it is a common saying, but what does it mean
2007-01-17 22:46:57 · 14 answers · asked by Vishnu V 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
A rose is a rose is a rose
Meaning
The meaning most often attributed to this is the notion that when all is said and done, a thing is what it is. This is in similar vein to Shakespeare's 'a rose by any other name would smell as sweet'. That's not the interpretation given by the author of the phrase though - see below.
Origin
The line is from Gertrude Stein's poem Sacred Emily, written in 1913 and published in 1922, in 'Geography and Plays'. The verbatim line is actually, 'Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose':
Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose
Loveliness extreme.
Extra gaiters,
Loveliness extreme.
Sweetest ice-cream.
Pages ages page ages page ages.
When asked what she meant by the line, Stein said that in the time of Homer, or of Chaucer, "the poet could use the name of the thing and the thing was really there." As memory took it over, the thing lost its identity, and she was trying to recover that - "I think in that line the rose is red for the first time in English poetry for a hundred years."
Stein was certainly fond of the line and used variants of it in several of her works:
- Do we suppose that all she knows is that a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. (Operas and Plays)
- ... she would carve on the tree Rose is a Rose is a Rose is a Rose is a Rose until it went all the way around. (The World is Round)
- A rose tree may be a rose tree may be a rosy rose tree if watered. (Alphabets and Birthdays)
- Indeed a rose is a rose makes a pretty plate. (Stanzas in Meditation)
2007-01-17 22:57:52 · answer #1 · answered by bero575 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose
The sentence "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose." was written by Gertrude Stein as part of the 1913 poem Sacred Emily, which appeared in the 1922 book Geography and Plays. In that poem, the first "Rose" is the name of a woman. Stein later used variations on the phrase in other writings, and "A rose is a rose is a rose" is probably her most famous quote, often interpreted as "things are what they are". In Stein's view, the sentence expresses the fact that simply using the name of a thing already invokes the imagery and emotions associated with it. As the quote diffused through her own writing, and the culture at large, Stein once remarked "Now listen! I’m no fool. I know that in daily life we don’t go around saying 'is a … is a … is a …' Yes, I’m no fool; but I think that in that line the rose is red for the first time in English poetry for a hundred years." (Four in America)
Gertrude Stein's repetitive language can be said to refer to the changing quality of language in time and history. She herself said to an audience at Oxford University that the statement referred to the fact that when the Romantics used the word "rose" it had a direct relationship to an actual rose. For later periods in literature this would no longer be true. The eras following romanticism, notably the modern era, use the word rose to refer to the actual rose, yet they also imply, through the use of the word, the archetypical elements of the romantic era. It also follows the rhetoric law of thricefold repetition to emphasize a point, as can be seen in speeches dating back to the sophists.
2007-01-17 22:59:43 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The sentence "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose." was written by Gertrude Stein as part of the 1913 poem Sacred Emily, which appeared in the 1922 book Geography and Plays. In that poem, the first "Rose" is the name of a woman. Stein later used variations on the phrase in other writings, and "A rose is a rose is a rose" is probably her most famous quote, often interpreted as "things are what they are"
2007-01-17 23:08:43 · answer #3 · answered by Alan C 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's not quite the saying. The expression comes from the play Romeo and Juliet. When Juliet finds out that her new love is a Montague, and therefore an enemy of her family, she wishes that his name was not Montague so that their love could have a chance. After all, what does a name matter? If he were called anything else, he would still be the same man she loves. Hence the line, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
2007-01-17 22:53:11 · answer #4 · answered by CrysV 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rose comes from the Latin word "rosa". That's where we get the word.
In Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet", as Juliet says Romeo's name lovingly to herself, she makes the remark "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet", meaning that it's the nature of the thing or person which counts, not the name given to it.
2007-01-17 23:11:05 · answer #5 · answered by Doethineb 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because Rose are Roses only, believe me!!
2007-01-17 22:58:24 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It comes from Shakespeare I think - from Romeo and Juliet. Something about what's in a name - if a rose were not a rose, would it smell less sweet - something like that.
2007-01-17 22:50:49 · answer #7 · answered by Marvelissa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It basically means that calling something by a different name, does not change what it is. A rose by any other name, is still a rose. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck - it's a duck!
2007-01-17 22:51:32 · answer #8 · answered by C J 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It means that No matter what you call the rose, it is still a rose.
A rose by any other name is still a rose.
2007-01-17 22:56:14 · answer #9 · answered by 2K 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It means that, regardless of what an object is called, it is still that object. The beauty of a rose is beautiful regardless of its name.
2007-01-17 22:51:17 · answer #10 · answered by oaxaca_so_long 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋