Roses

I found a fascination in the poems we read that talked about roses. It was interesting to see all the different aspects the rose had in each poem. In William Blake's poem, the rose referred to his love whom was sick. In Robert Burn's poem, he compared the feeling of love he felt to a rose. However, Dorothy Parker's view of roses was much more foul. She expressed that she was sick of roses and wanted something more than just a flower.

In class, Parker's poem erupted great conversation and opinions. At first, most agreed by saying that she was evil, rude, and selfish. I was one who agreed with this opinion. But, I thought deeper into it and realized that her feeling of wanting more could be coming from something entirely different than selfishness. We don't know her past; she doesn't state it in her writing. So, I started thinking that just maybe she isn't selfish. Maybe her heart has been broken so many times before by men who wooed her with roses and chocolates. It's as if she sees those symbols of romance as strictly just lies. Because of her possible past heartbreaks, she needs something a little more than a single rose with thorns.