our mothers, lovely women pitiful

Question 1

structure and form

Answer 1

-Petrachan sonnet form (dedicated to women), divided by a volta into an octave and a sestet

-iambic pentameter reflects calm reassuring nature of women

Question 2

what is the rhyme scheme like

Answer 2

-octave conforms to petrachan sonnet rhyme shcheme but sestet doesn’t, suggestive that rossetti wishes to break free from constraints imposed on women

Question 3

what does the volta represent

Answer 3

moves narrative to present tense creating a reflective tone

Question 4

how is ‘walk as we walked, much less by sight than faith’ a biblical reference

Answer 4

biblical reference to the 2 corinthians

Question 5

what is the contextual relevance to mothers and sisters

Answer 5

-respected sister maria and joined anglican womens convent
-respected mother
-wrote year after death so reflective

Question 6

‘work as we work, in patience of our rule’ what does this contextually suggest

Answer 6

conventry patmores 1954 ‘angel in the house’

calls for traditionalism

Question 7

whats the technique called in the parallel between ‘work as we worked’ ‘lear as we learnt’

Answer 7

syntactic parallell

shows repetition of womens experiences generationally

Question 8

‘slips and scathe’ context and technique

Answer 8

sibilance

anti feminist reading: rossetting anti sufferage (signed petition 1889 and denied augusta websters request)

Question 9

whats the contextual significance of women being in paradise

Answer 9

hows rossetis belief in the redemption of the ‘fallen women’

women free from temptation and moral path in heaven

Question 10

when was it written and what could this reflect

Answer 10

1883, year before her death

reflextive tone shows end of like and deterioration of health as died from breast cancer

Question 11

what poems could you compare it to