Sonnet Flashcards
‘I wish I could remember that first day’
Why is the word ‘wish’ used?
To bring a wistful tone to open the poem, and a sense of regret
‘If bright or dim the season, it might be
Summer of winter for aught I can say’
What technique is used here? (with reference to language)
Oxymoron - bright vs dim, winter vs summer
To bring the idea of opposition
Why does Rosetti discuss seasons?
To suggest that their love was seasonal, and faded, like each season does
‘So unrecorded did it slip away’
Analyse…
UNRECORDED
SLIP
UNRECORDED - a deliberate vocab choice meaning unnoticed
SLIP - the memories are difficult to hold onto, almost intangible
‘So blind was I to mark the budding of my tree’
What does this refer to?
Refers to her not realising her sexual awakening
What type of poem is this?
A Petrarchan Sonnet
‘That would not blossom yet for many a May’
What is the significance of ‘May’?
May is spring, referring to new life, or new relationships, as well as the growth of hope
‘If only I could recollect it, such’
What does this suggest?
A sense of hopelessness and regret
‘A day of days! I let it come and go’
What technique is used and why?
A caesura, which brings a pause to reflect on regrets in life, as well as to highlight am important phrase, and an important moment in her life
‘As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow’
What does snow represent?
Innocence and purity
Give an alternative interpretation of the poem, with examples.
The author could be reflecting on a child that died at a young age
‘So slow was I to mark the budding of my tree’ - she was slow to realise that she was pregnant
‘May’ - connotes new life - the birth of a child
‘It seemed to mean so little, meant so much’ - the sexual relations from which the babe came
‘Hand in hand’ - parent and child
‘Snow’ - innocence and purity
‘I wish I could remember that first day,
First hour, first moment of your meeting me’
What technique is used here and why? (I’m reference to ‘first’?
Emphasis/rule of three - to emphasise a critical moment
