1. “A Birthday”
By: Christina Rossetti

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

8. StructureStructure
Iambic tetrameterIambic tetrameter
Lyric poemLyric poem
2 stanzas containing 8 lines each2 stanzas containing 8 lines each

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.