This post consists of two answers given by two G.C.E. (O/L) students. These answers will be helpful for the readers to analyse the answers of students and these two students have brought forward some brilliant points to ponder. The credit should go for them and the comment section is open for you to comment on their work which will be a great support for them to improve their writings.
Question:
The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde reflects the difficulty in distinguishing between the real love and the materialistic love by youth. Do you agree? Relate your answer to the short story.
Answer by Ishra Faris:
The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde is a fairy tale written about love. This fairy tale depicts many kinds of love. True love, materialistic love and fake love. Love is depicted through different types of characters. The writer reflects the difficulty in distinguishing between the real love and materialistic love by the youth.
“She said that she would dance with me if I brought her red rose.”
The young student has fallen in love with a girl but the love has not been successful because the girl has laid out a condition and if the boy fulfils that, she might accept the love. At the first instance, it seems to be a conditional love and the condition cannot be fulfilled by the boy as it is the winter. So, it seems like that the girl does not love the boy.
“Here at last is a true love” The little nightingale who was listening to the weeping of the boy felt sad and wanted to help the boy. She flew to each and every rose tree asking for a red rose but no tree could produce red roses. Finally, she found a red rose tree and it too cannot produce red roses due to winter. However, nightingale wanted a red rose; but for that she has to sacrifice her life.
By agreeing, the nightingale flew to the student’s room and spoke to him but the student was not able to understand the nightingale’s true love: “she has a form…but has she got feelings?” The student thought that the little nightingale is not worthy.
When it is the time “Death is a great is a great price for a red rose” the nightingale stained the rose with her own heart’s blood and left the world.
The morning came the student and saw the red rose and was so happy and said “I’m sure it has a long Latin name.” That is all he said, he never thought how the rose had blossomed in the winter and did not even try to find out.
The boy plucked the flower and he went to the house of the professor, but when the girl saw him with the rose, the girl frowned. She simply said “I’m afraid it will not go with my dress.” and “the Chamberlin’s nephew has sent me some real jewels; and everybody knows that jewels cost far more than flowers.”
The above extract depicts clearly that the girl’s love is materialistic and she is not waiting for a true love but all she wants is money and jewels.
The boy understands that the girl does not love him and leaves her and says: “What a silly thing love is!... it is not half as useful as logic.”
In conclusion, we can say that the boy has not loved the girl truly, he only wanted to cuddle her in his arms but the sacrifice made by the little nightingale was for true love.
The story by Oscar Wilde – The Nightingale and the Rose reflects the difficulty in distinguishing between the real love and the materialistic love by the youth.
Answer by Priyanga Dilshan
The Nightingale and the Rose is a very interesting short story written by Irish poet Oscar Wilde. Using the fairy tale form, the writer deeply conveys about the contemporary life of the people. This story unfolds with the condition given by a girl to a young student to find a red rose in winter season. There are many types of relationships brought to the focus in this short story. Nightingale is the protagonist of this story.
“She said that she would dance with me if I brought her red roses.”
This girl has imposed a condition to the young student if he wanted to dance with her. However, this student is not ready to take any effort to find a red rose. He keeps on weeping: “but in all my garden there is no red rose.” Nightingale is a bird who is very sensitive heard the weeping of the young student. She recognized this boy as a true lover considering the outer appearance. It is clear that the nightingale has been deceived as she goes through the outer appearance of the boy. The love between the young student and the girl is a materialistic love as it is based on a red rose which is also a material thing.
“For a red rose, they cried; How very ridiculous.”
The green Lizard, Butterfly, Daisy inquired about the reason for the weeping of the young student. They are not ready to help others but they laugh at others.
“But the nightingale has understood the secret of student’s sorrow and she sat silent in the Oak tree and thought about the mystery of love.”
Having understood the sorrow of the young student, the nightingale has come forward to help him. While she is thinking about the mystery of love in the Oak tree, she has decided to start the mission to find a red rose. According to the nightingale, there is a big vacuum for true lovers. She has decided to sacrifice her life for the sake of the young student’s love. She is selfless, full of empathy, helpful, generous and does not expect anything in return for the sacrifice she is going to make.
“The Chamberlain’s nephew has sent me some real jewels, and everybody knows that jewels cost far more than flowers.”
After collecting the red rose plucked from his home which is produced as a result of nightingale’s effort, the girl refuses the red rose she asked for. She is arrogant and opportunistic. She is fickle as she changes her words from time to time. This professor’s daughter compares the values of jewels to flowers. According to her, love is based on materialistic things such as flowers, jewels and highly valuable things. Therefore, this love is a materialistic love.
The love between the oak tree and the nightingale is a real love. The oak tree has understood what nightingale sings to the young student but the young student did not understand the gesture of nightingale as he does not have a proper sense of art. He has got a book based on education which carry theories but not got any education related to the heart to make sensitivity.
When we
carefully analysing the above facts and quotations taken from the short story
The Nightingale and the Rose, we can realize the difficulty in distinguishing
between the real love and the materialistic love by the youth.
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