Cousin Kate “…you were so good and pure.” Read this poem. There are questions in here that you will have to answer on the next assignment, so make sure you pay attention. (P29)

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Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English poet who wrote a variety of romantic, devotional, and children's poems. Many scholars have identified feminist themes in her poetry. She was opposed to slavery, cruelty to animals and the exploitation of girls in under-age prostitution

I was a cottage maiden Hardened by sun and air Contented with my cottage mates, Not mindful I was fair. Why did a great lord find me out, And praise my flaxen hair? Why did a great lord find me out, To fill my heart with care? 1) From what perspective is the poem told? What does this tell us about the power that the speaker has if she is nameless? Poetic Devices 2) “Cottage maiden” is juxtaposed with “great lord,” why? Poetic Devices 3) Look at “contented” and “not mindful”. Is the language active or passive? What does this tell us about the power held by women in Victorian England? Imagery 4) What does the repetition of the question mark tell us about the narrator? Structure

He lured me to his palace home - Woe's me for joy thereof- To lead a shameless shameful life, His plaything and his love. He wore me like a silken knot, He changed me like a glove; So now I moan, an unclean thing, Who might have been a dove. 1) What does the word “lured” tell us about the lord? Imagery 2) Annotate the 2 similes in this stanza. What do they tell us about the lord? Imagery 3) Why has the poet used the oxymoron “shameless shameful life” to describe the narrator? Poetic Devices 4) What is “unclean thing” a reference to? Imagery

O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate, You grew more fair than I: He saw you at your father's gate, Chose you, and cast me by. He watched your steps along the lane, Your work among the rye; He lifted you from mean estate To sit with him on high. 5)How would you describe the language in this stanza (and the rest of the poem)? Simple, complex? How many syllables do lots of the words contain? What effect is created by the language? Imagery 7) How do the underlined phrases make the lord sound? Imagery 6) This poem is full of contrasts – label two in this stanza and explain why the poet uses so many. Imagery ABABCBABABABCBAB

Because you were so good and pure He bound you with his ring: The neighbors call you good and pure, Call me an outcast thing. Even so I sit and howl in dust, You sit in gold and sing: Now which of us has tenderer heart? You had the stronger wing Poetic Devices 8) Why is the underlined phrase repeated? What does it highlight about the narrator’s feelings? 9) a) In contrast, what do “the neighbours” call the narrator? b) What connotations do these two words contain? c) What does this tell us about Victorian attitudes to love and marriage? Imagery 10) “howl in dust” is an example of vivid imagery; annotate the two words on your poem. We will discuss connotations afterwards. Imagery 11) What themes and ideas does Rossetti convey in this poem? Ideas

O cousin Kate, my love was true, Your love was writ in sand: If he had fooled not me but you, If you stood where I stand, He'd not have won me with his love Nor bought me with his land; I would have spit into his face And not have taken his hand. Tone / Voice 12) Who is the narrator addressing for much of the poem? How would you describe her tone of voice? Imagery 13) This is a vivid image. What does it tell you about the way the narrator feels? 14) What tense is the underlined quotation written in? What does this tell you about the power available to women in Victorian society? Poetic Devices NOTE: The lord in this poem is not reproached for the way he behaves, whilst the narrator is.

Yet I've a gift you have not got, And seem not like to get: For all your clothes and wedding-ring I've little doubt you fret. My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride, Cling closer, closer yet: Your father would give his lands for one To wear his coronet Imagery 15) What is “gift” a metaphor for? 17) What does the alliteration tell us about the speaker? Poetic Devices 16) This stanza symbolises a shift in tone and mood for the narrator – how is this reflected in the line “I’ve little doubt you fret”? Tone / Voice

Contrasts: On your paper, fill out this chart “a cottage maid” “cottage” “woe” “shameless” “an unclean thing” “chose you” “mean estate” “an outcast thing” “sit and howl in dust” “my love was true” “spit into his face” “my shame”

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Contrasts “a cottage maid”“a great lord” “cottage”“a palace home” “woe”“joy” “shameless”“shameful” “an unclean thing”“a dove” “chose you”“cast me by” “mean estate”“on high” “an outcast thing”“good and pure” “sit and howl in dust”“sit in gold and sing” “my love was true”“your love was write in sand” “spit into his face”“taken his hand” “my shame”“my pride”