As Froth on the Face of the Deep

Question 1

What is As Froth on the Face of the Deep about?

Answer 1

A short but powerful devotional poem in which Rossetti asserts her faith - for her, life is insubstantial and hopeless without God

Question 2

What is the structure of As Froth on the Face of the Deep? (3 points)

Answer 2

The poem comprises eight lines, seven of which have eight syllables, but the last catalectic line has six, a technique that gives emphasis

The rhyme scheme forms the pattern AAA BAA BA

The metrical rhythm is gentle and flowing, predominantly anapaests

Question 3

What is the language and imagery of As Froth on the Face of the Deep? (3 points)

Answer 3

The poem comprises a list of paired similes beginning with ‘As’, forming a refrain or rhetorical emphasis - anaphora

Each simile is a subordinate clause, creating suspense as the reader anticipates the main clause at the end

The tone is gentle and prayer-like - the voice of the poet addressing the reader in universal terms, only referring to her personal ‘my God’ at the end

Question 4

What other poems does As Froth on the Face of the Deep link to?

Answer 4

Devotional Poems:
A Birthday
A Christmas Carol
Memory
Twice
Up-Hill
What Would I Give

Question 5

What is the relevant context for As Froth on the Face of the Deep? (2 points)

Answer 5

Allusion to the Creation in Genesis, when God gave form to an insubstantial, amorphous void:

“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”