"The Sick Rose" by: William Blake 

(Reflection,Formalist Approach)

"The  Sick Rose"  was a poem written by William Blake. The poem was all about the author telling a tale of a rose and an invisible worm that haunts it in the howling storm. 

Analysis

The poem uses a lot of symbolism to sort of conceal the real message of the poem.. When you first read the poem, you may think that it is weird, so is the one writing it. Why write a poem about an almost rotten flower and for once, who has ever seen an invisible worm?

But when you read the words deeper, you can see that the message of the poem was overflowing with sexual desire.

The rose, symbolizes purity, virginity, and womanhood, was aimed to be destroyed by the invisible worm, which is considered as a phallic symbol of masculinity. The night and the storm, which symbolize  the darkness of intentions. The crimson color, which symbolizes the burning passion and intense desire.

The worm does not only aim to lay its body on the beauty of the rose. It also aims to destroy it, thus leaving it when it gets rotten. This symbolizes abuse. Abuse which can be commonly seen in a contemporary setting.

As a whole, the vastness of the meaning of the poem does not justify it's length and number of words.