Christina Rossetti: No Thank You, John Flashcards
Who is it speculated the ‘John’ in the poem is meant to be?
The poem could be written about John Brett, an artist who allegedly proposed to Rossetti in the late 1850s. Rossetti was said to have rejected the proposal.
What did Rossetti’s brother, William Michael, claim Rossetti added as a pencilled footnote to the poem?
William Michael said that Rossetti wrote as a footnote “John was obnoxious, because he never gave scope for ‘no thank you’”
What supernatural figure does the speaker compare John to in the second stanza and why?
The speaker compares John to an “hour-old ghost” in the second stanza. This imagery suggests the speaker is being haunted and plagued by John, a figure she would like to keep in her past. The connotations of death could also relate to the death of this relationship, which John cannot accept or move on from.
Why does the speaker tell John that “Meg or Moll would take pity upon [him], if [he’d] ask”? Consider how this relates to context.
Rossetti could be alluding to the competitive nature of the marriage market for women in the mid-19th century. As there were a surplus of men, women struggled to find suitable husbands at this time- therefore, whilst the speaker does not wish to accept John’s proposal, a more desperate woman like ‘Meg’ or ‘Moll’ would be willing to marry him in order to give them financial and social security.
What examples of military language does Rossetti include in the poem and why does she include these references?
“In open treaty”
Rossetti includes military language here to empower the female speaker; they seem to take on a more masculine persona to be considered John’s equal.
The speaker says she’d “rather say no to fifty Johns than answer yes” to the addressee of the poem. But how could this decision lead to consequences for the female speaker in the Victorian era?
In the Victorian era, women were expected to marry and begin families early in life- their late teenage years and early 20s were considered their ‘prime’, where they would secure husbands and bear children. If a woman was unmarried by her late 20s she would risk becoming a spinster, a pitiable and disempowering position in 19th century society.
Name two organisations established during the 1850s that supported female empowerment.
- The English Woman’s Journal- est. 1858, the journal focused on women’s rights and employment, and almost all staff were female (revolutionary at this time)
- The Society for Promoting the Employment of Women (SPEW)- est. 1859, supported women in finding employment in a broad range of sectors. Without SPEW, women would not be hairdressers or even secretaries, as these were careers offered to men only before SPEW organised training for the roles.
What is the form of this poem and why is this significant?
The poem is a dramatic monologue. This is significant because the female voice dominates; ‘John’ is never heard during their conversation, readers can only pick up fragments of his comments through the speaker’s repetition of them. This empowers the female speaker and deprives John of his voice.
Why do you think Rossetti includes a regular, repetitive rhyme scheme in the poem?
The repetitive ABAB reflects the weariness the speaker feels, having to repeatedly reject and resist John’s unwanted advances. It has become a tedious cycle which the speaker wishes to end.
How does the speaker’s assertion that she “can’t perform the task” deviant from traditional expectations of love and marriage in the Victorian era, especially for wealthier individuals?
The speaker uses an imperative (“can’t”) to suggest it is not possible for her to ‘perform’ and marry someone she does not love. This deviates from society’s general belief that love can be learned, as many young adults from wealthy families were forced into entering marriages of convenience. The speaker of the poem is very similar to Jane Eyre when rejecting St John’s proposal, declaring “I scorn your idea of love…I scorn the counterfeit sentiment you offer”.
