In the poem The Sick Rose by William Blake the subject is a women on her psychological and physical sick bed. Blake uses imagery and similes to describe the destruction, caused by a sexual affair, of a female.
To begin with, Blake uses similes to express his message. The Rose is not only a flower but also a woman; and the invisible worm is a sexual transmitting disease and/or lie, caused by an extra marital affair, that is destroying the "flower". Blake expresses the woman's guilt and torment over the situation with the lines "That flies in the night in the howling storm". With these words Blake paints a picture of a woman that is being torn apart by her conscience and/or disease. Blake tells the reader that the woman has committed an affair with the phrase "thy bed of crimson joy". Blake ends the poem with the affair causing the woman's life to be destroyed physically and mentally. Without Blake's use of similes the reader would not see the true meaning of the poem. .
As well as similes Blake uses imagery as an element in painting his portrait of a "sick Rose". Blake's choice of an "invisible worm" forces an image of a mass of destruction moving undetected through "the Rose". The howling storm can be both heard and seen by the reader; and with this the reader gets the sense of turmoil, caused by the disease and/or lie, that the woman is going through. With the words "crimson joy", Blake paints a red lustful affair, which is destroying her. Blake's use of imagery paints a clearer picture of "the Rose" and what she is going through. .
Blake's use of the literary elements, imagery and simile, provides a clear picture of a woman destroyed mentally and physically by an affair. Without Blake's wonderful use of these elements the reader would not be able to see the true illustration. .