Frederick Harrington's White Rose

The White Rose is a short, whimsical fairy-tale poem/story written for readers who still retain a belief in the magical world of childhood. Harrington uses the white rose and the bluebird as central symbols in a gentle story that explores the origins of the bluebird and the enchantment found in nature. The work has the character of a traditional children's fairy tale, blending folklore, fantasy, and a sentimental appreciation of the natural world. Harrington apparently intended it as a nostalgic work for "older people who still believe in fairies," giving the piece a deliberately old-fashioned, storybook quality.