Inital assessment

Nature through poetry.


Christina Rossetti, a Victorian poet and High Anglican often expresses her views on 'Religion and spirituality' and 'Life and death' through her naturalistic imagery. This is evident in the cleansing of the soul through baptism in, 'A Birthday' and the question of life after death in the poem, 'Song'. Rossetti uses the theme of nature to represent the fact that Rossetti does not express her faith though tradition and rituals but finds her spirituaolity through the sensuality of nature and is not inluenced by contemporary religion.
Firstly, religion and spirtuality is a key topic for Rossetti, being a devout Anglican herself. She expresses her ideas and beliefs about her very personal relationship with God through her metaphoric description of nature, For example, the third simile, 'My heart is like a rainbow shell that paddles in a hacylon sea'' could be a link to baptism and the purity and cleansing of ones soul. This could infer that the title, 'A Birthday' could be a metaphor for the fact that through baptism, she feels born again in Christ and therefore has a new 'Birthday'. Another key reference to baptism is predominant in Rossetti's other poem, 'Paradise; In a dream' in which Rossetti uses the phrase, 'the fourfold river flow'.This depiction of an abundant river flowing could be a reference to the Bible where it states that God will "Repay devoted tithes fourfold for what they give onto God." The fact that Rossetti doesn't directly refer to baptism or tithing could suggest the influence of Keats. The Romantic period of which Keats was alive was a time of disbelief or doubt in God and Religion, especially the religous rituals of the church, therefore, people found their spirituality through other things, and for Rossetti this was nature which is similar to Keats. Rossetti was heavily influenced by Keats' litrature and could therefore be the reason why Rossetti despises rituals but finds her spirituality through nature and uses metaphors of naturalistic depictions to represent her deeper beliefs. This can be also suggested from Rossetti's other poem; Song, when in the third line of the first stanza, "Plant thou no roses at my head." A "rose" normally represents death and because the speaker is telling their loved one not to use rituals and traditions to cope with their death. Victorian attitudes to death were very much representational and ritualistic as religion was a big influence into the Victorian era. This further illustrates the fact that Rossetti shows her views on religion through a metaphor of nature and not the normalities of Victorian religion.
Secondly, Rossetti also uses the theme of nature to represent life and death. This is more prominant in the poem; "Song", when in the last coupke of verses of the first stanza it says, "And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget." This poses the question that, is one really dead if theyre still remebered in peoples mind and souls? Rossetti also uses nature as a link to death in the second stanza when it says, "I shall not hear the nightingale." This line doesn't fit with the rhythm of iambic trimeter that Rossetti is following. This represents how spontanious nature is but how death is also. Another poem where life and detah is expressed through nature us in the poem, "Paradise; In A Dream". Rossetti uses the words, "bud and bloom", this alliteration emphasizes Rossetti's representaion of nature being a metaphor, in this line, for youth and a promise of life.

Notes on death and the afterlife in Rossetti's Song and Remember

Compare and contrast how Rossetti shows her views on death and the after life in the poems, 'Song' and 'Remember'.


Both poems, 'Song' and 'Remember' are themed around the prospect of death and how the speaker wants their loved ones to manage their death once the speaker has passed. This gives us an in-sight to Rossetti's views and opinions on death and the afterlife. 

Firstly, the poem 'Song' suggests a more naturalist theme toward death and the after life with the reference to a 'nightingale' which is a link towards Rossetti's poetic influence; Keats. A nightingale is a symbol of beauty, immortality and freedom from the worlds troubles, this is a further illustration of death being close to nature and for the speaker, being an escape from the troubles in their life. Also, it could give the impression that there is no afterlife, through nature, you can never really die but solely exist through the beauty of nature and therefore be immortal. This theme of a naturalist death is further illustrated through the referral to 'grass' in the first stanza; 'Be the green grass above me.' This line infers that the speaker desires to be close to their lover through nature. Therefore this could be a representation on Rossetti's perspective of death as being linked to nature and that even though you can be physically dead, through nature you can still live on. Rossetti explains this further in the poem when she writes, 'And dreaming through the twilght.' This explores the question of after life that Rossetti poses being that the 'twilight' is the limbo of life between heaven and hell. Therefore expressing her thoughts on life and death. It is interesting that Rossetti gives the impression of her belief in immortality and a world of liminality as she expresses a very religious belief or mindset in her other poems. She was remembered as a very religious woman, however, this poem questions that as Catholisism didnt have the belief of a limbo world. This doubt in religion was a popular belief in the time of Keats (The Romantic period) who was a role model of Rossetti's. Yet again, Rossetti is very contradictive of herself and her beliefs. For example, she is an icon for femanism but however, she published some of her poems under a male name.
However, the poem 'Remember' doesnt follow a naturalistic theme but explores femininity and power through death.The speaker of the poem seems to be finding her voice and power through each verse of this sonnet but through this array of femininity we frequently remeber that the speakers authority is only obtainable through death. This is illustrated firstly with the title of the poem; 'Remember'. This short statement suggests a demanding but assertive tone in which is ordering the speakers loved one to remember. Through this very line, Christina challenges the norms of the Victorian patriarchal society. In which the women would be seen and not heard and made to be infantalised towards men and most importantly, their husbands. The way in which the poem is structured through iambic pentamenter further suggests an authoritative tone towards the male loved one but this power is only given through death. However in the seventh line, the iambic pentamenter structure is broken with the use of a ceasura but this empashises the demand of the speaker; 'Only remember me; you understand'. Yet again. Rossetti pushes the boundaries of Victorian society by speaking out and expressing her needs and desires demandingly. The words 'you understand' suggest a change in roles in which the speaker is making the loved on infantalised by speaking to them condesendingly. This also ephasises the power and authority of the feminine speaker through death; in which is the only way of escaping an infantlie and powerless future and finding peace within. Rossetti, known for her feminist beliefs, could be using this poem as a way of speaking out and protesting against partiarchal expectations of the Victorian society but yet again remains not too controversial by desguising these beliefs through the theme of death.
Overall, both poems follow similar structures with the use of iambic pentameter and other poetic thechniques. However, the poem 'Song' uses nature and religion to express her beliefs of death yet in 'Remeber', Rossetti questions Victorian expectations through the key theme of death.