The elements that can be seen in a poem, (speaker, situation, setting) are behind the unique effect that is felt by the reader. The poetry by William Blake and D.H. Lawrence represent the same effect. The poems that are selected for comparison and contrast are: The sick Rose by William Blake and I Am like a Rose by D. H. Lawrence. Both these poems are based on symbolism. William Blake is a poet who loves nature, the God, and he made use of strange themes for his poetry. D. H. Lawrence is well known for the theme of his novels and poetry. In his novels he used sex as a symbol and some of his novels faced extreme criticism. The use of “self” as a symbol of naked personality is his theme. The comparison and contrast of the poems of these poets reveal some interesting characteristic traits about the poets and about their themes.
Comparison
Both these poems are simple and consist of equal eight lines. There is similarity on theme, i.e., implied meaning of Rose. The Rose is used here as a symbol of love, sex, and realization of one’s self. Both these poems use Rose as a symbolic one and it is a variation from the traditional meaning given to the Rose flower. The theme of “The sick Rose” by William Blake is not about the Rose flower but it is what the rose represents. Poetry criticism makes clear that William Blake was well known both for his rebellious attitude against the society and he is also famous for his imaginative power. “Blake has become recognized as both a social rebel and as a “hero of the imagination”.” (Blake, 2008).
So the same rebellious attitude towards the society and imaginative power can be seen in this poem. Here, the traditional meaning of rose is replaced by the implied meaning of the poet. The rose in the poem represent beauty, love, and sex. The main theme of the poem is violation of the rose by worm. Moreover, the poem evokes sadness, sympathy and tragic feeling in the mind of the reader. So, it can be seen that the mood of the poem is sadness. The poem “I Am like a Rose” by D. H. Lawrence represents variation on traditional meaning of rose. Here, the poet uses reverse meaning of rose. The change in meaning changes the mood of poem. Both these poems use words, metaphors and symbols to convey the idea of the poet. The rose in second poem represents the true nature of singular self. The feeling of the poem is revealed in the proclamation- “I am myself at last”. The self awareness of the poet is accompanied by a sense of heat, “ a fine warmth”. Later the poet reveals that the true self of the rose flower is in its nakedness. The self of a human being is also naked and there is no need to cover it.
Contrast
Both these poets use the same symbol, the Rose flower to convey their different themes. The Rose in the first poem is symbolic of beauty, love and sex. But the Rose in the second poem signifies the self of the poet. The first Rose has a universal outlook but the second convey the theme of self and singularity. The first poem tries to evoke sadness and tragic feeling in the mind of the reader and the second aims at self realization. The mood of the first poem is tragic and the second one is cheerfulness.
It is evident that both these poems use the same theme but the emotional appeal is different. William Blake is a poet who uses beauty, love and sex as the themes of his poetry. D. H. Lawrence uses the themes like nature, sex, and self realization. The similarity is that both the poets use the same symbol for their composition of poetry. But there is difference in the way that they used this theme in their poetry. The difference in theme and the way of usage does not hinder the flow of both the poems.
References
Blake, William. (2008). William Blake 1757-1827 The English poet and artist: Introduction. Enotes.com. Web.