1. Analysis by SIMONG SONG
BIRTHDAY
CHRISTINA ROSETTI
Analysis by
SIMONG SONG

2. ROSETTI 5TH DECEMBER 1830 ~ 29TH DECEMBER 1894.
The author- CHRISTINA
ROSETTI
5TH DECEMBER 1830 ~ 29TH DECEMBER 1894.
Father- Gabriel Rosetti: Exiled Politician & Poet.
Mother-Frances Polidori: Famous Physician.
Born in London, have 3 older siblings who all became an artist or writer.
During 1840s, her family face financial problem due to Gabriel Rosetti’s physical and mental illness.
Her mother and her sister became devoted Anglican christian.

3. she was a model for many artist
she was a model for many artist. One of the famous example is the picture of the Virgin Mary by Dante Rosetti-her brother.
Talented writer, but never had a proper education.
Began writing at 1842
An idealist, fight for freedom of Black people, animal right and natural conservation
She was weak, infertile and suffered for all her life and died of Graves Disease.

4. BIRTHDAY My heart is like a singing bird
               Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
               Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
               That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
               Because 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 life
               Is come, my love is come to me.

5. LITERARY TERMS SIMILE-GIVES THE VIVID IMAGE OF HER FEELING
-My heart is like a singing bird
       Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
       Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
REPETITON-EMPHASIZES HER EMOTION
                  Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
                  Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;

6. SYMBOLISM-GIVES THE HINT OF HIDDEN MEANING
-PEACOCK- CHRISTIANITY
-POMEGRANATE-RESURRECTION
-DOVE-HOLYSPIRIT
ALLITERATION-CREATE THE FLOWING SONG-LIKE RHYTHM
Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
USE OF IMAGERY- MAKE THE POEM MORE INTERESTING
-RAINBOW SHELL,HALYCON SEA AND BENT WITH THICKEST FRUIT

7. STRUCTURE
Written in IAMBIC TETRAMETER where soft and unstressed beat is followed by strong and stressed beat. It creates a song like rhythm
-My heart is like a singing bird
                  Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
End of every second line in second stanza rhyme.
-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;

8. Poem is splitted into different stanza at the end of 8th line.
My heart is like a singing bird
               Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
               Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
               That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
               Because 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 life
               Is come, my love is come to me.
This build up the tension. The writer wanted to show how long she waited for her love

9. THEME HAS A STRONG RELIGEOUS THEME
CAN BE INTERPRETED IM MANY DIFFERENT WAYS BUT THE WRITER’S ORIGINAL INTENSION WAS TO TELL THE JOY OF MEETING JESUS.
- THE METAPHORS USED IN FIRST STANZA IS COPIED FROM BIBLE, THE BOOK OF SONG OF SONG
THE THEME OF POEM SPLIT IN TWO PARTS.
FIRST STANZA IS ABOUT HOW HER RELATIONSHIP AFFECT HER AND HER EMOTION.
SECOND STANZA TELLS ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN AND THE ARRIVAL OF HER LOVE

10. ANALYSIS FIRST STANZA -My Heart=Singing Bird
Singing Bird= Symbol of romantic poem, showing it’s her love song
Nest in a Watered Shoot= Safe resting place. Shoot not full grown plant, symbolizing future potential
-My Heart=Apple tree
Apple tree symbolize Garden of Eden before the Fall-no worries
Boughs bent with thickest fruit=tells her emotional state is at her best

11. -My Heart=Rainbow Shell that paddles in Halycon sea
Rainbow shell=oyster
Word HALYCON was originated from Greek myth, they believed that Kingfisher build its nest on Oyster shell floating a calm sea. Explaining her feeling
-My heart is gladder than all these
               Because my love is come to me.
The Climax of first stanza revealing about her love.
“Because my love is come to me” not past tense shows that it’s everlasting joy.

12. SECOND STANZA - Dais= platform used in Anglican church
Silk=expensive fabric extracted from silk worm
Down=expensive fabric from baby animals
Vair= very expensive fur from samll rodents
Purple dye= was very rare at that time, only used by priests and royals
It shows how important her love is
-Pomegranate= Resurrection of Jesus
Peacock= Christianity
Thousand eyes= attention and thrill.
Tells that her love is not toward the human being but Jesus. And she explains how exciting and thrilling her love is

13. -Gold and Silver Grape= the Gold and Silver are expensive and symbolize purity Fleur-de-ly= flower from Lily. Often carved into the soldier’s armor and shield as the symbol of royalty. It explains about the royalty and purity of her love toward the Jesus -Because the birthday of my life Is come, my love is come to me. The poem ends with the phrase implying the joy of her birthday but it’s not physical birthday but spiritual.