“A Birthday”By: Christina Rossetti

BackgroundBackground

Born: 1830; London, EnglandBorn: 1830; London, England

Died: 1894Died: 1894

Occupation: writer, poet, short story, prose Occupation: writer, poet, short story, prose writerwriter

Father was in Italian exileFather was in Italian exile

Other works include: Other works include: Goblin Market and Goblin Market and Other Poems, The Prince’s Progress and Other Poems, The Prince’s Progress and Other PoemsOther Poems

“A Birthday”My heart is like a singing bird

Whose nest is in a watered shoot;My heart is like an apple tree

Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;My heart is like a rainbow shellThat paddles in a halcyon sea;

My heart is gladder than all of theseBecause my love is come to me

Raise me a dais of silk and down;Hang it with vair and purple dyes;

Carve it in doves and pomegranates,And peacocks with a hundred eyes;

Work it in gold and silver grapes,In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;Because the birthday of my lifeIs come, my love is come to me

Theme

“Love between people is a deeper emotion than can be expressed even by natural images of rapture and abundance.” 1st stanza: nature 2nd stanza: things made from nature that are

imperishable

SymbolismSymbolism ““singing bird” singing bird”

““Whose nest is in a watered shoot” Whose nest is in a watered shoot”

““fleur-de-lys” and “purple dyes”fleur-de-lys” and “purple dyes”

““dais” dais”

““rainbow shell” in the “halcyon rainbow shell” in the “halcyon sea”sea”

Speaker/Tone

Someone who is in love with life But it may also be a person

“my love is come to me”

Soothing, happy, reverie, imaginative

Conversational

Imagery 1st stanza all imagery was affiliated with

figures of speech

2nd stanza the imagery forms a complete picture in the reader’s mind

StructureStructure

Iambic tetrameter Iambic tetrameter

Lyric poemLyric poem

2 stanzas containing 8 lines each2 stanzas containing 8 lines each

Sound Patterns

Rhyming shoot, fruit

Alliteration boughs are bent

Assonance paddles, halcyon, gladder

Consonance thickset, fruit, bent

Personal Response

Imagery was used really well Unique idea to compare her love and life to a

birthday Has a nice rhythm and the words flow

together

Historical ContextHistorical Context

““Women and Society”Women and Society” Women writers were expected to limit Women writers were expected to limit

the subjects of their poemsthe subjects of their poems ““A Birthday” was acceptable because it A Birthday” was acceptable because it

was about lovewas about love

Figures of Speech Similes in 1st stanza compare to things

in nature “My heart is like a singing bird”

Hyperboles “boughs are bent with thickset fruit”

Metaphors “A Birthday”

Works CitedWorks Cited

““Christina Rossetti.” Christina Rossetti.” EXPLORING Poetry. EXPLORING Poetry. Online Editor Online Editor 2003. Reproduced in Student Resource Center. 2003. Reproduced in Student Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2004.Detroit: Gale, 2004.

http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRChttp://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC "Criticism: 'A Birthday' by Christina Rossetti." "Criticism: 'A Birthday' by Christina Rossetti."

EXPLORING PoetryEXPLORING Poetry. Online Edition. Gale, 2003. . Online Edition. Gale, 2003. Reproduced in Student Resource Center. Detroit: Reproduced in Student Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Gale, 2004. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRChttp://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC

LaBlanc, Michael. LaBlanc, Michael. Poetry for StudentsPoetry for Students. 10 ed. . 10 ed.

Farmington Hills: Gale Group, 2001.Farmington Hills: Gale Group, 2001.