Ruby Dress

In this poem, there is a great depth of imagery used. Marisa likes to describe colors and the way something looks physically. She makes us feel as if we are there, with her, seeing through her eyes, when describing this dress she uses texture and color and emotions. She describes how it isn’t exactly picture perfect right away but she plans on turning it into something beautiful. When going from store to store she describes the experience like “Hands thirsty for shine, I reached for polyester satin / machine-made lace, petunia and Easter colored / brilliant and flammable.” (835)

Christina Rossetti is a Victorian poet, with a majority of her work being published in the mid-1800s. Her poems are often praised by critics as being the beginning of modern day feminism, and a common theme Rossetti uses to portray this is the idea of ‘wronged women’. Wronged women are often interpreted as the outcasts of society, who have either been wronged or done wrong, often in correlation to a relationship or other lover. Maude Clare is a poem consisting of 12 stanzas, each made up of 4 lines, the majority of which conform to an ABCB rhyme scheme.

(Meehan, 32-33) He reaches the conclusion that “in view of the dehumanizing iconic functions that woman has been assigned in the male literary and political tradition, such as the ever-beautiful muse, the static national symbol, the woman poet must now strive to put herself as a human being back into the poem, with all its existential consequences. Still, to become a heroine, to carry her mother’s spear, in Paula Meehan’s words, must not mean imitating the strategies of the immortal male hero. It must imply the courage to admit to her own inevitable death, to the ageing of her body” (Sedlmayr, 270). Even though male poets no longer possess complete domination over the poetry genre, female poets still face several challenges related to this past dominance.

Nineteenth century poet, Christina Rossetti reflects this notion of female self-ownership in her poem, “Winter:My Secret.” She states, “I tell my secret? No indeed, not I/...Only, my secret's mine, and I won't tell” (1,5). Rossetti maintains the ambiguity of her secret throughout the poem, representing the mystery of the female self. Instead of allowing herself to be defined by and dependent on the male, and as Wollstonecraft states,“blindly [submitting] to authority,” (241) she is impenetrable and therefore, free from the male's grasp.

The pre 20th century poems ‘Cousin Kate’ and ‘A woman to her lover’ written by Christina Rossetti and Christina Walsh, both explore the presentation of women. Similarly, both poems are unique due to it being written in the 1800’s, as women were controlled and dominated by men in that society.

In addition, the feminist view of sexuality is evident throughout Rossetti’s poem. Laura and Lizzie’s magical experience portrays the pursuit for sensual awareness while struggling between physical identity and spiritual salvation. Furthermore, “She clipped a precious golden lock, she dropped a tear more rare than pearl, then sucked their fruit globes fair or red, sweeter than honey from the rock” (ll. 126-29) and “sucked until her lips were sore” (l. 136). With blatant sexual undertones, this pivotal moment signifies the character’s transition from maiden to woman or innocence to experience. Additionally, this exchange could be a metaphor for Laura’s relinquishment of her sacred virginity. As Laura falls sicker and slowly begins to deteriorate, Rossetti illustrates the consequences of succumbing to the temptation of men’s deceit and the importance of remaining pure. With use of vivid imagery, Rossetti further emphasizes the animalistic and uncanny

In this story the author portrays men in a way that they view women as objects of desire. You can see that when the men in the story make comments about the women in the story in a sexual light. For instance, when the author says “I see the girl has what could be an attractive body…” (Tiptree 255). showing that without even meeting the women that the author is commenting on the character is already making comments on her looks. Also, when the author makes the comment “The women doesn’t mean one thing to me, but the obtrusive excessiveness of her, the defiance of her little rump eight inches’ form fly – for two pesos I’d have those shorts down and introduce myself” (Tiptree 263). During the 60s “there was seldom justice for women who had been raped… she had been inviting the rape by wearing revealing clothes or tight dresses” (Coontz 13). Reviling the nature of the time that women had very little sexual rights during this time in “seventeen states in 1963 is was still restricted that women access to contraceptives…Massachusetts prohibited the sale if it” (Coontz 11).

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

The first women referenced in the text is Guinevere. She was “… gloriously framed at her place on the platform, pricelessly curtained by silk to each side, and canopied across with tasteful tapestries… studded with stones and stunning gems… but not one stone outshone the quartz of the queen’s eyes; with hand on heart, no one could argue otherwise” (lines 74-84). After reading this sensual and graceful description, it can be assumed that Guinevere is an incredibly beautiful woman, which places her on a dais while at the same time objectifies her for her beauty. Her involvement in the story revolves around her physical appearance which solidifies the Gawain poet’s intent to show Guinevere as a submissive observer rather than an active member of

The narrator of the poem is a woman who desires to be confident and sexually liberated; she seeks to find the perfect racy red dress that will be both the embodiment and catalyst for that transformation from social restrictions to sexual freedom.

The women of the story are not treated with the respect, which reflects their social standings. The first image of the women that the reader gets is a typical housewife. They are imaged as “wearing faded house dresses and

The argument that Rossetti’s confidence ‘coincides’ with the characters, or is almost portrayed through them, is almost counteracted by the idea that the voice is impersonal. It could be argued that with the use of a third person narrative, Rossetti was attempting to portray the impression that despite women’s attempts to act upon certain elements of their curiosity, there is always something, or someone dampening their excitement or thoughts. The third person narrative therefore could in fact represent society, and that there is some form of oppression constantly lingering over their lives. Contextually, within the Victorian period this would have been a common feeling within most women, and could also still be relevant in past and present societies. Even without proof, the slightest here-say could shame a woman within Victorian culture, and therefore women were wary of their actions. If the poem was from a different perspective, it would become more personal to the reader, and may also portray the females as more of an independent and strong character. Their curiosity could have been deduced as some form of bravery. However due to the particular perspective of this Rossetti poem, the females are conveyed as lingering characters, unsure on whether to act on their curiosity and overcome the demons of society. Through this perspective we are able to gain insight into the direct thoughts of the characters, and understand how they would be perceived within society.

Despite the achievements of women in many different fields, society still attempts to limit women to certain roles. Furthermore, in the poem, women “… are defined […] by what [they] never will be,” (lines 19 - 21); once again, the author claims that women are defined by what they are unable to do because of gender bias. Instead of being given the chance to be influential, they are continually limited to staying at home or doing jobs “meant for women.” Finally, Boland tells the tutor that women “…were never on the scene of crime,” (lines 27 - 28). This serves as a metaphor for how women are never allowed to do important jobs; instead, they are left at the sidelines due to the repeatedly ignored restrictions placed on women by our gender-biased society.

Marxists critics have highlighted that the poem has a distinct separation of the commercial and domestic spheres. The marketplace where the sisters attempt to do business is designed to make females into a commodity to bought, sold or traded rather than beings of their own with their own sense of free will. (Christina Rossetti, Poetry

Anne Finch’s poem provides the reader with many elements, such as alliteration and rhythm. While these are important aspects to her writing style, it fails to capture the main essence of what the main idea of the poem is. In order to understand the significance of Anne Finch’s poem, it is best understood through perspective and the mannerisms of gender. The perspective and the mannerisms of gender not only provide an understanding of the poem as a whole, but it also illustrates to the reader an understanding of the respected society when the poem was written.