Formalist Analysis(The Sick Rose by William Blake)

       

The Sick Rose

BY WILLIAM BLAKE

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.

           In the poem "T he Sick Rose" is a combination of destructive and beauty.It is not totally a free-verse poem since as we can see in the poem, it contains a rhyme scheme. The poem introduces about sexual awakening. This poem shown through the use of metaphors and symbolism. The "rose" mentioned in the poem represents not only love but also beauty that we can connect with females. Since it is mentioned above that it is also about sexual awakening because there is an innocent girl involve in the poem  that can be compared into a rose who introduced into a world of sex and crushed by a worm. A "worm" associated with males. The two shared love and joy who experienced pleasure but they also hurt. The "howling storm' symbolizes the feeling and impression of the rose about her first sexual experience.

Reference:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172938