A Birthday Flashcards
What is A Birthday about?
It is a poem about the importance of Rossetti’s faith to her - clear biblical roots
What is the structure of A Birthday? (3 points)
The regularity of each stanza indicates that this is not uncontrolled passion, but rather controlled, joyous contentment
This could be thought of as a repetitive song being sung by someone consumed with joy
The enjambment allows Rossetti to explore each of her similes clearly and give the reader the exact idea of why she feels like each of these natural images
What is the language and imagery of A Birthday? (2 points)
The second stanza is a list - we are told to make this ‘dais’
Each of the items on the list is needed for the most important being — probably God — in her world
What other poems does A Birthday link to?
Devotional Poems
A Christmas Carol
A Froth on the Face of the Deep
Memory
Twice
Up-Hill
What Would I Give?
What is the relevant context of A Birthday? (2 points)
Christina Rossetti was known to have had a difficult life but she found comfort and joy in her fierce and unwavering Christian faith
The connection between nature and the divine is a common characteristic in the work of the Pre-Raphaelite poets and artists, to which Christina Rossetti was closely connected
