Analysis & Annotated Bibliography: 'One Perfect Rose' by D. Parker

This annotated bibliography focuses on Dorothy Parker's poem "One Perfect Rose," exploring its themes of romanticism and materialism. The speaker's initial appreciation for the symbolic rose transitions into a cynical longing for material possessions, specifically a limousine. The analysis draws on academic sources that delve into Parker's poetic style, including her use of irony, sarcasm, and precise language. The annotations summarize critical perspectives on the poem's meaning, highlighting the speaker's ambivalence towards love and her desire for worldly comforts. The included resources offer insights into Parker's broader poetic accomplishments and the cultural context of her work. Desklib provides access to similar annotated bibliographies and academic resources for students.

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One Perfect Rose
One Perfect Rose - Dorothy Parker
A single flow'r he sent me, since we met.
All tenderly his messenger he chose;
Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet--
One perfect rose.
I knew the language of the floweret;
"My fragile leaves," it said, "his heart enclose."
Love long has taken for his amulet
One perfect rose.
Why is it no one ever sent me yet
One perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no, it's always just my luck to get
One perfect rose.
The poem “One Perfect Rose” is self-explanatory as it makes a cynical comment on
materialism and romanticism. The speaker is pleased that her lover has sent her a perfect rose
that stands for their perfect kind of love. However, she wonders why her lover has not gifted her
a perfect limousine. There is a sense of high romanticism and self-aware materialism in the poem
that makes it interesting. Often one speaks of pure and perfect love in life and ignores the other
longs and wants for the materialistic side of the world. One can note the tone of exasperation in
the last few lines when the speaker reiterates that why is it that she keeps on getting just perfect

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roses. The message of the poem is that a woman seeks more than just perfect love in her life and
longs for the materialistic pleasures of the world too.
I chose the poem as it reflects the romantic and materialistic world of today. People are
looking for perfection in everything in their life, whether it is love, relationships or their worldly
comforts. Today, marriages are breaking because of imperfections in love and people would go
to any length to buy the latest model of expensive cars or the latest phones or any other
materialistic luxury in life. I feel that every human being craves for perfection, whether it is the
soul or his body.
Parker, Dorothy. “One Perfect Rose.” The Portable Dorothy Parker. Ed. Brendan Gill.
NY: The Viking Press, 1973, pp. 1-1.
The resource is used as to the source of the poem “One Perfect Rose” by Dorothy Parker.
Apart from the poem, the source offers details on the poetic language of the poem and how it
conveys simplicity and precision.
Literature Resource Center. " Overview: “One Perfect Rose." Gale, lib-
proxy.sunywcc.edu:2082/ps/i.do?id=GALE
%7CH1430001472&v=2.1&u=valh61524&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w. Accessed 6 Dec. 2018
The article explains the poem “One Perfect Rose” by Dorothy Parker in detail and shows
the significance of receiving a flower as well as the downsides of it. The source would be useful
in explaining the poem and how the suitor tries to penetrate the speaker's world by sending her
perfect roses. The article also explains effectively how the speaker prefers material comfort too
along with that perfect rose from her lover. One can feel the speaker's ambivalence regarding
true love. The article would be useful in adding to the explanation of the poem.

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Kinney, Arthur, F. Her Accomplishment: Poetry, Fiction, Criticism. Gale, vol. 143, no. 1,
2004, pp. 86-153.
The article by Arthur Kinney on Dorothy Parker poems reflects upon her different poems
including “One Perfect Rose.” Kinney reflects upon the implied recalculation and haunting
disappointment in the poem. The article discusses how Parker’s poems echo childlike dictions
and show a reliance on nouns and active verbs. There are irony, humor, and sarcasm in her
poems and “One Perfect Rose” is one such example. The use of nouns and active verbs can be
seen “One Perfect Rose” as “tenderly,” is “deep-hearted and the use of formal language in
“flow’r.” The eruption of the word” “one perfect” indicates the longing for perfection in one’s
life.
Works Cited

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Kinney, Arthur, F. Her Accomplishment: Poetry, Fiction, Criticism. Gale, vol. 143, no. 1, 2004,
pp. 86-153.
Literature Resource Center. " Overview: “One Perfect Rose." Gale, lib-
proxy.sunywcc.edu:2082/ps/i.do?id=GALE
%7CH1430001472&v=2.1&u=valh61524&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w. Accessed 6 Dec.
2018
Parker, Dorothy. “One Perfect Rose.” The Portable Dorothy Parker. Ed. Brendan Gill. NY: The
Viking Press, 1973, pp. 1-1.