Feelings

CyberBlake Opinion Page

How am I to critique another? Why does it matter what I think on another's work? Here is what I think about William Blake.

A specific work that I had some interesting thoughts on is, The Sick Rose. This poem sticks out to me. I feel that this poem has sex throughout it. Rose, from the title, I think is a an innocent woman. I know that this poem is from the Songs of Experience, but I feel that Blake is pulling his world over the eyes of everyone, again. The "invisible worm" is clearly a phallic symbol. Maybe Rose is, well, taking measures into her own "hands". The opening, "O Rose, thou art sick!" tell a story in itself. Blake uses an exclamation mark at the end. This signifies a remark upon Rose that she is doing something that is not proper. The "invisible worm" could be her imagination running wild with ecstacy. She could be imagining a man's, well, you can infer what she might be thinking about. Another line that gets to me in the poem is "his dark secret love". This line refers me to think that Rose is in love with someone. A certain him someone. You can clearly see that Rose is heterosexual. "thy bed of Crimson joy" represents a haven of love. Crimson or red almost always go together with love. Also, the name of the girl, Rose, has certain connotations with love. This poem is a definite winner for Blake. It conjures many thoughts on very risque subject manner. I have come to find that most of the works I've seen so far have a sexual tone to it in some way.

On Another note, fellow classmate and Blake afficionado, Nicole Temple had a somewhat similar yet different view of the poem. Here is what Nicole had to say in her own words.