A few paragraphs before these lines the Nightingale sings to the Student telling him of how she intends to sacrifice her life for him 'be happy you shall have your red rose. ' Now Nightingales are renowned for having beautiful voices, but the Student does not appreciate the wonderful art of music. What a pity it is that they do not mean anything, or do any practical good. An interesting point to note is when the Student mentions that the Professor's daughter 'has some beautiful notes in her voice. She is willing to sacrifice her life for love for the Student to be able to spend one night with the girl he supposedly admires. He says to himself 'She has form - that cannot be denied to her' but then he says 'She would not sacrifice herself for others', which is exactly what the Nightingale is about to do for him. When in fact the only feelings the Student has for the Professor's daughter are those of material love. yet for want of a red rose is my life made wretched', the Nightingale hears him cry and on this evidence alone she bases her opinion: 'Here at last is a true lover.' 'She said that she would dance with me if I brought her red roses. For she thinks that the Student must be a 'true lover' - she thinks that he would give anything for one night with the Professor's daughter.

From the Nightingale's point of view, this is a tragically ironic story. It demonstrates how one life would sacrifice itself in order to make another happy.

The theme is conveyed in this story through the actions of the Nightingale. 'The Nightingale and the Rose' is a very poignant story following the theme of love.

This is one of many children's stories that he wrote, as he is well known to have 'used the form of fairy tale to reflect on modern life and to debate ideas'. The story I have chosen to analyse is 'The Nightingale and the Rose', by Oscar Wilde. It will include a thorough analysis of the story including my views and opinions towards the language, imagery and setting that the author uses. This essay will concentrate on just one of these stories. 'Nineteenth-Century Short Stories' is a collection of tales from the nineteen hundreds.

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