Notes on Christina Rossetti's Echo

~Imperative verb "come" suggests authority and sensuality.
~First person. Tripartite structure.
~Oxymoron "speaking silence" Undermine each other, link to Remember.
~Sibilance and tripartite of "how sweet, too sweet, too bitter sweet".
~Contradiction of "Paradise" and "thirsting longing eyes".
~"Pulse for pulse, breath for breath" repetition of fricative onomatopia.
~Ends on a note of nostalgia and bitterness.









1. Summarise the poem's content briefly.
The poem Echo is an emotional lyric written in first person and a tri-partied structure. It is an imperative addressed to a lost or dead loved on telling them to "come". It suggests that the narrator is yearning for a fantasy of paradise where the two souls can be together in a dream of an oxymoric 'speaking silence'. It ends on a note of nostalgia with suggests bitterness and regret which is reinforced by the words, "should have been in Paradise." in the second stanza and the word "memory" in the first stanza. There could be links to other poems like, "Paradise: In a Dream" and "Shut Out".


2.What tone is used by the speaker at the start with the imperative verb in "come to me?"
The speaker uses a very authoritative tone at the start with the imperative verb, "come to me". On the other hand, it gives a sense of insecurity and desperation.


3. Why do they feel this way?
The speaker may feel this way because they are feeling regretful and "thirsts" for their loved one/ Christ to find intimacy.