BIRTHDAY Flashcards
What is the significance of the title?
“born again”- second coming
key quotes and ideas from stanza one?
This stanza is lacking intervention and effort
There is natural imagery such as “singing bird” and “halcyon sea”- reference to Noah arch
“my love is come to me”- her heart is bigger than all of these- may link to religion?
key quotes and ideas from stanza two?
there is the use of the trochaic structure which may mimic the man-made imagery. May also link to the idea that Rossetti is referring to heaven, with words such as “raise” and “carve”
There is a reference to peace and fertility “doves and pomegranate “
how do stanza one and stanza two compare?
declarative vs imperative
natural imagery vs man-made
what are the key themes within the poem?
the joy of love- the power of the love means that the speaker has effectively become born again.
faith and spiritual fulfilmment- the love in the poem can be read as religious, this is emphasised with the christian imagery and the link to the garden of eden- the “apple tree” may be a reference to the tree of knowledge in the garden of eden. There is a hint that the speaker is celebrating a spiritual reunion with God.
