Analysis Intrinsic Elements; Symbol, Allusion, and Imagery in "The Sick Rose" by William Blake

1. INTRINSIC ELEMENTS ANALYSIS;
SYMBOL, ALLUSION AND IMAGERY
IN THE SICK ROSE BYWILLIAM BLAKE
Nikolaus Natal Narasyudo

2. Abstract
In this writing, the writer tries to analyze the intrinsic elements of The Sick Rose by William
Blake. The purpose of this writing is to understand symbol, allusion and imagery in the
poem. The writer uses theories of symbol, allusion and imagery with close reading
method. The writer found that the poetry is dominated with symbol, allusion and imagery
as intrinsic elements. In conclusion, symbol, allusion and imagery of the poetry enrich the
meaning of the poetry.
Keywords: Symbol, allusion, imagery

3. Introduction
Poetry is a kind of literature. Laurence Perrine from Southern Methodist University in her
book, “Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry” (1963:3) said poetry might be a kind of
language that says more and aays it more intensly than those ordinary languange. In other
hand, John R. Strachan, Richard G. Terry in “Poetry: an introduction” (2000:119) whom
defines poetry as a form of literature that uses aesthetic and rhytmic qualities of languange
such as phonetics, sound symbolysm, and metre to evoke meaning in addition to, or in place
of, the prosaic ostensible meaning. Practically, there is no certain meaning about poetry but
poetry is a literature work which ecplain the writter exprience to the reader with the
beauty way throught their selective words. Still and all, poetry can be understood by
analyzing it. Analyzing poetry itself is an activity concern to review words by words and
stanza by stanza to know what the meaning of the poems

4. William Blake
William Blake was born on November 28,
1757, in Soha, London, England. He only
briefly attended school, being chiefly
educated by his mother. The Bible had and
early, profound influence on Blake and it
would remain a lifetime source of
inspiration, coloring his life and works with
intense spiritually. He died on August 12,
1827

5. The Sick Rose
O rose, thou art sick,
The invisible worm
The flies in the night
In the howling strom
Has found out thy bed
Of Crimson joy,
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

6. Disccusion
1.The Explanation ofThe Poem
Sins are the biggest enemy of human being and always haunted the human. Human always
afraid with the sins because they belive there are heaver and hell, as many your sins as possible they will
go to the hell and Lucifer will punish them because their sins. All sin give you some pelaser but, the more
pleasure is sex. “The Sick Roese” describe how the sins give you pleasure in life, sex and woman.
“TheSick Rose
From the title we know “the Sick Rose” is not a poem with full of joyfull or romantic feeling but
otherwise. William Balke throught “The Sick Rose” gives us a sad and horrible feeling which felt by
someone who is inspired William Blake to make this poem. The word “rose” tells us, this poem is talk
about rose, or girl.
“Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy,”
In the second stanza and line six, Blake tells us something happen with someone who inspired
him. Something joyfull happen but it did not give happiness or pleasure but gives someone shameful
feeling. In line five there is “Has found out thy bed” describe something happend in the bed which is give
someone “crimson joy” and we know, it happened not in legal way.

7. 2. Symbol
“O rose, thou art sick’
William Blake uses “rose” as a symbol that represent something beautyfull, sweet, romantic
and something lovely. The most beautyfull creature that God has been create is woman. In medieval
tradition rose represents virginity, virginity which is just only associated with girls who never have sex.
Furthermore, “rose” represnts about love too so there is impossible no sex in love, but in this situation is
very taboo for young girl has sex if she has not married yet but it happened in this poem.
“The flies in the night”
William Blake wrote “The flies in the night” as a symbol of something. Normally, people will
sleep in the night and tradionally, many people believe night is the best time for demon to come out from
the dark sky and try to haunted the people. They fly away in the sky come to house by house, one by one
to tempt all people to do some sin, the weak one will fall in their flattery which give us happiness in short
time.
“And his dark love”
In second stanza and line number seven, William Blake writes “And his dark love” as a symbol of
something bad. Dark is a symbol of something bad, angry or not sincere. “And his dark love” wants to tell
us, someone or a men with cunning love can seduce a girl to do anything what he want. Throught this
poem William Blake describes a girl which is very weak, easy to temped and also stupid. In this poem we
know, girl in the name of love want to give anything to someone who she love, including her virginity.
However, the man just want to harness the girl as his sexuality impingement.

8. 2. Allusion
“The invisible worm”
William Blake is one of religious man, he is a good catholic. Therefore, William Blake add some
bibllical word in their poem, not even “The Sick Rose”. There is “The invisible worm” in the first stanza and
second line. This sentence is a allusion which pick up from bible. Chatolics believe that the devil lurks
unseen and is a master of disguise. In medieval English “worm” was also used to refer to snake or serpent.
In Bible, snake or sepent is a figure that describe the devil. In Genesis chapter 3, serpent seduce Eve to eat
the forbiden fruit, and Eve broke the God command. In this line, William Blake wants to desicribe how
weak women when they teased by men with the carnality how wet she is.
“Has found out thy bed”
In the fifth line and second stanza, there is “Has found out thy bed”. One more William Blake
add an allusion in his poem. Found out refers to something which is can not be hide or hold anymore. A
feeling which is very deep can not hold anymore. Psalm 90:8 says, “You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.” That shows how keep our sin, it will found out in the end. In this
poem “Has found out thy bed” has meaning, the girl can not hold anymore, her lechery, her sexuality lust
has been burnt herself because the seduction from a man. “thy bed” explains the situation happened in
bed, they make love.

9. “Of crimson joy”
William Blake once more add allusion language, he writes “of crimson joy” in the
second stanza and line number six. Crimson is a synonims of a color, scarlet. Bible has two
part, fist is The Old Testament and The New Testament, in The Old testament, red,
crimson, and scarlet identic with sins. In Isaiah 1:18 which writen “’Come now, let us settle
the matter’”says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall b like wool.”. Therefore, “of crimson joy” has two
meaning which are very interesting. The first one is, crimson joy is a fake happiness
because it full of sin because they have sex without married. In the Blake’s era which
church has a strong control in all aspect of life so have sex without married is very taboo.
Furthermore, “crimson joy” is a sin which give her a pleasure and, crimson joy also has
meaning if a virgin girl make love for the first time, there is blood shed in the chase lost
her virginity.

10. IV.2.3. Imagery
“In the howling strom”
Written in the fourth line and second stanza, “In the howling strom” gives us
image that feel was very crowded, frightening turmoil and passion that can destruct
something. In this poem “howling strom” has a meaning because the seduction, the feel is
rages come and down destruct her believe in God she can not hold any longer, she fall in
her sin, sex.

11. Conclusion
From “The Sick Rose” we can know that William Blake is a religious man and has
strong faith. He wants to tell us, how easy we can fall in sin mainly in obsession of sex. By
using figurative languages like symbo, allusion, and imagery that we have analyzed,
William Blake is genious and very smart in use the wrods. His purpose use figurative
languages in “The Sick Rose” are the beauty of his poem and to says about sex in gently
way. As we know that poem itself is not something that can be translated as same as the
original but after already read and read again with full of love we can get the real meaning
and the idea of “The Sick Rose” thatWilliam Blake deliver to the reader.