How does Williams create a sense of tension and drama for the audience in this extract?

How does Williams create a sense of tension and drama for the audience in this extract? You should analyse language closely and the way it’s crafted to create effects.

The creation of tension and drama is a key device which is demonstrated by Stella and Blanche when they discuss Stanley’s behaviour and the Kowalski’s primal desires for each other. Shocked from the previous violent episode which happened in scene three, Blanche unleashes her hidden opinions on Stella’s husband with cruel and venomous remarks on his traits and conduct. However, she is unaware of Stanley’s presence and snide intention of taking revenge.

Drama abounds within Blanche’s first line as the sisters discuss Stella’s marriage, ‘If you do I’ll laugh in your face.’ Blanche’s spiteful words create an uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience as know unpleasant words will be exchanged which may lead to a verbal argument. The line suggests Blanche’s tone is sarcastic as she mocks Stella for loving Stanley. Blanche is unable to except her sister’s addiction towards Stanley so she results to belittling and shaming her. ‘…in your face’ empathises Blanche’s attempt to gain power of the situation, which creates a distressing atmosphere for the audience.

Tension is created when Stella admits her desires for Stanley, ‘But there are things that happen between a man and a woman in the dark – that sort of make everything else seem – unimportant [pause.]’ The line ‘…in the dark’ holds a sinister, menacing feeling as it shows that Stella’s primal instincts over powers her judgment which is intense for the audience; especially in the 1940/50’s. The use of the dashes in this line shows Stella is hesitant to share her need with her sister, this highlights the constriction of their views on Stella’s marriage. Also, the pause creates a rigid effect on the audience as they’re waiting for Blanche’s reply, which they understand to be shocked. The pause empathises the plays main theme of Desire which creates a tautness for the plays viewers.

‘- Where I’m not wanted and where I’m ashamed to be…’ The declarative sentence highlights that Blanche is an outcast to New Orleans and the new, modern world Stella and Stanley live in. Drama is established as the mood of the play shifts to displeasing. The use of the ellipsis adds affect to the tension created from the awkward conversation between the two sisters.

From the stage directions, the intensity of the situation increases as the sound of a train covers Stanley’s entrance into the scene. However, the noise of a train is uncomfortable and irritant to the ears, which may higher the tension the audience feels due to the dramatic irony for the situation. ‘He (Stanley) stands unseen by the women (Stella and Blanche)…’ Stella and Blanche are unaware of Stanley’s presence which implies there’s a melodramatic effect on the audience.

While comparing the difference between Stella’s and Stanley’s upbringing, drama is constructed as Stella feels irritated towards Blanche’s view which is there isn’t a gentle side to Stanley. ‘Not one particle, no!’ shows Blanche is unable to think of anything other than violence and anger to Stanley’s character due to his horrific act towards his wife. The audience is forced to watch their discussion as they partly agree with Blanche’s view about Stanley.

A strain is made between the two sisters when Stella speaks coldly ‘Go on say it all, Blanche.’ The imperative sentence shows the pressure on the situation as Stella becomes unimpressed and irritated by Blanche. Stella is encouraging Blanche to speak her mind so she knows her opinions, however Stella, who usually enjoys serving and following her sister, stands up to her in an attempt to overpower Blanche which comes as a shock to the audience while increasing the tension between the two sisters.

The exclamatory sentence, ‘He acts like an animal, has an animal’s habits!’  And Blanche’s reference to Stanley as a ‘sub-human’ immediately darken and lower the mood of the atmosphere which creates tension. This is because in the previous scene Stanley is brutal and physically violent towards Stella so the audience begin to dislike the characters attitude and behaviour. However, due to Blanche’s cruel and merciless opinion on Stanley, in which she considers him to be an ape with a lack of humanity, we feel sympathy for him. This shocks the audience as Blanche degrades the character Stanley by referring to him as a ‘brute(s)!’ and creates drama as she is unaware of his presence behind the door.

‘Stanley hesitates, licking his lips. Then suddenly he turns stealthily about and withdraws through the front door…When the train has passed he calls through the closed front door.’

This line is key as it creates a huge amount of tension and drama as the audience know Stanley is angry and feeling insulted from Blanche’s view of his character. The adverbs ‘stealthily’ and ‘suddenly’ hold tension as Stanley is acting sly by pretending to not to have heard their conversation. However, ‘…hesitates, licking his lips.’ Acts as a turning point for Stanley, as he now understands Blanche’s true thoughts of him and isn’t please. The phrase ‘licking his lips’ is considered to be ominous and menacing as he is determined to take revenge and destroy Blanche’s power which empathises the drama and tension in this scene. The character Stanley is no longer prepared to accommodate and act civil with Blanche due to her insults.

Overview of Scene Three from A Streetcar Named Desire

Surrealism and Violence in Scene Three

• 'Coloured shirts...they are men at the peak of their physical manhood.' - Clashing and alpha male struggle
• 'Lights spilled' - Uncontrolled setting
• 'Whiskey bottles' shows that alcohol is prominent from the start of the play
• Stanley's language is aggressive and he's ordering the other men around 'Ante up!'
• Stanley's actions are threatening 'He lurches up and tosses watermelon ring to the floor

The game Poker is a game of deception and bluffing with high stakes

• The whole play is like a game of Poker.
• 'A chair scrapes' - Build up of frustration
• Stanley and Blanche linked through her undressing in the light for-shadows the rape scene.
• 'I can't stand a naked light bulb, any more than I can a rude remark or a vulgar action' - Excess on her act of purity, over exaggerating her act.

Overview of Scene Two of A Streetcar Named Desire

Stanley starts showing violence and his dominant, harsh side to his personality through the use of quotes:

• 'Since when did you give me orders?'
• 'Jerks out an armful of dresses.'
• [Becoming somewhat sheepish]...especially now that she's going to have a baby
• He rips of the ribbons...

John Lahr, Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage Of The Flesh

Edwina implies she gained various amounts of attention from a range of different males as 'she launches into a story about her legendary gentlemen callers.' Similarly Blanche expresses within scene two she reveals she received a large amount of love letters from a boy which meant a huge deal to her. She considers the letters to be precious and valuable to her, this is shown from the line 'These are love letters, yellowing with antiquity, all from one boy.'

The relation of money is portrayed within scene two as Stanley fights with Blanche over the valuables Blanche holds in her trunk. The money is important to Stanley as he stands by the Napoleon code.

• There is a sense of acting within scene two from both Stanley and Blanche      

Tragedy

A Streetcar Named Desire is considered to be a tragedy that doesn't follow the original idea. The original term of tragedy is when a character from a high social position e.g. a king falls due to their fatal flaw. The end results should end in death, which creates a catharsis affect on the audience. In Streetcar, Blanche is considered the powered position who falls due to the rape and loss of her sister and mine. Although she isn't dead, her personality and freedom is taken away and she's trapped in the past.

Overview of Scene One from A Streecar named Desire

Notes from John Lahr

• All of us are actors to the degree that we must be to survive.

- 'Temporary magic just in order to pay for one night's shelter!' (Blanche is unable to find any good in the world, so she'll do anything to survive in it. Shell put on an act to protect herself, this act is when she pretends to be pure and modest so men will find her more attractive.)

• Confrontation from Stanley and Stella has caused her to open up about surviving.
• Blanches speeches are ordered, detailed, detached and over exaggerated which shows they are planned and rehearsed.

The inspiration of Blanche was made from his mother as both have similar aspects to their personality.


Notes from John Mcrae

• Long stage directions which give clues to the play's themes.
• The play is set within the summer period (May-September) This is a key aspect of the play as the intense heat affects the characters relationships, this is why most scenes are set in the evening as its cooler and darker.
• The play has a mixed community in which any gender and ethnicity is welcome. It is a Multi-cultural, Multi-coloured and Multi-vocal society.
• The play links and communicates to the audiences sense. The scene with the man who's selling 'red hots.'
• Integration of society in New Orleans is advanced compared to other American states.
• The play has an emotional under current e.g. the background music of the 'Blue Piano.'
• The special effects (the background music/sounds which are played within Blanche's head, etc...) create a scene before any character enters or speaks.
• Characters are defined by money, the odds and relationships.

Money
Stanley: A man who follows the Neapolitan code and believes that what his wife owns, he owns and the other way round. This is highlighted in scene 2 when he thinks Blanche has 'swindled' Stella. 'And I don't like to be swindled.' illuminates Stanley's anger to losing money and the importance of it to him.
Stella: A wife and soon to be mother who is trapped by the lack of money. Although she believes she loves Stanley, it is mainly sexual desire which holds their relationship together which is why she won't leave him. However she can not provide for herself and her baby which is why she must stay in Elysian Fields. Stanley is considered in charge and gives Stella money when she asks for it or to make up for a bad act e.g. when he hit her.
Blanche: A woman who has a lack of money and will pretend she can survive with imagination and the power of sexual attention. She believes she can gain money from a married man named 'Shep Huntleigh.' Blanche is trapped in poverty and can not provide for herself. 

• 'Funerals are pretty' Blanche will try to find the beauty in all aspects of life so she can pretend she fits into a modern society.
• Stanley is a strong character who thrives on his masculinity. 'Stanley carries his bowling jacket and a red-stained package from a butchers'
• Williams sexuality is pressed within the book, there's a theory that he found Stanley attractive which is why Blanche is attractive and repelled by him.
• KEY QUOTE FOR STANLEY: 'Since earliest manhood the centre of his life has been pleasure from women, the giving and taking of it, not with weak indulgence, dependently, but with the power and pride of a richly feathered male bird among hens.'-Highlights his Alpha male personality
• KEY QUOTE FOR STANLEY: 'His love for good drink and food and games, his car, his radio, everything that is his, that bears his emblem of the gaudy seed-bearer. - American society that now believes in capitalism, materialism, integration. A representation that Blanche cannot fit into the new world.  

UP-HILL

Class notes on Rossetti's poem 'Up-Hill':

Rossetti uses landscape in a similar way:

• 'The road' is symbolic of a life's path
• 'Up-Hill' represents struggle and suffering
• Night/Dark are a metaphor for spiritual darkness/doubt
• 'Inn' is a place of refuge from doubts and insecurities
• 'Other wayfarers' - people who have already completed the journey
• 'That door' the division between life and death
• 'Beds for all' - welcome rest for spirits who arrive in the kingdom which belongs to god.

'Up-Hill' has two voices; Voice one is considered to be a fearful/doubtful speaker who asks questions about the journey to the kingdom. Whereas voice two is a confident speaker who's thought to represent Jesus and answers voice one's questions.

Voice One

• Fearful Questioning
• The speaker needs reassurance
• Insecure-Lack of acceptance
• Anyone who seeks redemption, who's traveling to heaven
• If a person who is lost (from their faith), God will guide you

Voice Two

• The speaker who knows all the answers symbolises God
• Empowered role
• Strong and Bold
• Parental guidance  as the speaker answers through the use of a reassuring tone
• No modal verbs
• Ends all parts with an end-stop which shows they hold comfort and knowledge
• Speaker in a riddle like way.

Two voices may represent two halves of one self or may act as a conversation between God and an individual who seeks heaven
The two voices are completely equal in speech unlike Rossetti's other poems
Structure of the poem is like a journey and the end of the poem represents the speaker's death.

Good Friday

Key points expressed in Rossetti's poem 'Good Friday.'

• Religion
• Links to Jesus' death

Crucified on the cross/ Nailed to the cross/ Died next to thieves

• Betrayal (Between Peter and Jesus)
• Darkness
• Death

Within Rossetti's poem 'Good Friday' there is a lack of  human emotion:
'Am I a stone and not a sheep' - 'Am I' highlights the fact the speaker is questioning who they are and where they fit into society. The speaker believes they don't fit in with the crowd. The word 'stone' acts as a metaphor for the speaker's lack of feeling, this is shown as a stone is a bleak, unimportant object. The word 'sheep' acts as a metaphor for masses or society.
'Not so those women loved' 'Not so the thief was moved;' - The speaker isn't defined by love the same way 'those women' are which hints she's challenging women status which links with Rossetti's other poems 'No, Thank you, John' and 'Maude Clare.' The speaker feels guilty they cant feel grief or pain when Jesus died as a women and criminals can.
'Yet give not o'er.' 'true Shepherd.' - The word 'Yet' illuminates that the speaker still believes there's hope left in society and in God/Jesus. The speaker won't give up, there's a change in emotion within stanza four which contrasts the poem.

Echo Worksheet

1)    Summarise the poem’s content briefly.
The poem ‘Echo’ is about the speaker whose gender is unclear longing to see a lost/dead loved one once again through the use of their dreams. This is shown through lines such as ‘silence of the night’ and silence of a dream.’ The poem is addressed to an absent individual who the speaker misses. The individual that the speaker misses is clear but acts as a metaphor for various things such as religion or God, a lover, memory etc. However it is clear that the individual is linked with the speaker through a strong bond of love.
2)    What tone is used by the speaker at the start with the imperative verb in in ‘come to me’?
The use of the imperative verb ‘Come’ at the start of the poem creates a direct address to the reader. The tone is commanding and acts as an order to the absent individual. The speaker is showing authority to highlight their desperation to see their loved one. By using a strong tone, the reader empathises the transgression of the line ‘in the silence of the night.’ To the speaker, the word ‘silence’ acts as a comfort place which they long for to contact their lover and create a clear communication between speaker and the reader.  
3)    In stanza 2 the speaker imagines paradise. What is it like? How does (s)he use poetic techniques to describe paradise. Explain the impression given by the language.
The paradise created by the speaker is first described as being ‘sweet’ but the progression of the word turns to ‘too bitter sweet’ which highlights the fact the paradise the speaker talks about has been corrupted and tainted. The repetition of the word ‘sweet’ suggests the speaker’s remembering the sensuality of the world. The modal verb ‘should’ in the line ‘should have been’ suggests that the paradise the speaker talks of is imperfect. 
Within the line ‘Watch the slow door’ the door acts as a metaphor for a barrier to another world or gates of heaven which separates the speaker and their loved one. It also shows how each individual is defined by love which links to Rossetti’s other poem Good Friday through ‘those women’ who wept for God.
4)    In the final stanza there is a change in the tone with the connective ‘yet’, how will the speaker’s problem be solved?
The final stanza acts as a turning point for the speaker through the word ‘Yet.’ The final stanza shows the change in the speaker’s emotions in case they can’t see their loved one again. The tone changes to create a sense of understanding for the speaker, this is shown as the word ‘live’ is emphasised through the use of enjambment. The speaker’s problem is suggested to be solved that they live their life again to gain the full potential of it. The line ‘My very life again’ hints at the thought of resurrection through dreams ‘cold in death.’
5)    What is the final impression of the speaker’s emotions?
The final impression we gather from the speakers emotions is that they feel regret over the loss of their loved one. The final line ‘how long ago’ is nostalgic which illuminates the speaker’s longing for a new connection through the use of dreams. Also the irregular rhythm pattern shown in the line ‘pulse for pulse, breath for breath,’ highlights the sensual need the speaker has. The silent sleepiness world acts as a pathway for the speaker and the absent individual.
6)    How does Rossetti use poetic techniques to shape her text and its meaning? Use the bingo card terms to explain three in some detail.
Through the use of poetic techniques Rossetti creates a personal and meaningful poem which holds many different interpretations. The use of present continuous tense intensifies the need the speaker has for their lost individual. The use of the words ‘thirsting’ and ‘longing’ shape the speaker’s desperation. Another poetic technique Rossetti uses is sensuality to express the speaker’s emotions and bond through love for her ghostly other. The line ‘pulse for pulse, breath for breath’ create an intimate feeling between the speaker and reader as it empathises the speaker’s emotional need.   

Quotes for Stella (A Streetcar Named Desire)

•          Can I come watch?’- Obedient/Stanley’s object

•          ‘a gentle young woman, about twenty-five and of a background obviously quite different from her husband’s’

•          ‘She cries out in protest…then laughs breathlessly.’ – Attempting to stand up to her husband and for herself. Highlights male dominance.

•          ‘You haven’t given me a chance to honey! She laughs… her glance at Blanche is a little anxious’- examining Blanche, checking her for mental signs as she’s over talkative.

•          ‘Stella laughs and complies’-Overpowered.

 

Arthur Miller's introduction to 'A Streetcar Named Desire.'

Within Miller’s introduction to ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ he expresses the experience of watching the play for the first time ‘had thrown open doors to another theatre world.’ Being invited by Elia Kazan to watch Williams play Miller illuminates that it wasn’t the play’s structure but the writing that left him ‘excited and elevated.’ Miller talks about how Streetcar engaged him and he ‘truly heard every word of it in the (that) first production.’ On stage, Williams was able to express any and all things beautifully.  In Miller’s opinion the audience was moved by the effect streetcar created, ‘I can still recall the inhaling breath across the auditorium when Blanche said ‘kindness of strangers’ line.’ Miller was inspired and held a new perspective on theatre through the work of Tennessee Williams and the characters. ‘Their character have turned to stone, their eyes to marble. Streetcar is a cry of pain; forgetting that is to forget the play.’

Explore the way Rossetti presents nature in her poems edition 2

Rossetti was a poet who used poems to express powerful matters as woman in the 19^th century didn’t have a voice within society’s rules; this is shown through women not having the chance to vote. Throughout her poems, references towards nature were widely used to express her emotions and thoughts upon different subjects. Nature is an important factor within Rossetti’s poems as she’s able to use it to portray many different aspects. Rossetti also used nature to express her views on her religion and love towards god. This was subject was argued upon as many people felt Rossetti should praise and worship the spirit of god not the topic of nature. Overall it is clear that nature is used to express Rossetti’s buried emotions and personal beliefs for the things she loves and may have lost.

The poem ‘Shut Out’ is about how the speaker is blocked from all the things he/she loves due to sin. In my opinion, the garden symbolises the speaker’s imagination and childhood which he/she can’t engage with because the ‘shadowless spirt’ guards the gate. Within the line ‘A shadowless spirit kept the gate’ demonstrates how something is ceasing the speaker from entering, from a religious view the block may be the speaker’s sinful self. By using alliteration, Rossetti empathises the block on the garden. The repetition of the ‘S’ in ‘Shadowless spirit’ not only portrays a figure which limits the speakers access to the garden but also highlights the speakers split self; stereotypical Victorian woman and beautifully free poet. The use of a garden suggests that it’s a personal place for the speaker as is portrayed as their sanctuary. The garden is ‘pied with all flowers bedewed and green’ which creates the image of a beautiful, two coloured paradise. The verb ‘bedewed’ suggest the garden is fresh and acts as a metaphor for the speaker’s childhood which highers their desperation to enter the garden and encourages her to search for a way in. Another way nature shows the greatness of the garden is through the use of complementing words within the second stanza. Through the line ‘From flower to flower the moths and bees;’ the feeling pf protection is created as bees and flowers hold a relationship which easily fits together.

The poem ‘Shut Out’ also holds religious aspects due to the fact the speaker’s safe haven could link with the Garden of Eden. The religious garden was moulded as a paradise which held great things but also held the power of sin which a person should resist. Rossetti was interested in the Anglo-Catholic movement which implies her poem holds religious qualities through the use of nature. The speaker’s longing for their garden is expressed through the line ‘Let me have some buds to cheer my outcast state.’ The reference the ‘bud’ shows that the speaker will take the smallest aspect of nature from the garden as they know it will be the last time he/she will see it again.  It highlights the desperation the speaker has and creates a sense of determination when they’re turned away but speaks twice to convince the ‘guard’ to allow them access into the garden. I believe that the line ‘Buy one small twig from shrub or tree;’ shows how dedicated Rossetti was to overpower the stereotypical views on ‘silent women’ and state her opinion. The fact that the speaker spoke twice to ask for permission to enter the garden shows power and braveness even though the speaker was answered with a ‘No.’ Another reason nature is used within this line is because a ‘twig’ is a tiny part of nature and doesn’t really hold any importance compared to another aspect of nature such as a flower. The ‘twig’ may metaphorically represent the speaker’s emotions as it can be easily snapped and considered small and unnoticeable within the garden. The speaker is pleading for the twig as if they’re pleading to keep their emotions intact.

Another Rossetti poem which uses nature to highlight the speaker’s emotions and views upon a silent sanctuary is ‘Song.’ This poem holds an important message which acts almost as the speaker’s last wish before they die. The use of nature within this poem allows the reader to relate death as a natural process which doesn’t need special services and remembrance through flowers and graves. This poem boldly expresses how Rossetti feels about the life after death through different aspects of nature.

Nature is important within ‘Song’ as it acts a metaphor for the speaker’s feelings towards death. Within the line ‘Plant thou no roses at my head’ suggests that the speaker does not want cliché’s during their passing as an act of remembrance. The use of the ‘roses’ empathises how the speaker doesn’t need love and admiration when they are dead as they won’t be able to feel it or admire it. This message implies that nature just like life will develop and die and will not last forever. The act of planting roses seems pointless for the speaker because the petals will decay and rot.

Another way Rossetti uses nature to indicate that nothing lasts forever is through the line ‘Nor shady cypress tree.’ The tree represents mourning and has a dismal effect upon the poem. The line translates into ‘No mourning’ this demonstrates how forceful Rossetti was about her views upon death which was a difficult topic to discuss being a woman in the 19^th century.

Although the first four lines of stanza one shows that the speaker doesn’t seem to care if they’re remembered or forgotten when they’ve died, the line ‘be the green grass above me’ suggests that they make feel insecure and scared that they may be forgotten. The image portrayed, is green grass above the grave which acts as a layer of protection for the speaker and gives insight of the speaker’s emotions. The adjective ‘green’ implies peace and calmness which creates a tranquil atmosphere for the poem.

Within both poems, Rossetti uses nature to illuminate her thoughts and feelings of a powerful topic. Death and forgiveness of sin are portrayed as a subject which can be talked about and expressed by a woman through the power of nature. This is because nature is a simple part of life which everyone interacts with daily.

Lesson work on critical positions for women

Laura:
'She sucked and sucked and sucked'- Disobeys Lizzie/exaggerating on relishing
'fruit globes fair or red'- Metaphor for forbidden fruit/adjectives to create a sense of beauty
Laura is poetic
Lizzie:
'Should not'- modal verbs/morality/rules enforcer
'Covered up her eyes'-modesty/repression/child like/purity
'Dimpled fingers in her ears'-infantilised/cubby and cherub.
'Their evil gifts will harm us'-lecturing of dangers/parent like/controlling
Not engaging with the world around her
Creating limitations

KEY QUOTE:
'Lizzie with an open heart, Laura in an absent dream.'







ALL WOMEN COMMUNITY=EMPOWERMENT
TRAPPED IN DULL DOMESTIC SPHERE=DISEMPOWERMENT

Laura and Lizzie are used by Christina Rossetti to explore the conflict Victorian women felt towards their role as the angel of the domestic sphere.

Through the characters Laura and Lizzie Christina Rossetti creates an image of disempowerment for Victorian women who are trapped in a domestic sphere. Within stanza nine of Goblin Market the main characters wake 'early in the morning' which implies women had to be up at the first sight of light to begin the day. 'Neat like bees, as sweet and busy.' Is a line used to portray Laura and Lizzies morning image. The adjective 'neat' illuminates the stereotypical image of perfection and how women should look appealing all of the time. The line also empathises the amount of work Laura and Lizzie do. This is shown through the simile 'like bees' as it implies that the characters are constantly working and using their energy to clean the house which creates the image of a women as the angel in the home.

First interpretations of 'Goblin Market'

With in the poem 'Goblin Market' my first thought was that it related to sin and temptation.
'While to this day no grass will grow where she lies low.'
'We must not look at Goblin men, we must not buy their fruits.'
Lust: 'Buy from us with a golden curl.' Laura sold herself to the Goblin men.
Greed: 'Piled on a dish of gold, Too huge for me to carry.'
Men held power over women in a patriarchal society.
Market place /status
Eve ate the forbidden fruit- 'Fruits which that unknown orchard bore; She sucked until her lips were sore.'
Cast out of Eden- 'Do you not remember Jeanie...'
The snake tempted Eve-'COME BUY COME BUY'
GOBLIN MEN=THE SNAKE/DEVIL

Themes within Rossetti's poems

Themes used:

 

1)Nature

2)Death

3)Rejection

4)Love

5)Future life

6)Life after death

7)Innocence

8)Religion- Rossetti's love for God

9)Society

10)Status

11)Personal life/opinions

12)Sexuality

13)Time phrases

14)Self awareness

15)Procession

16)Ultra-ego

 17)The space in-between things

18)Victorian attitudes



Information on Rossetti

Life: 5 December 1830-29 December 1894 (Died aged 64)

Rossetti was born and raised in London by her parents Gabriele Rossetti and Frances Polidori. Her father was a poet and a political exile from Italy where as her mother was a writer. She’s from a family of six and is the youngest daughter who became a poet that expressed her views on nature, political issues and women rights.

In the 1840’s her family suffered financial issues due to her father’s ill health. As a result of her father’s illness, her mother had to take up teaching to provide for the family. This meant at the age of 14, Rossetti dropped out of school after a breakdown and became depressed. During this period, herself, her mother and sister became interested in An Anglo-Catholic movement. In her late teens, Rossetti was engaged to a painter called James Collinson, who is known for painting religious works and like her bothers was a part of avant-garde artistic group. Their engagement finished in 1850 due to religious reasons. Rossetti was then asked by two more suitors but refused both Charles Cayley and John Brett. In 1848 Rossetti modelled as the Virgin Mary in an oil painting by her brother Dante Rossetti. Rossetti was a very private person and didn’t enjoy being painted however did pose for various characters. Her first poem was published 1842 and was printed in a private press by her granddad.

Education:

Rossetti did not attend school but was home schooled by her mother and father who only taught her religious works, classics, fairy tales and novels. She became very interested in Italian writers. Their mother read the bible often to them and inspired them to become independent and expand their knowledge on religious topics, poetry, painting and reading. The Rossetti’s shifted from an Evangelical to an Anglo-Catholic orientation, and this change influenced nearly all of Christina Rossetti’s poetry.

 

Status of women:

Between the dates 1674-1913 English life was very much influenced by gender. The genders were split up by the thought that mean were considered the stronger sex, intelligent, courageous and determined where as Women were thought to of struggled with their emotions and so were expected to be gentle, modest and compassionate. Women in the 19^th century were expected to stay at home and become mothers, which contradicts Rossetti’s poems. Many of her poems were from a female’s point of view and expressed the need men have on women, what they thought and a woman’s power on rejection.

 

 

 

Maude Clare lesson notes

The poem 'Maude Clare' highlights the topic of social class. The main purpose of the poem is to express Rossetti's views on love and marriage in the 19th century. 'Maude Clare' is a woman of lower class who is rejected by the man she loves (Lord Thomas) for a woman called 'Lady Nell' who is of higher class. Lord Thomas has married for reputation and wealth rather than for love.

Key Quotes:

• "His bride (Lady Nell) was like a village maid.                                                                        Maude Clare was like a queen." - Narrator/Similes/Lord Thomas believes nothing can compare to Maude Clare not even the Lady Nell who he is forced to marry.
• "Your father thirty years ago                                                                                                        Had just the tale to tell;"- The mother/Enjambment/implies Lord Thomas' father was forced into marriage as well/ Forced marriage was normal in the 19th century.
• "Maude Clare, - and hid his face." - Lord Thomas/End stop/ashamed of his behavior towards Maude Clare.
• "Take my share of a fickle heart,                                                                                                 Mine of paltry love:"- Maude Clare/Paltry=Small/ little/ This quote may be considered as two different interpretations, 1) Maude Clare is giving up her love for Lord Thomas to ensure he will always feel loved. That even though her heart has been broken and is small her heart will always belong to him. 2) The other interpretation is that Maude Clare is being cruel towards Lady Nell and telling her to take her heart because she doesn't have one of her own. It is clear that Lord Thomas loves Maude Clare but is unable to be with her. This quote may be seen as Maude Clare mocking Lady Nell.

Character Notes:

Lord Thomas

• Guilty
• In love with Maude Clare
• Lord Thomas is just a title (Social status)
• Awkward
• Selfish
• Class/power
• Ruthless
• Affairs

The Mother

• Proud
• Greedy
• Unimpressed with Maude Clare
• Happy her son's renewing their social status
• Hints her husband loves someone else

Lady Nell

• In the last stanza she's gloating towards Maude Clare
• She has the last word of the poem which shows her power over Maude Clare as she gets to marry Lord Thomas
• Brutality of society 
• Believes she can force Lord Thomas to love her

Nell-"I'll love him till he loves me best"

Rossetti creates the persona of Nell by giving her characteristics such as bitterness and pride. This is shown through the line 'I'll love him till he loves me best,' as Nell is a woman of high class she automatically wins the Lord. Marriage in the 19th century was based upon social status instead of love. Nell knows the Lord will stay with her over Maude Clare due to financial and social matters. Even though Nell understands that the Lord doesn't love her while they are forced into marriage, she thinks due to her reputation and wealth he will learn to. 

Maude Clare

• Not bitter towards the Lord of Lady Nell
• Does not seek revenge 
• fights against society's image/rules
• Lower class
• Memorable 
• Powerful

The order in which the characters speak in:

• The Narrator
• The Mother
• Maude Clare
• The Lord
• Maude Clare
• Lady Nell

The last word

• Nell

The fact Nell has the last word is important as at illuminates the power she has over Maude Clare. The aspect of the last word seems childish, as if Lady Nell and Maude Clare are bickering but by having the last word Nell wins in many ways; she marries the Lord, empowers Maude Clare and empathizes her power and social status.   

Mother - Status/Controlling

Maude Clare - Disturbs social order/Rossetti's self image

Lord Thomas - Just a title/ Linguistically redundant 

Nell - Social and wealth empowerment/She wins in life

Explore the way Rossetti presents nature in her poems edition 1

Rossetti was a poet who used poems to express powerful matters because woman in the 19th century didn’t have a voice within society’s rules; this is shown through women not having the chance to vote. Throughout her poems, references towards nature were widely used to express her emotions and thoughts upon different subjects. Nature is an important factor within Rossetti’s poems as she’s able to use it to portray many different aspects. Rossetti also used nature to express her views on her religion and love towards god. This was subject was argued upon as many people felt Rossetti should praise and worship the spirit of god not the topic of nature. The poem ‘Shut Out’ is about how the speaker is blocked from all the things he/she loves due to sin. In my opinion, the garden symbolises the speaker’s imagination and childhood which he/she can’t engage with because the ‘shadowless sprit’ guards the gate. Within the line ‘A shadowless spirit kept the gate’ demonstrates how something is ceasing the speaker from entering, from a religious view the block may be the speaker’s sinful self. The use of a garden suggests that it’s a personal place for the speaker as is portrayed as their sanctuary. The garden is ‘pied with all flowers bedewed and green’ which creates the image of a beautiful, two coloured paradise. The verb ‘bedewed’ suggest the garden is fresh and youthful which highers the speakers desperation to enter the garden and encourages her to search for a way in. Another way nature shows the greatness of the garden is through the use of contrasting words within the second stanza. Through the line ‘From flower to flower the moths and bees;’ the feeling of protection is created as bees and flowers hold a relationship which easily fits together. Even though a flower and bees are simple within nature they create the process of pollination which suggests that Rossetti finds the simple factors of nature incredible. The poem ‘Shut Out’ also holds religious aspects due to the fact the speaker’s safe haven could link with the Garden of Eden. The religious garden was moulded as a paradise which held great things but also held the power of sin which a person should resist. Rossetti was interested in the Anglo-Catholic movement which implies her poem holds religious qualities through the use of nature. The speaker’s longing for their garden is expressed through the line ‘Let me have some buds to cheer my outcast state.’ The reference the ‘bud’ shows that the speaker will take the smallest aspect of nature from the garden as they know it will be the last time he/she will see the garden. It highlights the desperation the speaker has and creates a sense of determination when they’re turned away but speaks twice to convince the ‘guard’ to allow them access into the garden. I believe that the line ‘Buy one small twig from shrub or tree;’ shows how dedicated Rossetti was to overpower the stereotypical views on ‘silent women’ and state her opinion. The fact that the speaker spoke twice to ask for permission to enter the garden shows power and braveness even though the speaker was answered with a ‘No.’ Another reason nature is used within this line is because a ‘twig’ is a tiny part of nature and doesn’t really hold any importance compared to another aspect of nature such as a flower. The ‘twig’ may metaphorically represent the speaker’s emotions as it can be easily snapped and considered small and unnoticeable within the garden. The speaker is pleading for the twig as if they’re pleading to keep their emotions intact. Another Rossetti poem which uses nature to highlight the speaker’s emotions and views upon a silent sanctuary is ‘Song.’ This poem holds an important message which acts almost as the speaker’s last wish before they die. The use of nature within this poem allows the reader to relate death as a natural process which doesn’t need special services and remembrance through flowers and graves. This poem boldly expresses how Rossetti feels about the life after death through different aspects of nature. Nature is important within ‘Song’ as it acts a metaphor for the speaker’s feelings towards death. Within the line ‘Plant thou no roses at my head’ suggests that the speaker does not want cliché’s during their passing as an act of remembrance. The use of the ‘roses’ empathises how the speaker doesn’t need love and admiration when they are dead as they won’t be able to feel it or admire it. This message implies that nature just like life will develop and die and will not last forever. The act of planting roses seems pointless for the speaker because the petals will decay and rot. Another way Rossetti uses nature to highlight the point that nothing lasts forever is through the line ‘Nor shady cypress tree.’ The tree represents mourning and has a dismal effect upon the poem. The line translates into ‘No mourning’ this demonstrates how forceful Rossetti was about her views upon death which was a difficult topic to discuss being a woman in the 19th century. Although the first four lines of stanza one shows that the speaker doesn’t seem to care if they’re remembered or forgotten when they’ve died, the line ‘be the green grass above me’ suggests that they make feel insecure and scared that they may be forgotten. The image portrayed, is green grass above the grave which acts as a layer of protection for the speaker and gives insight of the speaker’s emotions. The adjective ‘green’ implies peace and calmness which creates a tranquil atmosphere for the poem. Within both poems, Rossetti uses nature to illuminate her thoughts and feelings of a powerful topic. Death and forgiveness of sin are portrayed as a subject which can be talked about and expressed by a woman through the power of nature. This is because nature is a simple part of life which our sense interact with daily.

Identity

 

 

How does the speaker in 'I come from' create a sense of identity?

 

 

Identity for the speaker is created in the poem 'I come from' through the use of personal touches such as places, family members, the speakers education and memories. In my opinion Robert Seatter wrote the poem in a scrapbook format to provide the reader with the speakers view and opinions on life. The poem is very personal to the speaker as it allows us to see what they see and feel towards the area they belong to.

 

The poem starts with the speaker describing what intrigues him/her on the platform while waiting for the train. By describing every detail the speaker sees, 'from smashed windows, graffiti, fog on the platform, skinheads and fights' we get to see through the speakers eyes as if we were there to. This technique allows the reader to connect with the speaker. For example, in line eight and nine the speaker is talking about something everyone can relate to. 'dinner money, God please and sorry one hundred times over,'  this line stood out to me as I can picture the speaker asking for dinner money and apologising for braking the rules. This creates an identity for the speaker as they are mentioning memorable objects and personal experiences.

 

The speaker mentions their education from line eleven to fourteen, this suggests we are given insight into the speakers memory of school and what they thought of learning and teachers. The line 'I come from Chambers Etymological dictionary,' implies the speaker is smart and enjoys learning, it also shows identity as the speaker is sharing their view and creating a persona for him/herself. The line 'an Orkney grandfather, a Shropshire grandma from no accent at all' creates identity for the speaker are they are describing family members that are important to them. By adding on 'from no accent at all' shows the speaker is creating an intimate image of their life as little details are found within the poem.

 

The speaker also talks about their father, 'from my father mowing the lawn into the dark, from fences, walls, gates and hedges' this small detail of his father mowing the grass highlights the speaker has an identity. By adding small details about the speakers garden it becomes personal as the reader can picture what the speaker can see.Identity for the speaker is also created by the use of places; London and Scotland. By relating back to places, the speaker is giving the reader detailed information on their life.

 

Overall, the speaker creates a sense of identity in the poem 'I come from' by adding detail and personal touches to the poem. For example, 'Cuthbert's seed packets, the perfect small garden from the sound through the night of trains, trains, trains' is describing in great design what happens during the night in the speaker's garden, by naming the seed packet and explaining the sound of trains at night highlights the speakers imagination and personality. By doing this the reader can create a persona of the speaker and understand what the speaker sees and remembers in their life.