. What counts for the destructive power of experienced, suggested by the worm, is that it is unseen. The implication is that experience makes a slow but steady inroad upon innocence. The darkness of the night and the howling storm create a befitting atmosphere for these working of experience. 

That experience affects the tender most part of innocence that is simplicity and ignorance is evident from the worm’s attacking the tender most part of the rose that is the petals. What experience does to innocence may appear to be an expression of love from the perspective of experience itself but this love is mysterious and complex. Since this love is one-sided and innocence is not at all profited from this seduction, innocence becomes sick. What is more dreadful is that the sickness will ultimately cause the death of innocence. Thus the poem ends on a note of the triumph of experience so to say.

3. “That flies in the night

        in the howling storm.”

 -What creature has been referred to by that flies in the night? What role does the howling storm play?

Answer: An invisible worm is set to fly at night. Most probably the worm is canker. Actually no worm is invisible. In reality the Rose cannot see the worm. Not only that the Rose cannot feel the damage the worm has done to it. 

By the invisible worm Blake is possibly referring to some evil forces of decay and disease. From the symbolic point of view the worm represents experienced. The worm may be taken as a symbol of some unknown evil forces of decay and disease. The invisible worm may also be symbolic of the clergy who conducts a loveless marriage. The invisible worm selects the pettiest and the most joyful crimson rose. 

In terms of Freudian symbolism the worm stands for the male partner. The worm being invisible becomes associated with the libidinal instinct of the male who is remained suppressed due to social provision.

               Howling storm refers to a storm blowing with great speed and power. The storm is set to create a befitting atmosphere for the attack on the roads by the invisible worm. It is interesting to note that the worm can stand erect against the stock but the Rose cannot with stand it. This attack on the part of the worm to the Crimson colored petals of the Rose is set to cause the death of the Rose in the long run.

4. How would you assess the title of Blake’s poem The Sick Rose?

Answer: Very often the central figure is it a person or a thing of a literary work appears in the title. As in Shelley’s The Cloud and Keats’ Bright Star so in Blake’s The Sick Rose. The central figure itself becomes the title. 

A rose as we all know is a beautiful flower. The addition of the article ‘the’ before the word ‘rose’ is a clever device to specify the flower. Another adjective used and that too just before the word ‘rose’- ‘sick’- complicates the identity of the Rose. 

One can obviously specify a rose but one does not normally call a rose sick rather one calls a diseased rose. The adjective ‘sick’ is generally used in association with a person. Thus in a tricky way Blake gives the ‘rose’ a human touch. Thus the adjective ‘sick’ makes us to guess the Rose stands for a human being and the Crimson color of which The Rose is takes the symbolized human being to be a woman. 

Another title word ‘sick’ makes us think as to why is the Rose ‘sick’  or what is the cause of the sickness of the Rose. There is also the question as to what will be the fate of this ‘sick’ rose. Thus several questions are aroused in the title and in order to know their answers one will see only go through the poem. 

As one goes through the text he or she comes to know that the Rose is sick because invisible worm has attacked it and that it will likely cause the death of the Rose. The worm has been presented as a lover of the rules and his love for the Rose is said to be a dark secret love. Thus all the questions aroused in the title are answered in the text. This is what a title does draws our attention by virtue of suggestive words and expressions and then spontaneously draws us to the text. Herein rests the justification of the title of Blake’s poem The Sick Rose.

5. How does Blake describe the Rose? How does Blake describe the worm? How does the worm destroy the Rose?

Answer: According to Blake the Rose who was once in its prime of beauty and youthful vitality is now seek. The rules which represents the simplicity and ignorance of innocence is however unaware of its sickness. The cause of this sickness after rose is the worm called canker that flies at night in the howling storm. 

Due to the excessive simplicity, the Rose was unable to see the worm. Not only that the Rose has also failed to perceive that the worm has expressed his love for her by sitting on the Crimson color petals of the Rose. These battles are said to express the inherent joy of the Rose. Side by side the roses also unaware of the fact that the kind of seduction which the worm has exerted upon her has made her sick and will ultimately cause her death.

           According to Blake, the worm, which has exerted an incredible destructive influence on the Rose, is invisible. Since the worm is invisible, one can undertake the worm to be invisible to the Rose. It flies in the stormy night. Does one can assume that the worm is canker? However the worm has found a center in the deep rate colored petals of the rules. Blake looks upon this activity on the part of the worm to be an expression of love after worm for the rules. However since this one sided love is said to cause the slow but steady destruction of the Rose it will be safe to call these so called love seduction.

            As it is inevitable for the rose to be destroyed by the worm, the worm withers the Rose away slowly. The worm seats on the red colored petals of the Rose amid the national storm. Then by eating up the vitals of the Rose’s petals by slow degrees the worm affects the flow of life in the flower. Thus the wilder worm goes on eating up the petals; the flower itself starts to weather slowly but steadily. In this way the worm destroys the Rose.

6. Give an account of the role of the Rose in the poem The Sick Rose.

Answer: The rules appear in the very title of Blake’s poem The Sick Rose. Not only that the Rose is the central character of the poem upon whom the drama of the struggle between innocence and experience and the triumph of the letter is enacted. 

The Rose representing absolute joy and happiness symbolizes innocence. It is because of this latent joy and happiness that the rules cannot feel the presence of the worm and the harm it is doing to the Rose. The harm caused to the Rose by the worm symbolizes the destruction of innocence by experience. 

However, from the little point of view it is a case of spiritual death. The Rose is said to be sick because of this attack of the worm and is expected to die as a result of this deadly attack of the worm up on the petals. The poem is also said to symbolize how painful innocence must be for the world of experience. 

We read that the poet can see that a worm has attacked the Rose but pathetically enough the rules can neither see its destroyer nor can see the seeds of slow death planted upon her body by the side worm. From another angle the Rose is a symbol of a beautiful girl and the worm of some unknown evil forces of decay and disease. 

So we can say that the poem is about the destruction of the objects of beauty by some unknown evil forces of decay and disease. Based on Friday analysis the poem poet ages copulation inflates the Rose acts as the female and the worm as the male. Thus, from the perspective of both literal and symbolic perspective the Rose plays multifarious roles.

7. Bring out the significant role of the worm as described in the poem the sick rose?

Answer: In Blake’s poem, The Sick Rose, the worm is that entity which causes destruction to the Rose. Thus the worm plays a vital role in this drama of destruction. The worm is said to be invisible. 

Probably the worm is canker. It is said to have attacked the deep rate petals of the flower. The invisible worm flies in the stormy night creating a howling sound all around the atmosphere. The vile attack on the petals can be taken as an expression of the worm’s dreadful love. But the worm's love for the Rose has made it diseased and will eventually lead to the Rose’s disappearing. The worm may be taken as a symbol of some unknown evil forces of decay and disease. 

So we can say that the poem is about the destruction of the objects of beauty by some unknown evil forces of decay and this is. The invisible worm may be symbolic of the clergy who contacts a loveless marriage. The invisible worm selects the pettiest and the most joyful Crimson rose. This relationship is loveless and this love is set to move forward at the cost of the life of the rules. 

In terms of Freudian symbolism the worm stands for the male partner. The worm being invisible becomes associated with the libidinal instinct of the male which remains suppressed due to social provision. The worm flies in the stormy night. This flying is the image of seduction. The worm can with stand the howling storm but not the rules. So while the Rose withers away, the worm strengthens in power so to say. Thus, the worm plays diverse roles the understanding of which is essential for a true understanding of the poem so to say.

 

 

8. “And his dark secret love

        does thy life destroy”

-What does Blake mean to suggest by the expression dark secret love? What does the worm destroy and how?

Answer: By the expression dark secret love Blake wants to mean that the love of the worm for the Rose in is inexplicable. Since the Rose remains unaware of the love of the worm for her, this love is said to be secret. The Rose is said to be attacked by the worm canker that flies in the stormy night creating a howling sound all around it. The worm is said to seat on the Crimson colored petals of the Rose and make its color fade by slow degrees. 

This is simply a case of the distraction of the existence of the rules and is said to cause the death of the Rose. Blake emergence that to attack the Crimson colored battles of the Rose is an expression of the love on the part of the worm for the rules. Actually only the worm is interest from this love affair the beloved that is the Rose experiences nothing but loss, suggested by the expression die life destroy.

              The worm is set to destroy the Rose. This destruction is never certain but rather is said to be caused by the worm by slow degrees. To be precise the sickness of the Rose is probably expressed in the gradual fading away of the deep red color of the battles of the rules. This means that the deep red color of the rose petals will eventually destroy the flower in the near future.

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