I am the Poppy

When I first read this poem while doing the assignment, I was so impressed that I decided to recreate the emotions of the poem exactly as I felt the poem. And that’s what I recreated ‘The Rose and The Poppy.’ The main point of my poem is Poppy. Therefore, I wrote the poem in the shape of a ‘flower’ resembling Poppy. The order of reading this poem is not fixed; the audience can read it as they want.

In the original poem ‘The Rose and The Poppy’, the poet strongly asserts the poppy’s uniqueness in contrast to the rose. Furthermore, the poet explains the original beauty of the poppy. Hence, I compared the various colors of the Rose to the orange color of the Poppy. And I wrote about the uniqueness of the poppy. Additionally, I recreated every beautiful phrase from the original poem as I understood them while reading. For example, the original poem explains the beauty of the rose using the past and the future timeline. I really like this method, because it means the rose is very common and everyone can remember all the moments with their rose. So, I twist this part and emphasize the symbol of the rose, love.

The lines at the top of the flower petals all represent the differences between the Rose and the Poppy. The part corresponding to the stigma of the flower describes the Poppy itself. The lines at the bottom of the petals all highlight the characteristics of Poppy. Particularly, since the original poem does not mention the narcotic addiction that Poppies are known for, I incorporated this aspect to emphasize Poppy’s free will and identity. A poppy is a flower that someday has to wilt and drop its leaves into the ground. So, when someone sees poppies in the field, one can only see the flower and stem. Inspired by this, I wrote the stem section exactly as in the original poem. Because the entire words in the original poem gave me the feeling of the poppy’s personality and free will. In the stem part, while the original poem mentions ‘scenting rooms,’ I changed it to ‘Nature’ to emphasize the free will of Poppy. Since the Poppy is a part of the flower that I mentioned, it cannot last forever. And the feeling that it will wither someday, ‘Rotting into umber,’ is included to capture the essence of the original poem.

~Jisoo Jang

I am not a rose. I am a free poppy.

‘The Rose and The Poppy’ by Adrianna Puente is most effective in challenging the traditional symbol of the rose. To understand this poem, we need to start with the title. The Rose traditionally symbolizes ‘love’ itself, with its thorns representing ‘pain.’ However, alongside it, The Poppy is traditionally a symbol of ‘Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future.’ Yet, in this poem, The Poppy seems to focus more on the efficacy of the flower rather than its traditional meanings. As we know, The Poppy is sometimes associated with a type of narcotic, but it can also be used as a medical remedy. Depending on its use, The Poppy can either harm or heal individuals.

Throughout the poem, the speaker insists that the speaker is not The Rose but The Poppy. The speaker rejects all the symbols associated with The Rose, such as love, friendship, comfort, romance, etc., and claims herself to be a kind of natural flower, The Poppy. Why does the speaker keep asserting that she is not The Rose? While The Rose traditionally symbolizes not only love but also alluring women, the speaker asserts that she is not a captivating woman like The Rose, but rather a flower in nature, inartificial, just one among many people, like The Poppy. As mentioned earlier, The Poppy can be both a remedy and a poison. The speaker states that she may be chosen like The Rose on Valentine’s Day, but she never forgets who she truly is in any situation. The speaker chose The Poppy, which can eventually turn brown like a wildflower in a field, rather than conforming to the traditional symbols of love, friendship, and pain associated with The Rose. And that woman, the speaker, strongly asserts her desire not to play the typical role associated with The Poppy as either poison or remedy, but rather to live freely like the Poppy blooming in the field. By doing so, the speaker effectively rejects the traditional symbols of The Rose. A captivating woman like The Rose is just one among the common 8 billion people, much like The Poppy.

Jisoo Jang

A Poppy by Any Other Name

Between H.D.’s “Sea Rose” and Adriana Puente’s “The Rose and The Poppy”, “Sea Rose” is more effective at challenging the traditional symbol of the rose. The speaker contradicts a typical perfect, delicate, feminine, and soft rose by describing this rose as “harsh” and “marred and with stint of petals” (lines 1-2). The rose is disfigured, lacking, and inadequate. Again, the rose is “meager”, “thin”, and “sparse” (lines 3-4). The rose is lacking in petals, leaves, and size. It does not measure up to the ideal beauty of a rose. Roses are typically in a bush, garden, bouquet, or vase. This rose is “caught in the drift” and “flung on the sand” (lines 8 and 10). Most roses given as gifts are cared for and thoughtfully selected. This rose is in a situation that is foreign to others: it is caught in a wild wind and tossed around without care. The speaker’s use of apostrophe links readers to the rose. A person who is lacking (in some respect) will not be treated like a traditional, cherished rose. That inadequate person will be flung around by a careless wind. However, there is a freedom in the unrestrained movement of the sand and wind (that a typical rose would not experience). This rose nears turbulent waters that other roses would never see. Similarly, this rose-person will be enlightened by experiences and struggles that other—more perfect—people would never face. Although it is not clear whether or not H.D. is the speaker, H.D.’s struggles with her parents likely impacted the rose’s journey in this poem. H.D.’s distant father and mother’s favoritism towards her brother paint of picture of disappointment.

In “The Rose and The Poppy”, the speaker does not challenge the traditional symbol of the rose for a majority of the poem. The first stanza draws on traditional symbolic meanings of a rose. The speaker does not identify with being a rose because they do not meet the traditional expectations that come with being “the flower you give to a lover, / or a token of comfort you give to a friend in the hospital” (lines 4-5). The speaker identifies all of a rose’s traditional connotations but compares themself to a poppy that is “wild in a field of greens and blues. / Electric orange-” (lines 12-13). The speaker abandons roses rather than challenging or altering a rose’s meaning. A rose’s traditional meaning does not align with the speaker’s identity, so they chose a different flower to represent themselves. Later, the speaker acknowledges that everyone mixes together in a “potpourri of our colors” (line 21). These flowers are dried and dull with petals falling apart. This contradicts the typical, lively and lush rose symbol. Roses are valued for their beauty, fullness, and fragrance, but these flowers have undergone a major transformation. In a potpourri, roses and poppies alike will “each wilt between dried petals – / scenting rooms with our fragrance / Rotting into umber” (lines 22-24). In the end, everything dies and leaves marks on its surroundings (like that fragrance). Rose and poppies are both susceptible to time and meet their ends in the same dark, rotted state. Although these flowers have different paths, they are indistinguishable from each other in their final moments.

~Miki Chroust

The ‘Imperfect’ Rose

H.D.’s poem, “Sea Rose” and Arianna Puente’s “The Rose and the Poppy” both have their unique ways of demonstrating the traditional symbol of the rose, by including certain figurative language like imagery and descriptive adjectives, however from comparing and contrasting both. I believe H. D’s poem is more effective in challenging the traditional symbol of the rose than Puente’s.

Both poems mention a ‘rose’ in their titles, “The Rose and The Poppy” and “Sea Rose”, they even begin their poems by referring to a ‘rose’ as well. What is different though is the way the rose is mentioned throughout both poems. Traditionally, a red rose symbolizes love, passion, and romance. H.D. states it as a “Rose, harsh rose, marred and with a stint of petals, meager flower, thin, sparse of leaf,” (H.D., Line 1-4). From the detailed adjectives and speck of imagery given like, “thin”, “marred and a stint of petals”, “harsh rose”, and “sparse of the leaf”, I conveyed that the rose wasn’t the “traditional” rose, specifically because of its physical appearance. It’s not healthy, though no pigmentation or color is disclosed, it can be assured that it’s a wilting rose being vividly described. How does this prove H.D.’s poem is more effective though? Well, H.D. continues by stating, “more precious than a wet rose single on a stem—” (H.D., Line 5 – 7) It seems as though the speaker has some admiration towards this dying rose. Even if it’s wilted it’s still beautiful, more beautiful than one that is well and alive.

This statement is more evident when the speaker quotes, “Can the spice-rose drip such acrid fragrance hardened in a leaf?” (H.D. Lines 14-16). From reading this I got a defensive tone from the speaker. It sounds like he/she is defending the rose as if he/she is stating, “So what if it’s dying? At least its fragrance is stronger than a healthy rose.” What about the fragrance though? Thinking outside of the box, from my knowledge, dry roses are more likely to hold a stronger fragrance than roses that are lively. Rose petals are dried purposely and blended into powder because of their color and fragrance. How is quick input relevant to H. D’s poem though? Well, it further proves that even beyond a rose’s death, it can provide many uses and benefits, it’s quite valuable. This is where the speaker challenges the traditional symbol of the rose. It’s not a soft-petaled, bright, healthy rose, however, it still holds value, value that a lively rose may not be able to give or provide.

   On the other hand, Puente, though she mentions a ‘rose’ as well, does not have it as a main symbol or main vehicle in her poem unlike H.D. This is where her lack of effectiveness lies. She first starts by stating, “I am not a ravishing ruby red, or a semblance of purity white.” (Puente, Line 1-3). She includes imagery and alliteration, mentioning the rose’s colors, “ravishing ruby red” and “semblance of purity white.”. It seems she does start off strongly referring to a traditional rose by providing certain terms connected to it, like a “token of comfort” (Puente, Line 5), “romance” (Puente, Line 6), and “Valentine’s Day” (Puente, Line 19) however, her poem takes a twist when she states, “I am wild in the fields of green and blues. Electric orange- like tangerines in an orchard of trees, my skin’s perfume meshed in the summer breeze.” (Puente, Lines 12-16). From the depictive adjectives, “fields of green and blues”, “Electric orange”, and “Tangerines”, it makes it evident that the speaker is not being expressive about a rose after all, she’s regarding a California poppy flower. This diminishes the effectiveness of challenging the traditional symbol of the rose since it demonstrates that’s not the main context in her poem. Puente does not challenge the symbolism of a traditional rose, she goes along with it, the speaker only states that individually she is not a rose, she is more of a poppy. This is why I believe H.D.’s “Sea Rose” was the most effective in challenging the traditional symbol of the rose than Adrianna Puente’s “The Rose and The Poppy”. His poem stays relevant with just a rose, it deflects on the physical appearance of a traditional one, and his poem completely challenges the conventional, idealistic perspective of a traditional rose.

The Symbol of the Rose

For next Thursday (2/22), students will compare H.D.’s “Sea Rose” and Adrianna Puente’s “The Rose and The Poppy” to answer the following prompt:

Which poem is most effective in challenging the traditional symbol of the rose and why?

Please categorize under “The Symbol of the Rose” and don’t forget to create specific and relevant tags.  And please include your full name!  The blog post is due by next Thursday (2/22) 11:00am.

To learn more about H.D.’s life, click on this link.  Adrianna Puente is a UC Merced student who had her poem published in the campus journal for undergraduate student creative writing, The Vernal Pool.  Here is the link to the journal website: http://thepool.ucmerced.edu/

Rose: From a Dandelion’s Perspective

How can I compare to a single red rose?

That all may admire watching from afar,

Not me, just a weed, not a life I chose,

Yellow, then white, then blown into the stars,

She’s raised, well-bred, an alluring beauty,

And rich with passion, and a symbol of love.

I could only dream I could be half as pretty

And not just a wish that none will hear of.

But with her thorns plucked, and her flaws not shown,

She’s well presented, a thing of display.

And though I’m known to a few people alone,

I remember them fondly as I’m flying away.

And sometimes I wonder if the rose sees me,

A dandelion, small, yet happy and free.

-Cifriana Mina Dela Cruz

There were a couple of inspirations that I took in order to create this poem. For one thing, I wanted to recreate the themes of Adrianna Pruente’s “The Rose and The Poppy” but it was hard for me to do so in a meaningful way without making it seem like I was ripping it off. After all, I wasn’t really doing anything different from “The Rose and The Poppy”, I was still comparing the rose to a different flower. It’s just that I chose a dandelion instead of a poppy.

Now, why a dandelion? It seems a bit arbitrary that I changed the flower, I could’ve just kept the poppy analogy, and any other flower could’ve done. There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, I’ve heard a lot in my life that dandelions are seen as weeds, something usually to be plucked out of the ground only to be thrown away. They’re also known less for the flower and rather the seeds that sprout from it. And also, they also are grown usually on the grass anywhere they wish, unlike a rose which is usually purposefully bred for display.

See the thing is, in my mind I wanted to have the rose and dandelion to basically be personified as two girls, with the dandelion making a comparison to the rose. I kinda wanted to dig into the insecurity of the dandelion as she makes the comparison. She (the dandelion) kinda has an admiration for the rose but also this envy(?) that she can’t be “half as pretty” (line 7) as her. The speaker incessantly mentions her looks as well as her fame as she digs deeper into her insecurities about her lack thereof. I’d like to think as for her final reflection she realizes that because of her beauty, the rose can’t be anything other than that, and with the realization comes to terms that the dandelion is freer to do whatever she wants.

I think this could be seen as relevant now, because we all tend to compare each other in terms of aesthetics and beauty, even if we don’t mean to. Especially with the internet being a thing, we’re all subject to comparing our lives with the perfect images of other ones, and it could be hard to remember that in a lot of cases it is fabricated. It’s just the parts that aren’t flawed, the “thing[s] of display” (line 10). And while the rose is beautiful, we forget that only the most perfect ones are usually the ones out in the world to see.

Now the other thing is that I didn’t write this poem in free verse, instead I wrote it as a sonnet. (I took some inspiration of the Shakespearean sonnet in particular) Now, if I’m being honest the main reason why was because I was thinking of actually writing it as a song to sing out loud to others, but as I came to terms that the poem didn’t feel like a song to be sung, I wonder why I kept it as such. Well, I think it may have to do with the self-reflection aspect of it, because in a way the speaker is reflecting on herself as she makes these comparisons. I also like interpreting it as the speaker still feeling restrained on society’s view on her, and thus plays to the rules of her society. But she still stumbles in it, seeing as the rhythm is still a bit off in some places, and some lines could be read shorter or longer depending on the poem. There’s also the turn at around line 13 (the buildup starting at line 9), where the dandelion realizes the freedom she has from not being confined in the restraints the rose has.

I hope that this was conveyed clearly in my poem. I wanted to create new meanings to my flower, and hopefully make the rose a little bit more sympathetic. We kind of gave it a bad name in this class, and while I don’t think I made the rose symbolism any less negative, I’m hoping to show that underneath the display, even a rose has flaws, whether or not we (choose to) see them. (Also I wanted to promote the dandelion as a symbol of freedom)

Flowers are flowers.

To whom this may concern,

For this creative poetry project, I decided to mimic/recreate the poem “The Rose and The Poppy” by Adrianna Puente but made it a little more modern to today’s society. In my poem, I went along and focused on the speaker in the poem stating that they are a poppy and not a rose. In Adrianna Puente’s poem the speaker talks about the characteristics of a rose including its colors and societal meanings. For example,”I am/ not a ravishing ruby red,/ or a semblance of purity white”(lines 1-3). In my poem, I wanted to be more literal and direct. In my poem it says “I am/ Not a red rose/ Or white rose”(lines 1-3). I thought that being direct would be amusing because poems are usually meant to be indirect and to allow the reader to figure it out. I felt like being more direct made the poem powerful which is similar to Puente’s poem because the tone is powerful as well. In my poem I talked about things that related more to younger generations. For example, “I am beautiful but/ Not enough to be posted on your instagram story.”(lines 15 & 16). I decided to include this line in my poem because the younger generations tend to post things like flowers on social media posts and their instagram or snapchat stories to represent that they are in a relationship. In line 6, it says “Nor am I the symbol of love and the bare minimum-“. Social media has brought more awareness that people should not overly praise things like giving out flowers because it is a part of the bare minimum a lover can do. Puente’s poem is in the free verse form. I decided to stick with the same form because it allowed more freedom of writing. Puente’s poem is about the speaker claiming that she is a poppy and not a rose. I decided to stick with the same idea because I felt like I could connect it to what may seem amusing to the youth audience. I also stuck to the same idea that roses and poppies are still flowers in the end. In the last 4 lines I state how all flowers become dead eventually. It doesn’t matter if the speaker is a rose or poppy, because they have the same fate once they are picked.

Sincerely,

Katherine Deras

La Vie N’est Pas Rose

In both the poems assigned today, Sea Rose by H. D. and The Rose & The Poppy by Adrianna Puente, the traditional image/ideas of the rose are completely torn apart and questioned. Th tradition images of a rose include romanticism, lust, passion, love, beauty, desire, atraction; the rose is associated with so many positives by society that many people don’t see the negative stigma that can also be imposed by roses, these two poets describe and show just that, the fact that roses have been made up by society to represent all these good thing, but ae all those representation accurate and do they hold true? The poems Sea Rose and The Rose & The Poppy share similar ideas about the rose and in their own way tear the traditional meaning apart.

In the poem Sea Rose by H. D. we don’t sea any specific rhyming scheme being used and we can clarify this poem as free verse. However we can see that the tenor in this poem is the sea rose and the vehicle is I, as in the person in the poem, metaphors, enjambment, and imagery in order to help get the meaning across of the poet that the wilted, sea affected rose, is just as beautiful and interesting, if not more interesting, than the standard rose. Throughout the poem, such as in the first stanza we can see enjambment as there is no specific set up for the lines, the lines don’t stop in a specific place e instead they are doing their own thing only spectated by the commas but we never get to see a full sentence or the capitalization of a word as we move to next line in a stanza. The whole poem can be characterized by a metaphor as it compares the sea rose to a person, setting apart its imperfection such as “harsh rose, marred and with stint of petals, meagre flower, thin, sparse of leaf” then it goes on to say “Stunted, with small leaf, you are flung on the sand.” The poem uses this allude and compare the sea rose to a person who has flaws and isn’t necessarily up to the standards of society. The imagery in the poem also helps emphasize the message then poet, with the first stanza describing the sea rose as “Rose, harsh rose, marred and with stint of petals, meagre flower, thin, sparse of leaf” and the last stanza questioning if the spice rose(the tradition ‘beautiful’ rose) “Can the spice-rose drip such acrid fragrance hardened in a leaf?” This imagery of the two roses helps us better understand teh difference between the two roses.

In the poem The Rose & The Poppy by Adrianna similarly explaimns the rose in comparison to the person. She starts the poem by saying ” I am not a ravishing ruby red, or a semblance of purity white” in this case is is stating that she is not a rose but instead she uses a poppy to compare to the rose and explain that in society the poppy and the rose do not have the sam implications, yet in reality they are both flowers and teh only true difference is the meaning that they have been given by society. She states “Not the flower you give to a lover, or a token of comfort you give to a friend in the hospital. Nor am I a symbol of romance” the traditional symbols and imagery that are given to a rose are not given to a poppy. She later in the poem goes on to reflect on teh fact that although she is not a rose she is unique and special, “Most times I am forgotten.Rarely chosen foreager hands on Valentine’s day-but I am my own.” She ends the poem by remind the reader “we each wilt-between dried petals-scenting rooms with our fragrance. Rotting into umber.” This parrelles people, although someone might not fit the standards athat are deemed as desirable in a society they are still a person unique and wonderful, with qualities that make them special, just like the poppy is in compassion to the rose. Both of these poem compass the idea that society ideals and standards do not define a thing, the thing defines itself.

Guadalupe Lemus

The Inferior Rose

When someone thinks of a rose, the first thoughts that come to mind are romance beauty and love. They are used to be given to another person on valentines day to show affection or planted in a garden to add beauty and something to admire. Roses are a symbol of beauty and fragility, yet certain poetry decide to turn the traditional views we have of something on its head completely.

I feel that the poem ‘Sea Rose’, better challenged the view of the traditional rose. The first line even starts off by contradiction traditional views in the first line, by stating ‘harsh rose. By calling a delicate flower ‘harsh’, it leads the reader into viewing this symbol as the opposite of what one may have previously thought. The author continues to refer to the rose using adjectives with more negative connotation tied to them, like ‘acrid’ and ‘thin’ to completely change the meaning of the symbol of the rose. The rose in this poem is even seemed to be the opposite of an actual rose structure wise as well, this rose has a “meagre” amount of petals and is referred to as a rose that is near the sea, which is where one would never find a regular rose. The poem also refers to the smell as ‘acrid’ which is the complete opposite of how many people view the smell of roses. By referring to a rose as the almost complete opposite of the traditional symbol, it makes the once symbol of romance and beauty, undesirable and inferior.

In the other poem ‘The Rose and the Poppy’ the traditional symbol of the rose is more enforced than challenged. They refer to the rose as ‘ravishing’ and continue to compliment it, making it seem beautiful and admirable. This is what I feel is closer to the traditional way people perceive roses and enforces the traditional symbol instead of challenging it.

Emily Mayo

In the end, it all becomes dried petals.

Comparing H.D’s “Sea Rose” and Adrianna Puente’s “The Rose and The Poppy,” both describe a flower more specifically a rose, but oppose a different perspective to the classic symbol of a rose. The traditional symbol of a red rose illustrates romance between people, strong emotions of passion, and when given a rose you have to cherish it to its last petal. However, Puente’s poem challenges the symbol of passion should not only bestow onto an average red rose as there are many other red flowers that could bring such comfort, but in the end, all the flowers and their significance end up in the same place of dried petals

Puenta begins with the speaker describing what they don’t represent, “I am / not a ravishing ruby red” (Line 1-2), as the speaker explains how they are not as dashingly compared to a rudy red flower. As it continues, the speaker admits, “Not the flower you give to a lover” (Line 4), where it relates back to the classic performance of a red rose to show love  and romance, but the speaker mentions how they are far from the act of a red rose. However, a red rose is not the only red flower that has deep importance as the poppy flower also resembles a red color. With the second stanza, Puenta opens, “I am / wild in fields of green and blues” (Line 11-12), which shows the speaker being a red flower in the roaming in the wild like a poppy flower outshining their surroundings of mixed color flowers. The poppy flower mentions, “Rarely chosen for / eager hands on Valentine’s day” (Line 17-18), as red poppy flower that has been defeated by the specialty of a red rose as it can not compare to the symbolism of a rose on their special day like Valentine’s Day that enhances the attraction and romance. As Puenta argues how the poppy flower is better than the traditional rose, she concludes, “we each wilt between dried petals… Rotting into umber” (Line 21, 23), as no matter how special a rose is compared to any other flower, all the flowers end up dried and breaking, losing its meaning of romance and nothing more than dried petals as time goes on.

Naraint Catalan Rios