Planning a Term Paper on of Blake's "The Sick Rose" and "Ah! Sunflower"


A critical comparison of the two poems "The Sick Rose" and "Ah! Sun-Flower."

This would be a suitable term paper (= research paper) title.  Before writing a term paper, you must make notes 
about the things you are going to say in your term paper.  You must also study the title very carefully so that 
you understand exactly what it is asking you to do.

The Title

*  It only asks you to write about two poems.  This means that you could mention other poems, but only mention them 
very briefly.  Most of the essay must be about the two poems.

*  The title asks you to compare the two poems.

*  The word "critically" means that you must look at things like symbol, rhyme, use of images, meaning, etc.

Similarities between the two poems

*  Both are two stanzas long and both have rhyme schemes - abcb for "The Sick Rose" and abab for "Ah! Sun-Flower."

*  Both deal with the idea of the flower - and both use the flower to symbolise something: the rose = earthly love 
and the sun-flower = life.

*  Both poems suggest that life on earth (earthly life) is unsatisfactory.

*  Both poems open in a conversational way: "O Rose..." and "Ah, Sun-Flower..."

Differences between the two poems

*  "The Sick Rose" uses more violent images: "the howling storm" and "his dark secret love / Does thy life destroy."  

*  There is also a difference in the colour images of the poem.  "The Sick Rose" emphasises darkness 
("night," "storm," "dark secret").  "Ah! Sun-Flower" uses brighter images ("Sun," "golden," "snow").

*  "Ah! Sun-Flower" is a more optimistic poem because it suggests a better world after death: "That sweet 
golden clime."  (This is the idea of "tone" - ie what is the mood of the poem).

*  The rhythm of the two poems is different.  "The Sick Rose" has a fast two-stress line rhythm; "Ah! Sun-Flower" 
has a much slower three-stress line rhythm.

REMEMBER, REMEMBER, REMEMBER!!!  

It is not enough to say that these differences and similarities exist.  You must say why they exist and what different 
effects they have achieved.




                            Back                                                    Home                                                         Next