In honor of National Poetry Month, I'm going to try to post a new poem each day in April. You can respond and/or react to these poems for extra credit. (You must say something more than "I like/don't like this poem" to get extra credit!) Without further ado, here's our first selection. This is one of my favorite poems by Dorothy Parker. Happy reading!
"One Perfect Rose"
A single flow'r he sent me, since we met.
All tenderly his messenger he chose;
Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet--
One perfect rose.
I knew the language of the floweret;
"My fragile leaves," it said, "his heart enclose."
Love long has taken for his amulet
One perfect rose.
Why is it no one ever sent me yet
One perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no, it's always just my luck to get
One perfect rose.
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I think that Dorothy Parker should be happy with the rose. She's putting too much stress on her boyfriend if she wants him to buy her a limo.
ReplyDelete--Philip Wolfe
It's not so much that she doesn't appreciate the rose, it's that fact that the entire time they have dated he has only given her a rose. She loved the rose, even up to the point of the messenger that brought it to her. However, when she says "one perfect limousine, do you suppose?" she doesn't literally mean a lime. She could possibly mean just that fact of taking her out in a limo, and having him show the world that he is her girlfriend.
ReplyDelete~Elle Kaplan
It's not so much that she doesn't appreciate the rose, it's that fact that the entire time they have dated he has only given her a rose. She loved the rose, even up to the point of the messenger that brought it to her. However, when she says "one perfect limousine, do you suppose?" she doesn't literally mean a lime. She could possibly mean just that fact of taking her out in a limo, and having him show the world that he is her girlfriend.
ReplyDeletei didn't mean to post that twice.. sorry!
ReplyDelete--to Elle Kaplan
ReplyDeleteLucky you, now you have 3/5 posts already done!
So she wants him to take her out to show their love..okay that's nice. but she wants to do it in a limo? That probably wouldn't work since a limo is sort of a private vehicle with the tinted windows and all. I just don't understand why Dorothy Parker likes limos. hmm is limos plural of limo or is it limoes?
--Philip Wolfe
I think she likes the rose. However she is greedy or something and wants expensive stuff that she can show off to people.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Wilson
The first two stanzas of the poem made me think this was going to be a sappy love poem, because Dorothy Parker described this "perfect rose" in such great detail. However, there is a complete shift in the final stanza. If Dorothy Parker was trying to create a shock effect, she succeeded. I think this poem almost has a sarcastic tone to it. I believe it is about a bitter memory of her relationship with a man, who only gave her a single rose during their entire relationship. She was obviously not very impressed with the rose. As for the reference to the limousine, I think that was just an exaggeration to bring our attention to materialism.
ReplyDeleteOh, I just thought of something else. Maybe, in this poem Dorothy Parker is kind of making fun of/showing her dislike of the traditional and often considered romantic way of giving someone a rose?
ReplyDeleteI think Dorothy Parker comes off as spoiled and needy in this poem. Just because someone loves you does not mean that they are going to buy you a limo. She should just appreciate the fact that her boyfriend was caring enough to send a rose in the first place.
ReplyDelete--Katie Toth
At first, it sounds like she enjoyed the rose, but that is all the boyfriend does for her. I think Dorothy Parker isn't spoiler or being picky for wanting a limo, but instead she wants something different. Maybe she just wants the guy to put a little more effort into making her happy.
ReplyDeleteMary Eisenhower
Well, I'm gonna be the diversion in the road of opinions for this poem.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this poem is speaking about what has previously been said about being greedy and things.
First Stanza: Describes what Dorothy thinks about the poem. I believe that she thinks that her boyfriend wisely chose the rose for her with all his heart. I think this is why the rose is "perfect."
Second Stanza: The rose seems to symbolize her boyfriend's heart, and to be fragile with it. Ever since, the "perfect" rose has represented his heart and love to her.
Third Stanza: I believe Dorothy denies that she wants the limousine. As if she doesn't need material things because she has her "perfect" rose. As I've said before, the rose represents her boyfriend's love for her.
Yay for transcendentalists!
- Shannon Nguyen
I like this poem because it ends in a way you would not expect. I agree with Rachel in that there is a complete shift to self-aware materialism in the last stanza.
ReplyDeleteRemember to take tone into consideration here. This poem is supposed to be a little sarcastic and funny. She's not literally asking her boyfriend to buy her a limo! I like the self-aware materialism thing going on here. What do you supposed Parker is trying to get across about materialism in this poem? (By the way, Parker started writing during the roaring 20s!)
ReplyDeleteI agree with Shannon, it sounds like she is showing how much her boyfriend loves her. Over and over again she talks about her one perfect rose.
ReplyDelete~Victoria Naatz
The last stanza really confuses me, when I read it, it sounds like she wanted to go out around the town in a limo and have her boyfriend show her off in a new and fancy way.
ReplyDelete~Victoria Naatz
Perhaps Parker is poking fun at other people. I can imagine her smiling as she wrote the third stanza. She doesn't want a car or other material things, she just wants his heart, which he gave to her with a perfect rose. And as she states, it is perfect and she loves it. Others may receive gifts and presents, but she has his heart, which means even more to her. The last two lines are full of irony, because that rose is all she really wants. Or...maybe I'm just feeling very romantic today, which is also a possibility.
ReplyDeleteI read the poem to my mom, and she said, "Or how about one big fat diamond?"
ReplyDeleteAbout materialism- I think that Parker is saying that although she understands the significance of the natural beauty of her boyfriend's gift, she would like a little more showy present. This theory goes with spirit of the 20's, when women were allowed to have these views which may have been considered revolutionary in earlier times.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this, not only did I think Parker was too needy, but she didn't appreciate her boyfriend enough. She expects too much of the person that loves her.
ReplyDeleteJiyun Choi
This poem has great imagery! I can picture a perfect, beautiful rose. I think she should appreciate the rose just because her boyfriend thought to send it to her. If she really loved him, just knowing that he thought about her enough to send her a rose should make her incredibly happy.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that Dorthey Parker is almost making fun of nature. I think she enjoys the rose that she got, but also that it's just a rose. I think she is saying that flowers are great, but a woman wants more than roses out of a relationship. To me, the reference to the limo shows that her boyfriend is rich. If that is the case, Dorthey is probablly wondering why some guy who supposedly loves her and is rich is only giving her a rose, which costs next to nothing. Also, this poem seems to have a sad tone to it, almost as the rose was a sign of their love; as the rose died, so did their relationship. I think the last stanza is a lament for what could have been. She also seems to be pitying herself because the most she ever gets out of relationships are roses, not commitments.
ReplyDelete-Kaitlyn Sabourin
I think that Parker, through sarcasm, is trying to convey it is not always about what kind of gift you recieve. It is sometimes about the thought that went into it and the quality of the gift. The most important thing is the fact that that person was thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteDorothy Parker always has a bit of a biting edge to her poems. You should rarely take her seriously! :) This poem is definately sarcastic.
ReplyDeleteI also made the mistake of taking Parker serioiusly for the first two stanzas. I always take everything too seriously. But upon reading the third stanza, I did recognize the sarcasm. However, I don't believe that the whole poem is of a sarcastic nature. Tbe first two stanzas seem truly sweet and heartfelt. The character just seems to be that sort of person who just can't be sincere for too long. Perhaps she is scared of delving to deep into her feelings, so cracks a joke in the middle. Yet at the end, she returns to her muses because if she did not really value the rose, she would not repeat it in the same tender manner at the end. If she had changed the line ever so slightly, the sense of sarcasm would still remain, but 'one perfect rose' has a certain clear feeling like the feel of the dew on your finger.
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness, I think she isn't really greedy at all. She just wants to know for sure that he loves her, but she sees it in the rose. "One perfect limousine" isn't her being greedy, its her showing that not everything has to be serious! Every guy posting should take notes!!
ReplyDeleteJonathan, wise advice. You're correct, she's not really being serious here. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen this poem starts of, you think that it is going to be about two people so in love all they can do is show it. But as you read on, you realize that they don't show their love for one another. Their whole relationship, the boyfriend has only given her one rose, oh but wait it was "one perfect rose," and yes that helps, but all she wants is for you to show her that you really do love her and you aren't afraid to show it.
ReplyDelete-Maggie Peake
I think she likes the rose but in other point of view, her boyfriend(?) keep sending a rose everyday so that way rose has not much of meaning to her(she thinks she automatically gets one).
ReplyDeleteHaha, oh this made me laugh. He sends her a rose- the most cliche symbol of "everlasting love" and "pure devotion". That's great and all, but life is not a spin-off of Romeo&Juliet. :P I don't think she actually wants a limousine. I think she just wants a new expression of love. I mean, really- years and years of romance and all we can come up with is a flower? I'm a bit of a hypocrit though- red roses are my upmost favorite flower and I'd not say no to one. :P
ReplyDeleteRoses symbolize a person's love for another person, and it is used frequently; so the deep meaning is not as strong anymore.
ReplyDeleteLucero
She should just be happy with the rose, the girls on the bachelor love to get roses!
ReplyDeleteLauren Payne