Christina Rossetti's : Song Essay

The first two stanzas in the poem offer an insight into the narrator’s past, showing the loss of her innocence the impact of the actions of the ‘great lord’ and an inner anger at her past actions, in the third and fourth stanzas the anger is directed at Kate for stealing the lord and sending her to her ruin, however in the fifth paragraph the direction of her anger is changed again and this time is directed at the lord himself. However the last stanza shows the narrator’s anger to be resolved for although she may have suffered an immense loss of reputation she can be happy now as she’s expressed her anger and knows within her heart that she has something neither the lord and lady Kate have: real love. This suggests that Rossetti doesn’t agree with confinement of the labels given by society, Kate is seen as ‘lovely and pure’ and she as ‘outcast’ but by presenting her as the one who is ultimately happy and proud it’s expressing that society values the wrong virtues, and has

One way the poets explore the idea of love and loss is through the use of language. Christina rossetti starts her poem of with the use of the word “remember”, which evokes the sense that she will be gone and gives her lover the instructions to have her in mind when she is gone which highlights the loss that is occurring between the lovers. The use of the word “remember” creates a sense that an eternal loss is taking place between the lovers as it seems like she will become a past memory which her lover will only “remember.” the word “remember” also runs , like a refrain, throughout the sonnet through the use of repetition and seems as if the power decreases throughout the poem which portrays an image as if the voice and memory of the speaker is fading from life, further portraying the idea of loss that is occurring between the lovers.the repetition of the word “remember” also allows the reader to pay close attention to

Ultimately, Rossetti’s descriptions of the woman are again stereotypes that do not explore the true identity of the woman, but she is a symbol of the Victorian ideal woman. Yet, it could be argued that Rossetti is using this stereotype to challenge this stereotype, and is not succumbing to the lure of using stereotypes, but in fact objecting to the superficial and without depth characters that appeared in Victorian literature and art. The denouement of “not as she is, but as she fills his dream” appears to strengthen this point as the woman in the painting has been denied all sense of self as she has been changed into something she has not, and is left to provide for his interpretation. Thus, Rossetti does use stereotypes within In An Artist’s Studio, however she uses them to object to the Victorian ideal of a woman, and the repetitiveness in art and literature because they do not represent women for what they are, and exist for the male gaze as in this poem.

Contrasting her positive thoughts of living life to the full, Rossetti also releases her inner emotions regarding her own experience of not being successful in love and consequently was unable to enjoy life like others do. Through ‘song’, “Who look upon them hand in hand”, Rossetti realises how nicer the world could be if she was able to share it with someone special. “Two doves upon the self same branch”, using the recurring motif of ‘innocence and purity’, Rossetti attempts to see life as others do who take time to observe the beauty that surrounds them, and wishes that she could be as content, “Oh happy they who look on them”. Aware that she looks at herself and her life in bleak terms Rossetti affirms, “Who look upon them hand in hand/ and never give a thought to night” as she constantly refers to

Death is something that at some point will come to each of us and has been explored in many forms of literature. “The Raven” and “Incident in a Rose Garden” are two poems that explore common beliefs and misconceptions about death. Though both poems differ in setting, tone, and mood there are surprising similarities in the literary tools they use and in the messages they attempt to convey. The setting and mood establish the tone and feel of a poem. In “The Raven” we are launched into a bleak and dreary winters night where a depressed narrator pines for his dead girlfriend.

As one of the most frequently used themes, death has been portrayed and understood differently throughout modern history as well as by poets Christina Rossetti and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in “Remember” and the “Cross of Snow.” It appears in literature as the preeminent dilemma, one that is often met by emotions such as grief, hopefulness, depression, and one that can encompass the entire essence of any writing piece. However, despite Rossetti’s “Remember” and Longfellow’s “Cross of Snow” employing death as a universal similarity, the tones, narratives, and syntaxes of the poems help create two entire different images of what the works are about in the readers’ minds.

Each individual has a unique way of coping with death, and this is evident throughout Christina Rossetti’s, “Remember” and W. H. Auden’s “Stop all of the Clocks”.

Rossetti depicts the life of a loveless old maid to illustrate the negative effects of a life in sole pursuit of love. Rossetti says, “And one was blue with famine after love, / Who like a harpstring snapped rang harsh and low / The burden of what those were

The poem’s structure as a sonnet allows the speaker’s feelings of distrust and heartache to gradually manifest themselves as the poem’s plot progresses. Each quatrain develops and intensifies the speaker’s misery, giving the reader a deeper insight into his convoluted emotions. In the first quatrain, the speaker advises his former partner to not be surprised when she “see[s] him holding [his] louring head so low” (2). His refusal to look at her not only highlights his unhappiness but also establishes the gloomy tone of the poem. The speaker then uses the second and third quatrains to justify his remoteness; he explains how he feels betrayed by her and reveals how his distrust has led him

To Browning, a rose still holds beauty even when it is unable to function in nature. By comparing the fairness of a rose after death and giving it more love “than to such roses bold” (30), Browning indicates that the rose is more deserving of praise than living roses because it is underappreciated. The passing of a rose does not mean that the beauty is gone, in fact, the heart “doth view [the rose] fair, doth judge [it] most complete” (24). Similarly, the departure of a loved one is devastating, however, there is peace in

"I beheld those I loved spend vain sorrow upon the graves of William and Justine, the first hapless victims to my unhallowed arts" (Shelley 79).

Death is the concern in of both Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle into That Goodnight,” and Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”. Moreover, while these two poets use similar themes in their works, the execution and tone of their respective pieces could not be more antithetical. More to the point, Thomas’ poem paints death and oblivion as something deserving of fear and dread, and even though dying is an immutable fact in our world, man will always feel the need to have, “Rage, Rage against the dying of the light”. However, Dickinson does not let the fear of death consume her, so much so, that in her poem she embraces death as nothing less than a gentleman, who in her own words “kindly stopped for me”. At the end of it all, Dylan Thomas’ poem is a loud boisterous proclamation about the desperation of man to hold on to life and to leave something behind but ultimately realizing they cannot, while Dickinson’s is a quiet reflection about the cyclical nature of life and death and the peace the end brings.

Although the structure of the poem contributes to its emotiveness the language is also essential to exhibit Rossetti's "passion". The natural imagery in the last three lines of each stanza contrast Rossetti to the natural world, they demonstrate how she feels left out of natural cycles by having no mate. There appears to be a longing to bear children in the last stanza, possibly Rossetti wishes not for the love of a partner but for the love of a child. Nature is usually associated with the idea of mating for

Through nature, these colors bring emotions, Death brings emotions of sadness and sympathy, but beauty brings happiness and joy. Firstly, the neighbors notice that in the garden belonging to Rappaccini, on a shrub lay a cornucopia of purple flowers “Enough to illuminate the garden, even if there had been no sunshine”(Rappaccini’s Daughter, 669). The beauty in these flowers attract a flood of sunlight, because the sun (nature) sees them as beautiful. The flowers bring happiness to whomever may view them because the sun directed its own energy on them to make them more beautiful. Similarly, in the garden’s fountain water ”continued to gush and sparkle into sunbeams as cheerfully as ever”(Rappaccini’s Daughter, 669). The sun shines on the free flowing water like how Romantics view nature as free. The waters beauty becomes intensified by the beams of the sun which can bring happiness to those who view them. Thirdly, when Rappaccini’s daughter decides to visit the garden she becomes illuminated by the sun like a flower. A suitor spots her in the sunlight and much like a flower in nature would bring one happiness, she brings him happiness.

Individuals in society are compelled and feel restricted to follow certain social rules, but for some, their emotions towards the restrictions are negative. Many find different ways to release their constrained emotions, such as art, writing, music and physical activity. In like manner, Christina Rossetti releases her feelings and opinions about restrictions and situations occurring around her, which is evident in her sonnet “A Triad.” Christina Rossetti’s Petrarchan sonnet, “A Triad,” was published in the 1800s; during this period, the image and presentation of women was strict and had to be upheld. In “A Triad,” Rossetti is expressing the lack of variety, labels and freedom of women through the three women illustrated in the poem. The three women are categorized under married and lack of love, ideal woman, and promiscuous. Rossetti’s expressions about the society’s restrictions on women are evident in her use of symbolism of colours and words that are chosen to rhyme.