After studying the two poems, The Sick Rose and The Eagle in class and the discussion among the group
Jacqueline Chan 10W 2005/9/17
Interpretation of The Sick Rose and the Eagle
After studying the two poems, The Sick Rose and The Eagle in class and the discussion among the group, it seems to me that the poems haven't got only one single meaning. I also noticed that poems could always be interpreted in different ways with different meanings based on your point of view and your personal knowledge and experience. Poems are also open to interpretations.
The Sick Rose is a very decent example of which the poems can be interpreted in different ways. The word "rose" first came into sight in the title, which indicates this word play a chief part in the interpretation of the poem. "Rose" can be a person, as this is a very widespread name for girls in the 20th century. If this is applied to the poem, then it may be about a woman being sick and dying because of sexually transmitted diseases. This has a high possibility as the medical technology then was not as developed as nowadays and the woman might be dying by the time she found out that she was seriously ill. The 'invisible worm' could be sperm, as you can't possibly see sperm. For the two lines of the poem, 'And his dark secret love, does thy life destroy' gave me the clue that the sperm was infectious, which killed that beloved woman.
The poem, as mentioned earlier, hasn't got only one meaning. "Rose" can also be translated into a kind of flower, with large, scarlet layers of petals, which hide the stigma of the flower. In this case, the superficial meaning of the poem becomes very understandable. It is about a flower dying as the worm is eating the flower, as common as any other wild plants. 'Thy bed of crimson joy' indicated the center part of the flower, and there is where the invisible worm was hidden - you can't see the worm form the outside.
However, ...
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The poem, as mentioned earlier, hasn't got only one meaning. "Rose" can also be translated into a kind of flower, with large, scarlet layers of petals, which hide the stigma of the flower. In this case, the superficial meaning of the poem becomes very understandable. It is about a flower dying as the worm is eating the flower, as common as any other wild plants. 'Thy bed of crimson joy' indicated the center part of the flower, and there is where the invisible worm was hidden - you can't see the worm form the outside.
However, after researching and understanding the biography and interests of the writer, William Blake, I was enlightened. William Blake was a poet, writer and also a painter. Just like most of the other writers, he had his own style when creating a piece. He particularly specified in religion, and his ideas of religion, or in other words, the operation of the church contradicted with most of the people at his time, especially the ones with power and money. William Blake was neither rich nor powerful, and he didn't risk his life to express his discontent. He conveyed his feelings in the poem, let alone be aware of his minds and thoughts.
Granted that this concept is right, then 'rose' signifies the church, which was being tarnished by the 'priests', which was indicated by ' invisible worm' in the poem. They lived a luxurious life using the donations and they wore expensive red priests robes, which was represented by the phrase 'crimson joy'. There is an idiom 'Do not judge a book by its cover', and that is exactly what the poet was trying to tell us - most of the things do not look as they appear to be. If the poet hadn't experienced the injustice and unfairness of the church, he might not have written this poem. Actually we will never experience the treatment of the church at the time when the poem was written, but knowing the poet's background is a good way to have accurate interpretations. Hence, self-experience is a very important factor leading to varied interpretations, so as knowledge.
The Eagle was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in 1851. This poem could once again be interpreted in different ways: the eagle could either be a bird or a human being. However, the word 'he', appears as the first word of the poem, as well as those emotive words used in the poem, is a strong piece of evidence that shows the writer's deliberate personification of the eagle and that the target of the writer was obviously not simply a bird. Eagle usually resembles power, strength and pride, which reflect the portrayal of the target by the poet.
From the second line of the poem-'Close to the sun in lonely lands', it is apparent that there is some link between the sun and the word 'lonely'. 'Sun' is a symbol of power and high position, and usually people with a higher status are more likely to be lonely, as original people may not easily approach. Moreover, from present knowledge, eagles have a habit of being marginalized in the sky and they never fly in a flock. Actually there is a link between this piece of information and the interpretation of the poem. It will be hard to understand the meaning of the poem if one is not clear about the basic facts about the eagle, as they may not understand that is a metaphor.
There is also a contrast of high and low position in the words 'sun' and 'crawls'. Generally, the 'eagle' might be an evil ruler, as described in the first two lines in the poem. He was so proud before his sudden collapse, as stated in the last two lines. The poet had a habit of writing about big political events. In this case the poet might be talking about the French Revolution, as it was one of the biggest shame in French history. If one is not clear about the background of the event, interpretations may vary. Therefore knowledge is also a critical point when it comes to interpreting a poem.
As a conclusion, there are some similar points about these two poems. Both of them are not directly explained due to different reasons and they are both expressed through personification. The poets used convincing and emotive words to convey ideas. In general, interpretations vary according to different people; it depends on the way you look at it.