A Birthday Flashcards Preview

Poetry Christina Rossetti > A Birthday > Flashcards

Flashcards in A Birthday Deck (19)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

rhyme

A

irregular rhyme pattern

2
Q

pronouns

A

“my heart” possessive pronoun

shows the personal nature of the person

3
Q

safety

A

“nest” imagery for safety and security

4
Q

joy

A

“singing bird” evokes joy

comes naturally and innocently

5
Q

religious reference 1st stanza

A

“water’d shoot” Isiah 58:11

also shows an ability to grow

nature imagery

6
Q

anaphora

A

of “my heart”

frequently occurring possessive pronoun

7
Q

young and old

A

“shoot” contrasted with “apple tree” - lush, fertile imagery

shows time progressing?

8
Q

fertility

A

“thickset fruit”

perhaps a reference at her own lack of children

9
Q

imperatives 2nd stanza

A

“raise me”, “hang it” and “carve it”

10
Q

church

A

“raise me a dais”

like an alter

self-focused

11
Q

wealth

A

“vair and purple dyes”

purple colour of royalty

material wealth

12
Q

birds

A

“doves” symbols of reconciliation and peace

and holy spirit

13
Q

2nd stanza images

A

are more exotic images in contrast to the more homely ones of the 1st stanza

is her love intensifying - shifting from the everyday to the extraordinary

14
Q

flowers

A

“fleurs-de-lys”

symbols of kings and purity

15
Q

love

A

“my love is come to me”

her love is more likely to be something committed to the Christian faith, rather than a man

16
Q

nature and divine

A

the connection between nature and the divine is common among pre-Raphaelite artists and poets

17
Q

contrast of the stanzas

A

1st: natural objects “tree” “fruit”
2nd: more manmade objects “dyes” “dais”

18
Q

the idea of a birthday

A

could refer to the re-birth of the self into the next life or a union with the divine

19
Q

this poem piles

A

up image after image in the style of Pre-Raphaelite paintings