Incident in a Rose Garden

"Incident in a Rose Garden" by Donald Justice is a narrative poem written in free verse, featuring a dramatic dialogue among three characters: the Gardener, the Master, and Death. The poem explores...

In "Incident in a Rose Garden," Death is personified as a thin man dressed like a "Spanish waiter," who frightens the gardener and patiently waits for the master. Death is depicted as courtly yet...

In "Incident in a Rose Garden" by Donald Justice, Death sees himself as patient, for he enjoys arriving early (at least according to most people). Death also presents himself as confident and even...

In "Incident in a Rose Garden," the roses symbolize the natural cycle of life and death. The presence of Death in the rose garden highlights the inevitability of death within the natural order. While...

The most sinister, deathly image in "Incident in a Rose Garden" occurs when Death, described as a Spanish waiter, nonchalantly pinches rose blooms, which then fall dead to the ground. This imagery,...

In "Incident in a Rose Garden," California symbolizes a lifelong dream or unfulfilled desire for the gardener. It represents a place he wishes to visit before he dies, akin to a "bucket list" item...

The gardener runs away in "Incident in a Rose Garden" because he encounters Death, depicted as the Grim Reaper, and fears that his own life is ending. Death is described as wearing all black and...

Edgar Allan Poe's “The Raven” and Donald Justice's “Incident in a Rose Garden” both address questions of life and death through the arrival of a mysterious, supernatural visitor. Both speakers...