Questions and answers of The Sick Rose

The Sick Rose broad / long / descriptive important questions and answers for Class - 11th ( WBCHSE and other board )

Q.Write down the summary of the poem The Sick Rose along with a note of symbolism in it.

Ans:-The poem starts with an impassioned address to the rose by the poet. He is deeply mortified to see the rose sick. The unseen worm, which flies in the deep darkness of the stormy night, creeps in it. The worm makes its bed in the rose. It starts to bite the rose. The flower bleeds. With every bite of the worm, drop of blood is shed. The lively rose sickens. It does not know the danger it calls in by sheltering the worm. The worm thrives destroying the rose merrily. The rose gradually loses all its purity and beauty. Finally, the sickening rose meets death.As a symbolic poem, it bears a deeper meaning. The rose stands for innocence, purity, love and beauty. The worm, on the other hand, is the symbol of experience, evil, jealousy and selfishness. The deadly bite of evil makes love sick. Innocence is destroyed by experience, beauty by jealousy. So was the case with Adam and Eve, the First Men. Their innocence and heavenly glories were spoiled by Satan’s evil devices.

Q.What is the allegorical significance of the poem, "The Sick Rose"?
Ans:-"The Sick Rose" allegorizes the triumph of experience over innocence. Outwardly, it is a simple poem. It shows how a beautiful rose is attacked by a destructive worm on a stormy night. The love of the worm for the rose is said to be dark and secret. But it has a deeper meaning. Allegorically, the poem tells about the fall of an innocent woman. When the woman loses her virginity to a very unfaithful and deceitful man,  she feels sick and shame. The worm evokes the biblical character of Satan, the serpent, that tempted Adam and Eve and brought about their fall.Thus, the poem focuses on the fall of mankind from a state of innocence.