Polk County News
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • November 8, 2017 11A
Shakespeare uses the power of plants
From the roses of
“Romeo and Juliet” to the
lilies of “The Winter’s Tale,”
William Shakespeare men-
tioned plants 200 times in
his plays and sonnets. He
knew the power of plants to
elicit emotion and help tell
a story, especially in the
16th century.
“Plants meant so much
to people who went to see
his plays,” said Rhonda
Nowak, an Oregon State
University Extension Serv-
ice master gardener since
2011. “People then were
more connected to plants
then we are; they used them
for medicinal purposes and
knew the tales behind
them.”
In modern times, even
people who don’t go to
plays recognize the quote
from “Romeo and Juliet”:
“What’s in a name? That
which we call a rose by any
other name would smell as
sweet.” But roses, Shake-
speare’s go-to plant, come
up an additional 95 times.
Next in line are oak trees at
36 times, lilies 28, grapes 27
and apples 24. The list goes
on.
As a Medford resident,
avid gardener and fan of the
Oregon Shakespeare Festi-
val in nearby Ashland,
Nowak naturally started
thinking about Shake-
speare’s use of plants. Her
background fits perfectly:
She has a PhD in literary
and language arts educa-
tion and teaches English
c o m p o s i t i o n a t Ro g u e
Community College.
Shakespeare’s use of
plants is intentional, as
metaphor and symbolically,
according to Nowak. Roses,
K YM
P OKORNY
These Polk County groups would welcome individuals
who have time or expertise to volunteer. Organizations
that would like to be added to this list should call 503-623-
2373 or email IOnews@polkio.com.
Your
Garden
for example, stand in for
beauty, health, softness,
love and elegance. In his
works, Shakespeare refers
to the white and red Tudor
rose to demonstrate the
union of the House of York
(white rose) and House of
Lancaster (red rose) at the
end of the War of the Roses
in 1485. Though the refer-
ence is shaky in terms of
historical relevance, he
popularized it in “Henry
VI,” where he credits the
Earl of Warwick with a pas-
sage that obviously takes
place before the alliance:
“This brawl today,
Grown to this faction in
the Temple Garden
Shall send, between Red
Rose and the White,
A thousand souls to
death and deadly night!
Though no one knows if
Shakespeare was a garden-
er, he had a gardener’s sen-
sibility. He even knew about
rose diseases, as revealed in
“A Midsummer Night’s
Dream” where he writes
about the Queen of Fairies:
“Titania is lucky that she
has the other fairies kill the
cankers for her!” If only
modern-day gardeners had
fairies. Wouldn’t that be
great?
Close in meaning to
roses, lilies indicate ele-
gance, purity and inno-
cence, sometimes in a trag-
ic way. In “Titus Androni-
cus,” Titus says about his
https://flic.kr/p/cHgy2J
White lilies symbolized innocence and purity in the days
of Shakespeare.
daughter Lavinia after she
was violently attacked:
“When I did name her
brothers, then fresh tears
Stood on her cheeks, as
doth the honey-dew
Upon a gather’d lily al-
most wither’d.”
“It’s a very violent, gory
play and yet in one part he
introduces the lily,” Nowak
said. “Her father sees her as
being pure and innocent,
but after her attack he sees
her as withered. It’s pretty
powerful.”
In a less disturbing way,
white lilies came to be asso-
ciated with Christianity,
particularly the Virgin Mary,
who was often shown hold-
ing a Madonna lily in paint-
ings.
“The Madonna lily was
venerated as a sacred lily
because its petals suggested
a spotless body and its
golden anthers a soul
gleaming with heavenly
light,” Nowak noted.
Nowak has started de-
signing a Shakespeare Gar-
den at Hanley Farm near
Jacksonville and this spring
will be planting many of the
plants mentioned in Shake-
speare’s plays. She will give
tours of the garden, tell the
stories behind the plants,
talk about plant choices
and offer cultivation tips. If
interested, contact her at
rnowak39@gmail.com or
541-727-8346.
“I think it’s fun,” said
Nowak, who grows about 25
of Shakespeare’s plants in
her quarter-acre garden. “It
adds another layer of inter-
est to gardening. You’d grow
certain plants anyway and
then enjoy them more be-
cause you know they have
some meaning in Shake-
speare’s plays and to the
people who saw them.”
MI TOWN
It’s definitely November in
MI Town — with Miss Au-
tumn packing up her bags
and getting ready to go away
for several months. Old Man
Winter is out there, not so
far from our doors. This
week, we’re trying to stay out
of the leftover Halloween
candy, and talking about the
cute and fun trick or treaters
who stopped by our homes.
We’re also trying to get used
to waking up in the dark-
ness, wondering what time
it really is, and did we re-
member to change all the
clocks in the house.
—
The Oct. 25 Itemizer-Ob-
server listed many commu-
nity bazaars that will be held
in the coming weeks. All of
them look very tempting in-
deed and the best thing
about shopping for Christ-
mas or birthdays or just for
fun at our local bazaars is
P ATTY
T AYLOR
D UTCHER
Columnist
that the money spent goes
to our residents and local
organizations. Many grown
children and grandchildren
as well as nieces and
nephews really enjoy receiv-
ing something that is unique
and different. It’s a lot of fun
to watch them put aside the
bigger gift items in favor of
toys and other things hand
made by our local craftsmen
and women. Shopping lo-
cally is also an excellent way
to stretch your money —
and that’s something we are
all looking for in these un-
certain and often scary days.
—
On behalf of the family of
Tammy Wagner Jones,
we thank all of you so much for your
boundless support in your prayers, love,
flowers, and cards of condolence.
We are also so appreciative of your gifts to the
Cancer Action Network of the American Cancer
Society and to St. Philips Catholic Church
and other charities.
We are thankful for the special fellowship meal
served at St. Philips Catholic Church following
Tammy’s service and hosted by
St. Anne’s Altar Society and the Knights of Columbus.
Many hands and welcoming faces greeted our family,
friends and our St. Philips Catholic Church family.
We are humbled by your love and generosity.
The Tiernan and Wagner families
“Let all that you do be done in love.”
1 Corinthians 16:14
Solution on Page 6A
VOLUNTEER
OPPORTUNITIES
This Saturday is Veteran’s
Day, and the Monmouth
Senior Center wishes to
honor veterans, those who
are currently in the military
and their families with a
free breakfast from 8:30 to
10:30 a.m. Enjoy pancakes,
and scrambled eggs,
sausage, biscuits and gravy
with your family, friends
and neighbors at 180 War-
ren St. S. If you’d like to vol-
unteer to help with the
breakfast, or have any
questions, please call the
center at 503 838-5678.
—
The Second Saturday
Family Art Class will be
held from 2 to 4 p.m. on
Saturday, at the Ash Creek
Arts Center, located at 311
Monmouth St. in Inde-
pendence. Children and
parents can learn about 3-
D Greeting Cards from
Mary Harden. The class is
free, and registration is not
required.
—
We’ve sure enjoyed our
Western Oregon University
Wolves Football season,
with all the fun of Home-
coming activities this past
weekend. We will bid the
outgoing graduating sen-
iors a fond farewell at the
final game against Simon
Fraser on Saturday. We are
so fortunate to have so
many good programs at
both WOU and our own
Ce n t ra l Hi g h S c h o o l s,
where students are encour-
aged and welcome to par-
ticipate in team and indi-
vidual sports. Let’s do our
best to support our kids and
friends and neighbors and
help encourage these pro-
grams. Check both schools’
websites for schedules and
more information about
upcoming athletic events.
Call us.
The Itemizer-Observer can help you expand
your market share and make your
business more profitable.
Call us at 503-623-2373 and
make an appointment with our
Advertising Consultants,
Heidi, Rachel or Karen.
ADVERTISING THAT WORKS.
• AARP Foundation Tax-Aide – 503-930-7636
• After DARC — 503-623-9501
• American Cancer Society Road to Recovery
— 1-800-227-2345
• Arc of Polk County — 541-223-3261
• Ash Creek Arts Center – 971-599-3301
• Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of
Polk County Inc. — 503-623-8473
• Central School District — 503-838-0030
• City of Dallas — 503-831-3502
• City of Independence — 503-838-1212
• City of Monmouth — 503-751-0145
• Crime Victims Assistance Program — 503-623-9268
• Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce — 503-623-2564
• Dallas Fire Department — 503-831-3532
• Dallas Food Bank — 503-623-3578
• Dallas Kids, Inc. — 503-623-6419
• Dallas Police Department — 503-831-3582
• Dallas Public Library — 503-623-2633
• Dallas Retirement Village — 503-623-5581
• Dallas School District — 503-623-5594
• Delbert Hunter Arboretum — 503-623-7359
• Ella Curran Food Bank — 503-838-1276
• Falls City Arts Center — 503-559-6291
• Falls City School District — 503-787-3531
• Family Building Blocks – 503-566-2132, ext. 308.
• Friends of the Dallas Library — 503-559-3830
• Gentle House Gardens, Monmouth — 503-838-2995
• Girl Scouts of Southwest Washington and Oregon
— 1-800-338-5248
• H-2-O — 503-831-4736
HART (Horses Adaptive Riding and Therapy)
— 971-301-4278
• HandsOn Mid-Willamette Valley — 503-363-1651
• Heron Pointe Assisted Living — 503-838-6850
• Independence Health and Rehabilitation
— 503-838-0001
• Independence Public Library — 503-838-1811
• Kings Valley Charter School — 541-929-2134
• Luckiamute Watershed Council — 503-837-0237
• Luckiamute Valley Charter School — 503-623-4837
• Meals on Wheels — 503-838-2084
• Monmouth-Independence Chamber of Commerce
— 503-838-4268
• Monmouth-Independence YMCA — 503-838-4042
• Monmouth Public Library — 503-838-1932
• Northwest Human Services — 503-588-5828
• Oregon Child Development Coalition — 503-838-2745
• OSU Extension Service - Polk County — 503-623-8395
• Perrydale School District — 503-623-2040
• Polk Community Development Corporation
— 503-831-3173
• Polk County Community Emergency Response Team
— 503-623-9396
• Polk County Museum — 503-623-6251
• Polk County Public Health — 503-623-8175
• Polk County Resource Center — 503-623-8429
• Polk Soil and Water Conservation District
— 503-623-9680
• Relief Nursery Classroom — 503-566-2132
• SABLE House — 503-623-6703
• SALT (Sheriff’s Auxiliary & Law Enforcement Together)
— 503-851-9366
• Salvation Army — 503-798-4783
• SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) — 503-391-8423
• Salem Health West Valley Hospital — 503-623-8301
• Victim Assistance Program-Polk Co. District Attorney’s
Office — 503-623-9268 x1444
• Willamette Valley Hospice — 503-588-3600
• WIMPEG Community Access Television — 503-837-0163
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Continued from page 10A
—
TUESDAY, NOV. 14
• “Surviving th Holidays “ workshop Cross & Crown
Ministries — 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., 1156 SE Holman Ave., Dallas. Cost
is $5. 503-917-1625.
• Overeaters Anonymous — Noon to 1 p.m., Salem Health
West Valley, 525 SE Washington St., Dallas. Support group meets
in the quiet room/chapel immediately inside the emergency
entrance on Clay Street. Dee Ann White, 971-718-6444.
• Dallas Rotary — Noon, Dallas Civic Center, 945 SE Jeffer-
son St., Dallas. Lunch and speaker. Public is welcome.
• Polk County 4-H Rifle and Pistol Club Orientation — 7
p.m., Polk County Extension Office, 289 E. Ellendale Ave., Suite
301, Dallas. Learn about the White Feathers, a 4-H club dedicat-
ed to learning about air rifle and pistol shooting and safety.
—
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15
• Willamette Valley Food Assistance Program Food Bank
— 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., 888 Monmouth Cutoff Road, Building E,
Dallas. Weekly distribution for eligible community members.
503-831-5634.
• Day-2-Day Diabetes Support Group — 3 to 4 p.m., Salem
Health West Valley (main conference room inside main en-
trance), 525 SE Washington St., Dallas. 503-623-7323.
• Pickleball — 9 a.m. to noon, Roger Jordan Community
Park. Meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m.
to noon. Karen Freeman, 503-871-4172.
• Brew and BS: The New Testament — 7 p.m., St. Thomas
Episcopal Church, 1486 SW Levens St., Dallas. A lecture series
on New Testament figures. Bring brew of choice – coffee, tea,
chai, beer, wine, cider. 435-503-4304.
Happy 4th
Birthday Kaylee!
November 9th
Nana and Papa
LOVE YOU!