LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December
1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English
poet who wrote a variety of romantic,
devotional, and children's poems. Many
scholars have identified feminist themes in
her poetry. She was opposed to slavery,
cruelty to animals and the exploitation of
girls in under-age prostitution
What the poem is about…
The poem 'Cousin Kate' is about a young cottage
maiden who falls pregnant by the 'Lord of the
manor‘. She thought he loved her but he didn't and
when he found out she was pregnant he 'changed
[her] like a glove‘. Now he is marrying her cousin,
(Kate) whom he ‘bound … with his ring.'
The tone of the poem is angry and anxious. The
speaker is confused at the experience she has had to
endure. Her emotions are strong and violent and her
anger is expressed through her imagination.
Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti
Learning Objectives
To understand how Rossetti has used
narrative form and language to explore
relationships and evoke sympathy in the
reader.
Glossary
• Cottage-maiden: a
girl born and
brought up in a rural
cottage
• Flaxen: pale yellow
• Woe: sorrow or
misfortune
• Thereof: of this
• Cast me by: throw off
• Sport: playing
• Rye: cereal used to
make bread, biscuits,
etc.
• Mean estate: poor
home/background
• Sire: father
• Coronet: crown
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Cousin Kate
“…you were so good and pure.”
Make annotations in SMALL writing on the poem:
1) What connotations does the word “good” have? (what does it
make you think of?)
2) And “pure”?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Poetic Devices
1) From what
perspective is the
poem told? What
does this tell us
about the power
that the speaker
has if she is
nameless?
Structure
4) What does the
repetition of the
question mark tell
us about the
narrator?
Poetic Devices
2) “Cottage maiden”
is juxtaposed with
“great lord,” why?
I was a cottage maiden
Hardened by sun and air
Contented with my cottage mates,
Not mindful I was fair.
Why did a great lord find me out,
And praise my flaxen hair?
Why did a great lord find me out,
To fill my heart with care?
Imagery
3) Look at
“contented” and
“not mindful”. Is the
language active or
passive? What does
this tell us about the
power held by
women in Victorian
England?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Imagery
Poetic Devices
1) What does the
word “lured” tell us
about the lord?
3) Why has the poet used the
oxymoron “shameless
shameful life” to describe the
narrator?
Imagery
2) Annotate
the 2 similes in
this stanza.
What do they
tell us about
the lord?
He lured me to his palace home Woe's me for joy thereofTo lead a shameless shameful life,
His plaything and his love.
He wore me like a silken knot,
He changed me like a glove;
So now I moan, an unclean thing,
Who might have been a dove.
Imagery
4) What is “unclean thing” a
reference to?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Imagery
4) This poem is full of
contrasts – label two in this
stanza and explain why the
poet uses so many.
Imagery
1)How would
you describe the
language in this
stanza (and the
rest of the
poem)? Simple,
complex? How
many syllables
do lots of the
words contain?
What effect is
created by the
language?
O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate,
You grew more fair than I:
He saw you at your father's gate,
Chose you, and cast me by.
He watched your steps along the lane,
Your work among the rye;
He lifted you from mean estate
To sit with him on high.
Imagery
2) How do the
underlined phrases
make the lord sound?
A
B
A
B
C
B
A
B
Rhyme
3) Label the
rhyme scheme in
this stanza. Is it
regular or
irregular in the
poem? What
effect does this
create?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
Poetic Devices
1) Why is the
underlined
phrase
repeated? What
does it highlight
about the
narrator’s
feelings?
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Because you were so good and pure
He bound you with his ring:
The neighbors call you good and pure,
Call me an outcast thing.
Even so I sit and howl in dust,
You sit in gold and sing:
Now which of us has tenderer heart?
You had the stronger wing
Imagery
2) a) In contrast, what do “the
neighbours” call the narrator? b) What
connotations do these two words
contain? c) What does this tell us about
Victorian attitudes to love and marriage?
Imagery
3) “howl in dust” is an
example of vivid
imagery; annotate the
two words on your
poem. We will discuss
connotations
afterwards.
Ideas
4) What themes and
ideas does Rossetti
convey in this poem?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Tone / Voice
1) Who is the
narrator
addressing for
much of the
poem? How would
you describe her
tone of voice?
O cousin Kate, my love was true,
Your love was writ in sand:
If he had fooled not me but you,
If you stood where I stand,
He'd not have won me with his love
Nor bought me with his land;
I would have spit into his face
And not have taken his hand.
NOTE: The lord in this poem is not
reproached for the way he
behaves, whilst the narrator is.
Imagery
2) This is a vivid
image. What does
it tell you about
the way the
narrator feels?
Poetic Devices
3) What tense is the
underlined quotation written
in? What does this tell you
about the power available to
women in Victorian society?
LO: To complete some
close analysis using the
SPIRIT template.
SC: 1) I will be able to explain what the poem is about. 2) I can
articulate what view the speaker has. 3) I can analyse some key poetic
techniques.
Imagery
1) What is “gift” a
metaphor for?
Tone / Voice
2) This stanza
symbolises a shift
in tone and mood
for the narrator –
how is this
reflected in the
line “I’ve little
doubt you fret”?
Yet I've a gift you have not got,
And seem not like to get:
For all your clothes and wedding-ring
I've little doubt you fret.
My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride,
Cling closer, closer yet:
Your father would give his lands for one
To wear his coronet
Poetic Devices
3) What does the
alliteration tell us
about the speaker?
Themes…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
LOVE
MOTHERHOOD
WEALTH
EMPLOYMENT
PROPERTY
MARRIAGE
SOCIAL STATUS
Tone
• Tone: Tone is the attitude the poet (or narrative voice,
in this case) takes towards his or her poem. A poem's
tone shows the attitude towards characters, events,
PLACES, etc. The tone of a poem can C H A N G E. Tone
is not the same as mood or feeling.
• Notice that the narrator never directly addresses the
male. Why do you think this is? What does it infer about
their relationship?
S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6
What happens in this stanza
Tone and ‘quote’
The narrator describes her poor and care-free
life and how a lord pursued her to be his.
The tone is one of regret as
she has changed from being
‘contented’ to filled ‘with
care’.
Images and imagery
• Given Rossetti’s use of imagery and images, this is a very
visual poem.
The similes in the poem work well in expressing the cottage maiden's
emotions and help to create an angry and sad mood to the poem.
Can you identify any examples of imagery (similes/metaphors) in the poem
and explain their effect? Here are some examples for you…
•
The simile 'he wore me like a silken knot' links the treatment of the
cottage maiden with treatment of discarded clothing.
• The simile 'he changed me like a glove' shows how quickly and easily the
Lord 'dumped' the Cottage maiden for her cousin.
Can you explain these quotes?
“changed me like a glove”
”“bound you”
“[have] a gift you have not got”
“cast me by”
“sit in gold and sing”
“fill my heart with care”
“wore me like a silken knot”
“sit with him on high”
”watched your steps”
“grew more fair”
“moan, an unclean thing”
“Chose you”
“lured me”
“saw you”
“lifted you”
“sit and howl in dust”
“praise my flaxen hair”
“find me out”
Contrast: A technique poets often use is that of contrast.
This is where two (or more) things are compared and linked
in order to show similarities and differences.
This is a poem about relationships and the change
between the three main characters: the cottage
maiden, Cousin Kate and the lord. The reader is
presented with a love triangle. It is a poem full of
differences, with particular focus on the differences
between both women, as the narrator questions and
wonders whether this is the reason for her ‘casting
away’. However, it is not only a poem with contrast
between both women. Throughout the poem,
Rossetti presents a variety of contrasting images.
Paired work
• Work in pairs to make a list of the contrasts
she presents in the poem. One example has
been done for you. You should be able to find
at least six examples.
• • He contrasts the neighbours’ opinions of the
narrator (“an outcast thing”) and their opinion
of Cousin Kate (“good and pure”).
(Worksheet on contrasting words (B10.3) - Edexcel
Two women arte described in the poem –
the narrator and her cousin, Kate.
Copy and complete the grid below,
finding information about each girl and
her behaviour. Make it clear whether it is
a similarity or difference between the
girls
The narrator
Cousin Kate
She is described as
‘hardened by sun
and air’
She is described as:
‘You grow more fair than
I’
Similarity
Difference
Cousin Kate is described as being
more attractive than the narrator.
The narrator is suggested as being
perhaps older, or that exposure to
the weather has slightly faded her
beauty.
The narrator has been treated badly
by the lord, but her cousin has
received marriage and great riches.
Looking closely at the poem
•This poem was written in the 19th century so it
contains many words that are less common today.
Look at the following words from the poem and see
if you can work out their meaning: maiden, mindful,
fair, flaxen, lured, palace-home, woe’s me, mean
estate, outcast, howl in dust, gold, fret, sire, coronet
•Find the words Rossetti uses that are connected with
wealth.
•Find the words Rossetti uses that are connected with
pain and dirt.
The ending of the poem is interesting:
My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride,
Cling closer, closer yet:
Your father would give his lands for one
To wear his coronet.
a)
b)
c)
Pick out any words that suggest the woman is pleased that
she has a son.
Why would her feelings about having a son be mixed?
Why would the ending of the poem be seen as a triumph
for the narrator?
Language
Rossetti uses many words connected to wealth
and status. Identify them and say why you
think this is?
There are also many words connected with
pain and dirt. Identify them and say why you
think this is.
Structure/Form
• The poem is in the form of a ballad. Ballads were
often spoken aloud as a form of storytelling and
frequently relate to tragic events. They often have a
particular rhyme scheme.
• What do you notice about the structure of the
poem?
• Why do you think that Rossetti decided that the
ballad form was the best for presenting her ideas?
• What do the rhythm and rhyme add to the poem?
Area of
analysis
Structure
Techniques within this
area
Layout, stanza shape,
punctuation
Poetic devices Repetition, personification,
onomatopoeia, alliteration,
assonance, any nonstandard English
Imagery
Similes, metaphors,
language choice.
Rhythm/rhyme Rhyme scheme, rhythm,
assonance, alliteration
Ideas
Tone/voice
Themes and messages.
The character of the
persona (the person
speaking in the poem, NOT
the poet)
Overall tone or mood and
how this is conveyed.
How does Rossetti use contrasts and juxtaposition to express the narrator’s views?
Grade
B/A
C
- Explain the significance of the poetic features
and the effect it has on the reader.
- Consider how the effect links to the theme of the
poem.
- Consider historical/literary context and
significance.
- Consider alternative explanations.
- Explain how the quotations link to the theme you
have identified.
- Identify a poetic feature and how this supports
your point.
D
Find two quotations that support your
observation.
E
Describe the content of the poem and identify the
key theme.
Structure
Poetic
Devices
Imagery
Rhythm
/Rhyme
Ideas
Tone