"No, Thank You, John."

Question 1

Title - NTYJ

Answer 1

Very assertive
‘TY’ - remains polite & tactful - to play into the expectations of the feminine fig.
John - ref. to JB? Very common name - represents all men?? = is this CR denunciation of ALL marriage prospects bc she is more committed to God.

AO5: Bocher: Love of God always trumps that of another human

Question 2

NTYJ: structure & form

Answer 2

ABAB rhyme scheme - predictability/rigidity of societal expectations?
each stanza is end stopped - marking her new strategies to dissuade him

Question 3

NTYJ: masculine/subversive nature
1. ‘Let us s h a h f’
2. ‘here’s f…b l..NTYJ’

Answer 3

1. ‘let us strike hands as hearty friends’ evocative of a
   business deal, this idea of woman & man as eachothers equals is emphasised by ‘friends’ = establishes herself as equal, transgressing the separate spheres ideology by abandoning social conventions of the meek woman.
2. ‘here’s friendship…but love, - No, Thank You, John.’ - makes own proposition, asserting masculine dominance & never apologises - she is not meek or passive!!!
   Interestingly although very assertive, the fact that she continues to use the polite dismissal ‘No, Thank you…’ suggests AO5: ‘an awareness of the social and political expectations of society that defined acceptable roles for women’ as she recognises that she must be tentative in dismissing this proposal and if she bruises this man’s fragile masculinity she will likely be ostracised in polite society.

Question 4

NTYJ: the woman as worn down by proposals of marriage:

1. t m d b d’
2. ‘a w a w…a ‘d’ a ‘p’?’
3. ‘I r a ‘n’ t 50 J t a ‘y’ t y.’
4. ‘W ca p t t.’

Answer 4

1. ‘teaze me day by day’: ‘teaze’ suggests a childlike behaviour, an action of utter annoyance to illicit a response from the speaker. Introduces her sheer frustration as she feels incessantly pursued by a man of infantile intellect => perhaps the speaker feels that this man is not a suitable marriage match as his proposals are ill-suited to her.
   The simple repetition of ‘day by day’ compounds this tone of annoyance as the incessant, badgering nature of ‘John’ is revealed => perhaps symbolic/emblematic of wider Victorian patriarchal society’s constant browbeating of women to pursue marriage in order to attain ‘fulfilment’ in life.
2. ‘And wax a weariness….always ‘do’ and ‘pray’? : the ‘w’ alliteration conjures a drawn-out, protracted process, only furthering this idea of the ‘marriage question’ as taking a physical and mental toll on the female figure as this badgering of her to change her response to ‘Yes’ induces boredom, perhaps reflecting on how the institution of marriage itself potentially induces boredom as women are further restricted through their rather domestic, docile positions as ‘wives’ and ‘mothers’. The reflexive question littered with reported speech essentially forces ‘John’ to reflect on his unchanging attitude towards marriage in a quite vociferous attempt to force him to abandon this imagined ideal marriage with the speaker.
3. ‘I’d rather answer ‘no’ to 50 Johns than answer ‘yes’ to you.’ Complete exertion of the female autonomy through declaring her choice. Almost takes an approach of weaponizing humiliation as a last resort to shift ‘John’s’ attention away from the speaker. This hyperbolic declaration and denunciation of marriage reflects the blunt yet simultaneously humorous ability of Rossetti herself. -> Perhaps however this hyperbole is used to convey the sheer desperation and stress of women who are pressurised into marriage as their only hope of escape is publicly humiliating the male figure.
4. ‘Who can’t perform that task’: theatrical image suggests that the speaker views the institution of marriage as an act to be ‘performed’, illiciting a sense of fakery and fraud as they feel that they would be wholly unable to bear the burden of keeping up this performance to adhere to societal rules. + suggestion that marriage is just a ceremony or pageant utilised to demonstrate a conformity to social expectations. This sense of marriage as a burden is furthered through ‘task’ which evokes an image of arduous physical toil, reinforcing the notion that the speaker has become disillusioned with the option of marriage as they view it with complete and utter disdain and boredom.

Question 5

NTYJ: Societal disparaging and disdain for the female who opts out of marriage.
1. ‘I h n h? - P i h n’
2. ‘I w a y u’.

Answer 5

1. ‘I have no heart? - Perhaps I have not’: assumption of ‘John’s’ own venomous words reveals the embittered state of a ‘scorned’ man as he is willing to dismantle the speaker’s ‘respectable’ feminine identity by claiming that she is utterly heartless, possessing a sort of biological defect that makes her wholly unsuitable for marriage. Yet CR’s speaker skilfully adopts this claim as part of a logical argument, later entirely dismissing J’s argument.
2. ‘I’ll wink at your untruth’: Sly connotations of ‘wink’ imply a societal deception => clearly this speaker and John have concocted a ‘cover up’ to preserve J’s dignity in the eyes of society to ensure his fragile masculine ego is undamaged by the mere suggestion that a woman did not want his offer of marriage. The speaker clearly seems to take the moral high ground, risking her own reputation through the sexually suggestive, promiscuous ‘wink’ to aid John’s preservation, unlike how he - without second thought - attempted to entirely destroy her reputable rep. = CR female speakers appear far more compassionate than their male counterparts.