Hunger, By Christina Rossetti

However, as time progress, Laura and Lucy’s exploration of sexual desires and/or aggressiveness puts them in a spot of being down upon as they may face dishonor and ostracism from a Victorian perspective. In Goblin Market, Laura is enticed by the goblin men during a visit to the market with her sister Lizzie. Laura’s sister warns her, stating how “[Laura] should not peep at goblin men” (Rossetti 49). However Laura’s curiosity overpowers her sister’s warnings, as she is made unable to resist the luring of the temptations of the goblin men’s fruits. The tasting of the fruit makes Laura a fallen women. Rossetti describes Laura’s diminishing pureness by writing how “[Laura] sucked and sucked and sucked … / … until her lips were sore” (134-36). The fruits of the goblin men have sexual and sensual connotation to them, and Laura who was pressured into tasting the fruit was also unable to resist due to her curiosity and human desires, which changes her into a fallen women. In the Victorian period that Laura is featured in, women are expected to follow a standard of conduct, such as remaining a virgin before marriage. However, Laura is not married

By nature, Laura is a curious girl who is not immune to the temptations of the goblin merchants. Ignoring her sister’s warning, “Laura stretch’d her gleaming neck / Like a rush-imbedded swan, / Like a lily from the beck, / Like a moonlit poplar branch, / Like a vessel at the launch / When its last restraint is gone /” (Rossetti, 81-86). Like Eve

Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb is a moving, heart-warming tale about a young woman, who suffers from insecurity and self-identity through a world where she is considered an outsider. The novel’s protagonist is Lilly Abdal, born to British vagabonds as she is left in the hands of the Great Sufi Abdal, who raises her to become a white, devout Muslim woman in East Morocco. The author seamlessly weaves in Dr. Aziz, an Ethiopian man who creates sparks in Lilly’s heart, only to be separated once Lilly’s embarks to London, England. Camilla Gibb takes the tale of an outcast, spun with religious beliefs and morals, to create a powerful story that challenges and uplights the reader’s mentality on religion and what it means to follow religious and cultural traditions.

“The American Dream”, when you hear that there are many definitions you can think have as an American, such as being free. But for immigrants that term has a deeper meaning. Most immigrants that came to the United States in the 1920’s came with a goal--- a dream, to achieve the American dream. As stated, whether you are an American or an immigrant you may have the same views, but they can hold a stronger meaning of the term, for example Americans have strived to accomplish their goals, to do better than themselves, and move up in the social class system. Bread Givers, by Aniza Yezierska is a novel that shows how immigrants try to strive for the American dream. The American dream being: the act of freedom,

In The Worth of Women, Moderata stated, "when it 's said that women must be subject to men, the phrase should be understood in the same sense as when we say we are subject to natural disasters...it 's not a case of being subjected in the sense of obeying, but rather of suffering an imposition" (Moderata). Throughout history, the inherent inferiority of women to men has often been cited as a way to deter women from becoming an individual and pursuing more in life. This notion is a prevalent issue in The Awakening by Kate Chopin; in which Edna fights to live her own way and is ultimately unable to survive in the cage of society. Not only has this supposed inferiority effected women for generations, but it has created

Christina Rossetti’s “The Goblin Market” is a poem that explores through heavy metaphors a woman’s place and action in society, whether she is fallen or not. “The Goblin Market” focuses on two sisters, Laura and Lizzie, and their experience with the goblins that attempt to sell the girls their fruit. Laura, rather curious than afraid of them, gives into their pitch and devours the goblins’ fruit – an act that over a short time ages her and sends her rapidly towards death. In an act of self-sacrifice, Lizzie confronts the goblins for fruit for Laura, but they beat and ravage her with their claws and fruit. She returns, giving Laura a second chance at life by eating and drinking the juice and left over pulp from her beating.

In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the main character, Edna Pontellier, has three distinct personality traits that define her throughout the book. One of her most perceptible traits is her irresponsibility, especially in how she cares for her children and husband. Related to this peculiarity, is her capacity to behave childish, particularly in terms of how she allows her emotions to sweep her away as well as her inability to think about the potential consequences. Her most prominent personality trait—the one that forms the backbone of the conflict, is Edna’s eagerness to defy society and the roles given to women. These traits are consistent throughout the novel and while the character does change by the end, these aspects never disappear. The main conflict in The Awakening is a woman’s need to have the right to act herself and live independently instead of how society 's set up what a woman should and should not do. This disagreement is amplified throughout the book as the narrator shows Edna’s “awakening” or her process of realization that she does not fit into the societies expectations. This occurs in a series of events in which Edna moves farther away from societal norms.

Courage…dedication…persistency…fearlessness…these are the words that may abruptly come knocking into an individual’s mind, when we hear the compelling word heroic. Over the course of the novel, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, I’ve come to discover that these adjectives do not fairly denote who a hero truly is. Can you ever consider an outcast a hero?... living within the norms and ideas of society that may reject his/her own philosophy, an outcast that may just be eagerly fighting, both physically and mentally to convey what others cannot see. It’s time we realized that a hero can be derive from distinctive ideas or norms build within society, but the characteristic that one must contained to truly be derived or look upon as a hero… is love… the love that empowers one to fight for the belief that many others may just be oblivious to. This same love stimulated Edna’s awakening to a reality she knew she did not belong, a realm that she fought to escape by understanding who she is and who she needs to be inside the social hierarchy of the 1890’s.

Many of Kate Chopin’s writings are trademarked by her unique, deliberate word choices. Chopin uses phrases that do not make sense and seem to contradict themselves to get across a point. In two of her stories, “The Story of an Hour” and “The Awakening,” Chopin’s word usage highlights the idea of self-discovery.

“Oh,” cried Lizzie, “Laura, Laura, / You should not peep at goblin men.” / Lizzie cover’d up her eyes, / Cover’d close lest they should look; / Laura rear’d her glossy head, / And whisper’d like the restless brook: / “Look, Lizzie, look, Lizzie, / Down the glen tramp little men. / One hauls a basket, / One bears a plate, / One lugs a golden dish / Of many pounds weight. / How fair the vine must grow / Whose grapes are so luscious; / How warm the wind must blow / Through those fruit bushes.” / “No,” said Lizzie, “No, no, no; / Their offers should not charm us, / Their evil gifts would harm us.” / She thrust a dimpled finger / In each ear, shut eyes and ran: / Curious Laura chose to linger/ Wondering at each merchant man. / One had a cat’s face, / One whisk’d a tail, / One tramp’d at a rat’s pace, / One crawl’d like a snail, / One like a wombat prowl’d obtuse and furry, / One like a ratel tumbled hurry skurry. / She heard a voice like voice of doves / Cooing all together: / They sounded kind and full of loves / In the pleasant weather.

It is difficult to cull a satisfying thematic interpretation from Christina Rossetti's "Goblin Market." Obvious themes might be "that one should be careful of temptation," or "that little girls should not talk to strange men." One might even go on to the end of the poem and decide the theme is "that sisters should love one another." These are rather trite ideas, however, and while the poem definitely supports them (and they are easily defended with quotations from the text), a more careful look at "Goblin Market" reveals that the poem is fairly complex, and able to support a more revolutionary reading than the ones put forth above. Rather than saying that "Goblin Market" has a

Kate Chopin is viewed as a woman ahead of her time, who explored themes that were unconventional to her era such as freedom and individuality, sexuality, and the role of women in society. In the novel “The Awakening,” published in 1899, Chopin uses protagonist Edna Pontellier to confront the social conventions that women faced in the Victorian Era, and the strict rules by the Creole society that limited women to the primary role of wife and mother. Chopin uses symbolism to express these ideas, and emotions as Edna awakens to a world of new possibilities. In this analysis, we will examine two primary symbols of the story, being birds and houses that Kate Chopin masterfully uses to illustrate Edna’s confinement and her journey toward liberation and independence.

In “The Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, sisters Laura and Lizzie hear the sounds of the goblin fruit market and try to ignore the enticing calls of the goblin men it at first. However, Laura eventually allows her curiosity to get the best of her, and she goes to see what is happening against Lizzie’s warning not too. Once she gets there the goblin men off her their fruit, but she does not have any money to pay for it. The Goblin men offer to take a piece of her golden hair in exchange for the goblin fruit. After eating the fruit, however, Laura starts to waste away.

Laura and Lizzie are very much opposites, or more so complementaries, as deduced by their close relationship and polar personalities. Laura looks and listens, which puts her at risk of the goblins, while Lizzie physically shuts her eyes and ears as to not fall victim to the goblin cry. In this way, the goblins are able to appeal to Laura by singing a very descriptive and decadent song about all their eccentric fruit. The song is meant to be an advertisement that Laura cannot resist because her nature is to be curious, and she relies on her hearing and sight to feed her decisions. This is a key element to the poem, that Laura heavily relies on her senses while Lizzie does not, following that Lizzie could run back home with her eyes and ears

Christina Rossetti’s narrative poem, “The Goblin Market,” displays some allusions and themes in this poem. Mostly, Rossetti tells a story of sisterhood, overcoming temptation and experiencing restoration. Laura and Lizzie both endured the temptation of fruit; Laura suffered the worst as her health declined and aging away to death. Lizzie’s determination to help her sister shows love and sacrifice for Laura’s well-being, similar to how Christians described Jesus Christ’s love for them by dying on the cross. Rossetti centers this poem with female characters, including themes from Biblical stories, to empower the importance of women in the Victoria Age. Therefore, Christina Rossetti’s narrative poem, “The Goblin Market,” shows both allusions