AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: RELATIONSHIPS
‘Sister Maude’ by Christina Rossetti
Learning objectives:
-
AO1: respond to texts critically and imaginatively, select and evaluate textual detail
to illustrate and support interpretations.
-
AO2: explain how language, structure and form contribute to writers’ presentation
of ideas, themes and settings.
Pre-reading Activity
 PAIR
 Let’s focus on the word ‘sister’. Think of any fairy tales, films, books, celebrities, sports
women, pop groups, songs or television programmes where there are two or more sisters,
or use the word ‘sister’ in the title.
 Make note of them in the space below.
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 How do sisters usually feel about each other? Think about people you know, as well as
the sisters you noted on the previous page.
 Use a thesaurus to help you find new and exciting vocabulary. Avoid tired and overused
words such as ‘sad’, ‘happy’, ‘good’, ‘bad’ and ‘nice’.
 Make a note of five words to describe how sisters usually feel about each other.
1 _________________________________________________________________________
2 _________________________________________________________________________
3 _________________________________________________________________________
4 _________________________________________________________________________
5 _________________________________________________________________________
 PAIR

Compare your list of words. Does your partner have any different words?

Take two minutes to discuss your reasons for choosing theses words.
Do you have a sister? Is she your best friend or archenemy? Why do you think that some
sisters get on while others clash?
 Make note of your ideas below.
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 Discuss with your partner what you think this poem may be about.
Focus on the title, ‘Sister Maude’. Do you think it will be a joyful, celebratory poem
about sisters or will it be about sibling rivalry? Why?
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Christina Rossetti
1830 - 1894
 Christina Rossetti was born in
London to Italian parents. Her
brother was the well-known PreRaphaelite painter and poet, Dante
Rossetti. Christina wrote several works
of poetry and was very successful
during her lifetime.
Christina was deeply religious and her
Christian views led her to break off
two engagements as she felt her
fiancés’ religious beliefs were less
than her own.
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What is this poem about?
 This poem is based on a traditional ballad ‘The Cruel Sister’ where a woman drowns her
more beautiful and younger sibling. In ‘Sister Maude’, Rossetti explores the themes of
betrayal, love and death. In the poem, Sister Maude breaks what Rossetti would have
seen as sacred bonds of sisterhood between women – let alone blood sisters.
It is never wholly clear but upon reading, we are led to question:
Did Maude kill the handsome suitor of her sister?
Did this somehow result in the deaths of their parents?
This is a chilling tale of the consequences of jealousy.
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First impressions
 On your own, read the poem ‘Sister Maude’ by Christina Rossetti.
 Listen to the recording of the poem.
 Read the poem to a friend. Your friend will then read it to you.
 Do you notice how it alters slightly with every different reading?
 What are your first impressions of ‘Sister Maude? Write down your initial feelings
towards this poem.
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 Your teacher will now divide the class in to five groups. Each group will be given one
stanza from the poem. You are each to choose one line from the stanza (dependant on the
size of your group.)
* Find poem on page 5.
 Take two minutes to memorise your line.
 Practise saying your line in a variety of different ways. Be creative! Be adventurous!
Choose the way you like best. As a group, practise reciting your stanza. Try to do this
without looking at the words. Think about tone, p a c e and expression. Then, as a class,
perform the poem, group by group.
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Sister Maude
Who told my mother of my shame,
Who told my father of my dear?
Oh who but Maude, my sister Maude,
Who lurked to spy and peer.
Cold he lies, as cold as stone,
With his clotted curls about his face:
The comeliest corpse in all the world
And worthy of a queen’s embrace.
You might have spared his soul, sister,
Have spared my soul, your own soul too:
Though I had not been born at all,
He’d never have looked at you.
My father may sleep in Paradise,
My mother at Heaven-gate:
But sister Maude shall get no sleep
Either early or late.
My father may wear a golden gown,
My mother a crown may win;
If my dear and I knocked at Heaven-gate
Perhaps they’d let us in:
But sister Maude, oh sister Maude,
Bide you with death and sin
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Did you know?
 The poem, ‘Sister Maude is written in a ballad metre. It gives a song-like rhythm to the
poem. Ballads often told a story where death, love and betrayal are common themes.
There are four feet in some of the lines and three feet in others. Each foot contains two
syllables. This means that in some lines there are four stresses and in some there are three
stresses. Traditionally, the ballad metre is written in the following pattern of unstressed
and stressed syllables.
Da
dum
dum
da
da
dum
da
dum
 If we apply this to pattern to a line from Rossetti’s poem, the four stressed line would
be as follows.
Oh
who
but
Maude
my
sis
ter
Maude
 Try reading it aloud a few times, sticking closely to the pattern of unstressed and
stressed syllables as marked above.
 Does the above rhythm sound natural? Does it seem to capture the meaning of the
words in the line? Where would you place emphasis? Could you change the emphasis to
create a different effect?
 What you should have decided is that the traditional pattern of unstressed and stressed
syllables is not always the best way to read the poem.
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So, what’s going on?
 What this means is that poets often played with the form of the iambic line. Though
they tend to stick to the same basic pattern, they allowed themselves, and therefore their
readers, some freedom in the reading of the lines.
 Select two of your favourite lines from the poem and copy them (twice) into the space
below.
 Mark the stressed and unstressed beats on each line of the poem.

Mark an unstressed syllable by placing a

Mark a stressed syllable by placing a
˘ above it.
⁄ above it.
a) Mark them up the first version according to the ‘proper’ rules of the iambic line.
b) Mark up the second version based on where you would place the stressed and
unstressed syllables. As you do this, think about:
1

the natural rhythms of speech;

the meaning of the words in the line.
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2
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 Check the use of iambic pentameter for each line of the poem.
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Metre
 This poem is written in 5 stanzas.
Stanzas 1, 2, 3 and 4 have four lines each. A four-lined stanza is called a:
QUATRAIN
Stanza 5 has six lines. A six-lined stanza is called a
SEXTET
Order! Order!
 On page nine is a copy of the poem in its entirety. The stanzas are in the correct order.
However, the order of lines has been mixed up.
 PAIR
 Cut out the lines for each stanza. Be careful not to mix up the lines with other stanzas.
 Work together and put the lines of each stanza in the correct order.
 Think about the rhyme scheme to help you. Also look at the punctuation.
**HINT: All of the stanzas end with a full stop.
 When you have finished sorting out your stanza lines, read through them carefully.
 Would you like to make any changes? Think about what you have learnt about the rhyme
scheme and punctuation. Does the poem flow and sound correct?
 Listen to the recording of the poem.
How did you do? How many lines did you put in the correct order?
Stick the poem down in your book in the correct order.
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: RELATIONSHIPS
Sister Maude
Oh who but Maude, my sister Maude,
Who told my mother of my shame
Who lurked to spy and peer.
Who told my father of my dear?
And worthy of a queen’s embrace.
With his clotted curls about his face:
Cold he lies, as cold as stone,
The comeliest corpse in all the world
Have spared my soul, your own soul too:
You might have spared his soul, sister,
He’d never have looked at you.
Though I had not been born at all,
But sister Maude shall get no sleep
My father may sleep in Paradise,
Either early or late.
My mother at Heaven-gate:
If my dear and I knocked at Heaven-gate
Bide you with death and sin.
Perhaps they’d let us in:
My father may wear a golden gown,
But sister Maude, oh sister Maude,
My mother a crown may win;
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Rhyme
Let’s look at the rhyming scheme for stanzas 1, 2, 3, and 4.
 On your copy of the poem, make a note of the rhyme scheme.
 When analysing rhyme schemes, it will not do to simply note that line __ and line __
rhyme. If you take a pair of rhyming words and look at them as a pair, this often reveals
subtle intricacies about the themes and issues within the poem.
Let’s take a closer look at the rhyme schemes of stanza one.
 Below, make a note of the types of rhyming words. Are they nouns, verbs or adjectives?
Who told my mother of my shame,
Who told my father of my dear?
Oh who but Maude, my sister Maude,
Who lurked to spy and peer.
Thinking outside of the square
What is the meaning of ‘dear’ within the context of the poem?
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What is the meaning of ‘peer’ within the context of the poem?
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Now, think about these words out of the context of the poem. What other meaning does
the word, ‘peer’ have? Use a dictionary and make note of the definition.
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With this is mind, what theme is revealed as central to the poem?
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Repetition
 Repetition is a feature of the ballad form.
Look back through the poem and underline the repetition of ‘sister’ ‘Maude’ or ‘sister
Maude’.
 How many times has this phrase been repeated?
 What is the purpose and effect of the repetition of ‘sister’ ‘Maude’ and ‘Sister Maude’ in
this poem?
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Creative writing task
 In this expression of bitterness and hatred, Maude’s perspective goes unaddressed. Due
to the intensity of the speaker’s grief, as a reader, we are never sure of what exactly Maude
– the discussed character’s – actions and emotions were.
 In the space below, write a reply, in the form of a letter, to the poem - from Maude’s
perspective.
 Keep the following in mind:
 these women are sisters: think back to your previous thoughts about sisters and their
relationships.
 think about love and the way in which it draws upon emotions – whether it be
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jealousy, grief, anger or passion.
 Remember there is no right or wrong with this task. The poem is purposefully
ambiguous – largely due to its narrative stance.
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Agree? Disagree? To what degree?
How much do you agree with the following statements? Circle your answer. Provide
evidence to support your answer. Explain how the evidence proves your answer.
1 = Do not agree at all
10 = Fully agree
Maude deserves all blame.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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The “lover” is entirely innocent.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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Love is a two-way game.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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Maude killed the speaker’s lover.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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Maude killed the speaker’s lover through jealousy and bitterness.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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The speaker once felt that Maude threatened her relationship.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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The speaker and lover are entirely innocent as a couple.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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This is a poem about unrequited love.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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The speaker is unwittingly cruel.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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I sympathise with the narrator of the poem.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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I sympathise with Maude.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
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Let’s take a closer look
 Answer the following questions by providing quotes and analysis. Think PEA - point,
example, analysis.
Stanza 1
Who told my mother of my shame,
Who told my father of my dear?
Oh who but Maude, my sister Maude,
Who lurked to spy and peer.
The poem begins with the speaker posing two questions. Why does she answer herself in
line 3? What is the literary term for this sort of question?
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Underline the repetition and alliteration. What is the effect of the alliteration?
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We are never told exactly what her ‘shame’ is. What do you think it could be?
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 Write down the dictionary definition of ‘lurked’.
to lurk:
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What does it suggest about Maude?
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Stanza 2
Cold he lies, as cold as stone,
With his clotted curls about his face:
The comeliest corpse in all the world
And worthy of a queen’s embrace.
Underline the simile in line 1 of this stanza. It is simple yet abrupt. What do you think this
might suggest about the death of her suitor? How do you think he died?
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Look at the alliteration. What tone does ‘c’ create? What sort of noise is the ‘c’ letter?
What is the purpose of this?
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What is the meaning of ‘comeliest’?  Use a dictionary to get a full understanding of this
word and to make this task easy.
comeliest:
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How is this an unusual comparison? Think about narrative stance.
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What idea is being created with ‘clotted curls about his face’? What kind of image does the
adjective create? Take into account the effect of the alliteration too.
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Stanza 3
You might have spared his soul, sister,
Have spared my soul, your own soul too:
Though I had not been born at all,
He’d never have looked at you.
Who is the speaker addressing in this stanza?
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Underline the sibilance. What sound is created by this sibilance? How is this sibilance
effective?
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What is the tone as the speaker says ‘You might have spared his soul sister’? How does the
speaker feel?  Use a thesaurus to find some new and exciting vocabulary.
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Stanza 4
My father may sleep in Paradise,
My mother at Heaven-gate:
But sister Maude shall get no sleep
Either early or late.
 Focus on the first line of this stanza, particularly the conditional, ‘may’. How does this
word suggest ambiguity? Do you think that the speaker’s parents are dead?
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If you do believe they are dead, why do you think they died?
** Hint: look at line 1 and 2 of the poem.
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Is Maude likely to be re-united with her parents in the after-life? Why do you think this?
Which line makes this clear?
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Stanza 5
My father may wear a golden gown,
My mother a crown may win;
If my dear and I knocked at Heaven-gate
Perhaps they’d let us in:
But sister Maude, oh sister Maude,
Bide you with death and sin.
Highlight any religious lexis. What does this suggest about the possible status of the
parents in the after-life?
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A huge sense of doubt lingers in this stanza. How is it created? Think about tense.
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The final two lines of this sextet are used to curse the sister. What is the curse? Is it
justifiable?
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Why has ‘you’ been italicised in the final line of this poem? What does this indicate about
the speaker’s feelings?
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AQA GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE - POETRY ANTHOLOGY: RELATIONSHIPS
Poetry detective
 Spot the following poetic techniques and devices at work in the poem. What is their
PURPOSE and EFFECT?
techniques examples and analysis
alliteration
repetition
simile
an unusual
comparative
use of pronoun ‘you’
a curse
unusual vocabulary
punctuation
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Device spotting
Examiner’s Hint:
Technical terms, device spotting, counting lines and alphabetising rhyme schemes are only
of any use if they support your understanding of the poems and the comparisons between
them – and you show this.
So, there is very little point in saying:
Rossetti uses a metaphor in line ___ of the poem.
There is also very little point in saying:
In the metaphor ______________, she compares ______ to _______.
The above, although useful in focusing your thoughts, will not earn you many marks in
terms of the assessment objectives and they will only be of use if you also do the following.
 To earn the marks, you must:

use appropriate quotations;

analyse and explain the use of any technical terms and poetic devices;

show your understanding and detail your personal response;

make comparisons.

link all of the above to the wider content of the poem.
 Select one feature from the poem. Write your response to Rossetti’s use of the feature.
Try to earn full marks.
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My Itchy Toes Smell Loads
 Complete the table below with what you consider to be the most
important quotes and poetic devices within each category.
meaning
imagery
tone
Structure
and Form
Language
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Comparing poems
-
AO3: Make comparisons and explain links between texts, evaluating writers’
different ways of expressing meaning and achieving effects
 Use the Venn diagram to find the differences and similarities between the two poems.
‘Brothers’
‘Sister
Maude’
Think about:
FORM, structure &
style
subject
genre
language
themes +
ideas
YOUR RESPONSE
Sample Exam Questions
 Compare how sibling relationships are explored in ‘Sister Maude’ and ‘Brothers’.
 Compare how jealousy is depicted in ‘Sister Maude’ and ‘Brothers’.
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Planning an essay
 Using MITSL as a guide, create an essay plan or spider diagram for your essay question.
You must include 3 - 5 points of comparison. Number each point in the order you would
write about them in your exam.
When you write your essay, remember to analyse
structural and poetic devices for their effect and meaning. Don’t just list.
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Sister Maude
Who told my mother of my shame,
Who told my father of my dear?
Oh who but Maude, my sister Maude,
Who lurked to spy and peer.
5
Cold he lies, as cold as stone,
With his clotted curls about his face:
The comeliest corpse in all the world
And worthy of a queen’s embrace.
You might have spared his soul, sister,
10
Have spared my soul, your own soul too:
Though I had not been born at all,
He’d never have looked at you.
My father may sleep in Paradise,
My mother at Heaven-gate:
15
But sister Maude shall get no sleep
Either early or late.
My father may wear a golden gown,
My mother a crown may win;
If my dear and I knocked at Heaven-gate
20
Perhaps they’d let us in:
But sister Maude, oh sister Maude,
Bide you with death and sin.
Christina Georgina Rossetti
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