From the Antique Flashcards
What are the themes of this poem?
Patriarchy
What is the opening line to the poem? What does it signify? How does it link to Rossetti’s life?
“It’s a weary life, it is, she said” - ‘She’ - the speaker is female. It shows that she is miserable and life is not good to her. It emphasises how Rossetti believed life was meant to be endured and not enjoyed.
How do we know that the female speaker does not like being a woman?
“Doubly blank in a woman’s lot: I wish and I wish I were a man” - It shows how women were at a disadvantage in comparison to men.
How can we tell that the speaker is somewhat nihilistic?
“Or better then any being… were not” - very suicidal. Very nihilistic. Depicts the belief that being dead is better than being alive.
How can we tell that the speaker wishes to be insignificant?
“Not so much as a grain of dust” - the speaker wishes to not only die but be insignificant in the grand scheme of things. How it wouldn’t matter if she disappeared.
How can we tell that the speaker believes if they disappeared, they would be insignificant? What could this show about Rossetti’s life?
“Still the world would wag on the same, still the seasons come and go” - shows the insignificance of women and how the cycles of life and society continue. This could show how Rossetti feels unfulfilled in life: not married, no children etc.
How does the poem end?
“I should be nothing” - reiterates this nihilistic attitude.
What were Rossetti’s thoughts towards feminism?
- She refused to support women’s suffrage in gaining access to uni education. She signed the anti suffrage petition in 1889.
- She did argue for female representation in parliament and spoke out against sexual exploitation of women in prostitution.
- She was rejected from Florence Nightingale’s band of female volunteers to help in Turkey because she was too old (24) - made her feel worthless in society.
When was the poem written?
1854
