Explication A Sick Rose William Blake A Sick

Explication A Sick Rose William Blake

A Sick Rose O Rose, thou art sick, The invisible worm, That flies in the night In the howling storm Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy : And his dark secret love Does thy life destroy.

O Rose, thou art sick, Woman’s Name Break the poem down Choose the most important words Brainstorm: do not second guess yourself at this point Use a diagram or free-write Rose Beauty Love/ Romance Sick: infection, disease, physical? mental?

Keep Brainstorming Remember: don’t edit yourself There is no such thing as “wrong” at this point Highlight, underline, circle, write in the margins, etc.

O Rose, thou art sick, The invisible worm, That flies in the night In the howling storm Has found out thy bed Of crimson joy : And his dark secret love Does thy life destroy. Nouns = underlined Verbs = circled Modifiers = highlighted Animal; fear? Frightening? Mysterious; dark Links with “night; ” evil? Destruction, chaos, link with “storm? ”

Group and Analyze What words or phrases seem to “go together”: Rose and crimson Night and dark Destroy, storm, worm, howling Rose, love, bed, crimson, joy What do these associations suggest to you?

Developing Themes Rose and crimson Love, passion Night and dark Evil, darkness Destroy, storm, worm, howling Destruction, death, chaos Rose, love, bed, crimson, joy Passion, sex, love

Developing Themes Choose one or more themes Destruction/death/illness Passion/love Write about how themes are linked What do themes have in common? How might themes contrast? Examples passion can be both positive and negative, destructive and creative Love and passion can lead to both emotional and physical “illnesses” and “destruction, ” i. e. jealousy, death of the relationship, unwanted pregnancy, STD’s, etc.

Time to Write Reconstruct the text Organize thematically or chronologically Retell “the story of the poem” using your new-found insights Write about the implications, the things the poet didn’t say

Keep in Mind Explications are reader-response exercises Reader response = what the poem means to you You do NOT need to “research” Explication is a skill It CAN be learned Anyone can do it Explications are NOT writing-intensive exercises You don’t have to be a “good” essay writer, just a “good” thinker