2. BackgroundBackground
Born: 1830; London, EnglandBorn: 1830; London, England
Died: 1894Died: 1894
Occupation: writer, poet, short story, proseOccupation: writer, poet, short story, prose
writerwriter
Father was in Italian exileFather was in Italian exile
Other works include:Other works include: Goblin Market andGoblin Market and
Other Poems, The Prince’s Progress andOther Poems, The Prince’s Progress and
Other PoemsOther Poems
3. “A Birthday”
My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a watered shoot;
My heart is like an apple tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all of these
Because my love is come to me
Raise me a dais of silk and down;
Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
Is come, my love is come to me
4. Theme
“Love between people is a deeper emotion
than can be expressed even by natural
images of rapture and abundance.”
1st
stanza: nature
2nd
stanza: things made from nature that are
imperishable
5. SymbolismSymbolism
““singing bird”singing bird”
““Whose nest is in a watered shoot”Whose nest is in a watered shoot”
““fleur-de-lys” and “purple dyes”fleur-de-lys” and “purple dyes”
““dais”dais”
““rainbow shell” in the “halcyon sea”rainbow shell” in the “halcyon sea”
6. Speaker/Tone
Someone who is in love with life
But it may also be a person
“my love is come to me”
Soothing, happy, reverie, imaginative
Conversational
7. Imagery
1st
stanza all imagery was affiliated with
figures of speech
2nd
stanza the imagery forms a complete
picture in the reader’s mind
9. Sound Patterns
Rhyming
shoot, fruit
Alliteration
boughs are bent
Assonance
paddles, halcyon, gladder
Consonance
thickset, fruit, bent
10. Personal Response
Imagery was used really well
Unique idea to compare her love and life to a
birthday
Has a nice rhythm and the words flow
together
11. Historical ContextHistorical Context
““Women and Society”Women and Society”
Women writers were expected to limit theWomen writers were expected to limit the
subjects of their poemssubjects of their poems
““A Birthday” was acceptable because it wasA Birthday” was acceptable because it was
about loveabout love
12. Figures of Speech
Similes in 1st
stanza compare to things in
nature
“My heart is like a singing bird”
Hyperboles
“boughs are bent with thickset fruit”
Metaphors
“A Birthday”
13. Works CitedWorks Cited
““Christina Rossetti.”Christina Rossetti.” EXPLORING Poetry.EXPLORING Poetry. Online EditorOnline Editor
2003. Reproduced in Student Resource Center.2003. Reproduced in Student Resource Center.
Detroit: Gale, 2004.Detroit: Gale, 2004.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRChttp://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC
"Criticism: 'A Birthday' by Christina Rossetti.""Criticism: 'A Birthday' by Christina Rossetti."
EXPLORING PoetryEXPLORING Poetry. Online Edition. Gale, 2003.. Online Edition. Gale, 2003.
Reproduced in Student Resource Center. Detroit:Reproduced in Student Resource Center. Detroit: Gale,Gale,
2004.2004.
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRChttp://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC
LaBlanc, Michael.LaBlanc, Michael. Poetry for StudentsPoetry for Students. 10 ed.. 10 ed.
Farmington Hills: Gale Group, 2001.Farmington Hills: Gale Group, 2001.