Dorothy Parker

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The theme and insight into the human experience in Dorothy Parker's "Solace"

Summary:

In Dorothy Parker's "Solace," the theme centers on the indifference of the world to individual suffering. The poem offers insight into the human experience by highlighting how personal tragedies often go unnoticed or unacknowledged by society, emphasizing a sense of isolation and the transient nature of sympathy.

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What is the theme of Dorothy Parker's poem "Solace"?

There was a rose that faded young;
I saw its shattered beauty hung
Upon a broken stem.
I heard them say, "What need to care
With roses budding everywhere?"
I did not answer them.

There was a bird brought down to die;
They said, "A hundred fill the sky--
What reason to be sad?"
There was a girl whose love fled;
I did not wait the while they said,
"There's many another lad."

The short poem, "Solace," by Dorothy Parker explores the theme of loss through its title, Solace. By definition, solace means to give comfort or to console. In this first person narrated poem, the speaker witnesses three events of loss. The first event is the "rose that faded young." Parker uses the imagery of a rose that dies too soon because of a broken stem to symbolize youth that dies too quickly. The consolation given to the narrator is that there are many more roses, so do not grieve for this one loss.

The second event of loss is "the bird brought down to die." Again, the same words of comfort are used, many more birds "fill the sky," so do not be sad. Lastly, the poem shifts to a more personal loss. This loss concerns a girl "whose love fled." The same advice is given as a means to console the narrator; that is, there are many more young men out there so don't grieve. However, for anyone who has ever been left with a broken heart, it is little solace that another love may someday come along. In this manner, the title becomes ironic. For those who have lost what they cherish, there is little solace in simply knowing more exist.

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What is the theme of Dorothy Parker's poem "Solace"?

There was a rose that faded young;
I saw its shattered beauty hung
Upon a broken stem.
I heard them say, "What need to care
With roses budding everywhere?"
I did not answer them.

There was a bird brought down to die;
They said, "A hundred fill the sky--
What reason to be sad?"
There was a girl whose love fled;
I did not wait the while they said,
"There's many another lad."

Certainly, one of the themes that comes out of Parker's poem is the collision between individual and society.  The individual is shown to be poised and positioned against the wishes of the greater social order.  When the unique beauty of the flower is gone and the flower dies, the rationalization that society offers is that there are many more.  When the unique individuality of the bird's flight is taken down, there are rationalizations offered to show that there are many more.  Individual beauty and distinctiveness is set aside for social expectations and norms.  This becomes a theme in the poem, one in which Parker as the poet makes clear that individuals seeking social embraces might not be entirely fortunate.  There is a social conformity that detracts from the individuality of the person.  This theme is seen in the closing of the poem, where the speaker herself flees from the clutches of a normalizing social order.  The theme of individual against society is something that occupies importance in Parker's poem, speaking powerfully to how there can be a mutually exclusive condition between both forces.

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What is the theme of Dorothy Parker's poem "Solace"?

There was a rose that faded young;
I saw its shattered beauty hung
Upon a broken stem.
I heard them say, "What need to care
With roses budding everywhere?"
I did not answer them.

There was a bird brought down to die;
They said, "A hundred fill the sky--
What reason to be sad?"
There was a girl whose love fled;
I did not wait the while they said,
"There's many another lad."

I think that the explanation of Parker's solace lies in the images she employs.  These images help to bring out the idea of the difference between the sensitive and caring individual and the dismissive and almost heartless condition of the world around them.  This dynamic is explored in the three images, helping to construct a distinct difference between what the individual experiences and what the world dictates to that individual.

The tender beauty of the rose is one that dies or is extinguished.  Parker's construction of the world's response is one of dismissiveness, suggesting that another will grow and its unique beauty will not be missed.  The bird that was "brought down to die" is another example. The world discards the sadness intrinsic to this condition, suggesting that there is nothing with which concern is needed.  When the speaker, conceivably Parker herself, suggested that her own condition can be absorbed by the state of being in the world, she flees such a condition.  This helps to bring out the poem's primary purpose in exploring the difference between the reality of the individual and the condition of the world around them in terms of their own unique appreciation.

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What is the theme of Dorothy Parker's poem "Solace"?

There was a rose that faded young;
I saw its shattered beauty hung
Upon a broken stem.
I heard them say, "What need to care
With roses budding everywhere?"
I did not answer them.

There was a bird brought down to die;
They said, "A hundred fill the sky--
What reason to be sad?"
There was a girl whose love fled;
I did not wait the while they said,
"There's many another lad."

The speaker is someone who possesses insight about the world around them.  Presumably someone like Parker itself, I think that the speaker clearly understands that there is a condition of being in the world that dismisses individual uniqueness and beauty for social expectation and conformity.  The individual beauty intrinsic to the rose and the flight of the bird are both examples of how the world eliminates and moves past unique beauty.  Rather, both are set aside for what social expectations are and the predominance of the social experience.  This is where the speaker of the poem holds perceptive awareness.  The speaker of the poem is one who understands this condition very well.  It is for this reason that the speaker grasps the need to "escape" from such a condition of being.  The speaker does not wish this predicament to be visited upon herself.  It is for this reason that the speaker decides to not "wait" to stay in such a situation.  The speaker understands that her own unique individual experience is not something that will be subject to social conformity, like the beauty of the rose and the flight of the bird.  This is where the speaker's insight becomes profound and very compelling against a world that seeks more in line of conformity and control.

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What is the tone of the poem "Solace" by Dorothy Parker?

Solace:

There was a rose that faded young;
I saw its shattered beauty hung
Upon a broken stem.
I heard them say, "What need to care
With roses budding everywhere?"
I did not answer them.

There was a bird brought down to die;
They said, "A hundred fill the sky--
What reason to be sad?"
There was a girl whose love fled;
I did not wait the while they said,
"There's many another lad."

If we define "tone" as the attitude of the poem towards its subject matter, I think that Parker's tone is one of fear towards the normalizing effects of society.  Parker presents a tone that shows fear towards what a society can do to the unique individuality of a living being.  The rose's beauty is dismissed by society as something replaceable.  The bird that died is discarded in the same way.  There is a fearful tone in how Parker describes the way and relative ease with which society is able to discard individual sadness and the death of the unique experience.  It is for this reason that the speaker, presumably Parker herself, flees from the clutches of a social order.  She understands that the manner in which society functions is one in which individuals are discarded.  The tone is one in which society is seen as an encroaching element that does not pay much attention to the experiences of the individual.  Rather, the tone reflects how rationalization is a part of the process.  Rationalization is the way in which society normalizes pain and hurt. This tone is why the speaker at the end does not which to stick around in such a condition and "does not wait" to flee.

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What insight into the human experience is given through Dorothy Parker's "Solace"?

---Solace---

There was a rose that faded young;
I saw its shattered beauty hung
Upon a broken stem.
I heard them say, "What need to care
With roses budding everywhere?"
I did not answer them.

There was a bird brought down to die;
They said, "A hundred fill the sky--
What reason to be sad?"
There was a girl whose love fled;
I did not wait the while they said,
"There's many another lad."

One of the primary insights that Parker gives in the poem is how cold and detached social orders can be in the name of "progress."  There is little reflection or rumination that is featured within the social order in Parker's depiction.  Death happens and the isolation of the individual transpires with little in way of thought or calculation.  For this, the construction of society is one whereby the individual uniqueness of the individual will be sacrificed in the name of social progress or rationalization.  The beauty of the rose and the flight of the bird are examples of how society pays little attention to those who perish or die and keeps moving on, supposedly in a forward direction.  For Parker, the primary insight into one one lives and what is the human experience is that individuals must recognize that some level of push back against society is needed.  Individuals must seek to validate their own experience perhaps outside of social acceptance and social norms.  It is through this element where Parker is able to make the claim that the human experience is one in which individuals must understand that their own uniqueness and distinctive nature must be fought against the clutches of a society that might be more interested in normalizing it as opposed to praising it.

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