The Nightingale and the Rose

Author Overview

The story was written by Oscar Wilde, an Irish playwright, poet, and author, born in 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. He was one of the greatest playwrights and celebrities of his time. One of his most popular plays is "The Importance of Being Earnest", which is still performed today. His story "The Nightingale and the Rose" was written for his two sons. Wilde was imprisonned for two years after being convicted for homosexuality. Following his release from prison, he left Britain and never came back. He died in 1900.

Symbolism

1. Student: The student, to me, symbolizes to things; first of all, he symbolizes young love, passionate love, and second of all, he symbolizes naivety.

2. Nightingale: The nightingale is a representation of the motherly figure, who would give her life in order to see her child, or in this case the student, happy and loved.

3. Oak Tree: The oak tree is a symbol for friendship, another form of love.

4. Princess: The princess is a symbol for materialism and how possessions and riches can surpass love in importance for some people.

5. Red Rose: The red rose represents love and how even though you must work hard to obtain it, it is easily thrown away.

Imagery

1. Personification: "But the Tree shook it's head."

2. Simile: "She passed through the grove like a shadow..."

3. Metaphor: "...the Sun in his chariot of gold..."

4. Alliteration: "...and I will sing you my sweetest song." (s)

5. Assonance: "...kisses the lips of the bride." (i)

6. Consonance: "Crimson was the girdle of the petals, and crimson as a ruby was the heart." (r)

Vocabulary

1. Opals: a kind of gem made from an amorphous form of silica, found in many varieties and colours

2. Cynic: a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions and who disbelieves in or minimizes selfless acts or disinterested points of view

3. Grove: a small wood or forested area, usually with no undergrowth

4. Spray: a single, slender shoot, twig or branch, with its leaves, flower or berries

5. Nipped: to affect sharply and painfully or injuriously, as a very cold temperature

6. Hawthorn: any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Cratageus, of the rose family, typically a small tree with stiff thorns

7. Chamberlain: a high official of a royal court

8. Girdle: anything that encircles, confines, or limits

9. Ecstasy: rapturous delight

10. Reel: a device, such as a cylinder, spool, or frame, that turns on an axis and is used for winding and storing rope, tape, film, or other flexible materials

WRITING