Cousin Kate Flashcards
Who was the author?
Christina Rossetti (1830-
1894). English poet, mainly wrote
romantic and children’s poems.
How were similes used in this poem?
Run throughout the poem representing complex behaviours and emotions at play. in stanza 2, the speaker compares herself to
different clothing garments when in the presence of the lord ‘like a silken knot, like a glove’.
How was metaphors used in this poem?
Run throughout the poem representing complex behaviours and emotions at play. The speaker uses the ring to jealousy
symbolise the lord’s entrapment of Kate, in stanza 4. ‘Because you were so good and pure
He bound you with his ring:’
How was repetition used in this poem?
Repeated phrases are used to
highlight the differences between the speaker and Cousin
Kate. For example, ‘good and pure’ is repeated to describe
Kate in stanza 4.
How was alliteration used in this poem?
Alliteration is used frequently throughout the poem, for a range of effects. In stanza 1 for example, the repetition of the soft ‘m’ sound. ‘maiden, mates, mindful’ is
used to reflect the beauty and innocence of the girls at work.
How was an oxymoron used in this poem?
Contradictory ideas are juxtaposed beside one another in order to mirror the conflicting nature of the
speaker’s ideas: she wants to create the sense that she is
happy, and better off without the lord, when in fact we infer that she is deeply jealous.
What was the form like in this poem?
Written as a dramatic monologue, from viewpoint of the rejected former lover of the lord. Six
stanzas, each of which rhyme A-B-C-B-D-E-D-F.
