THE SICK ROSE

1. Give the summary of the poem.

A: The speaker, addressing a rose, informs it that it is sick. An “invisible” worm has stolen into its bed in a “howling storm”
and under the cover of night. It is intended to show the rose its “dark secret love”, which is destroying the rose’s life.
2. Justify the title of the poem.
A: The poem describes a sick rose and a worm that manages to locate the rose's "bed of crimson joy." The worm
destroys the rose with his "dark secret love," a not so subtle reference to some kind of destructive sexuality. The love is
sick, so is the rose which is a symbol of love, metaphorically. Hence, the title ‘The Sick Rose’ is apt and justified.
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