This document covers the poem: 'The World' by Christina Rossetti. I studied this poem for my A Level, Edexcel English Literature Exam as part of the poetry module.
By constructing these summarises and notes these provided me with ideas and themes which I could for my essays and thesis. It was t...
• Personification of the women as the world
• Universal
• Connected/travelled
• Overwhelmed
• Spiritual Transcience
• Objectification of an women, or the love that one shares with another
Language:
• ‘The world’ is depicted as tempting, beautiful hours of daytime as an erotic temptation
comparable to that which faced Adam and Eve. Expresses the battle between innocent love and
erotic desire. Rossetti's persona how is probably man battles with the two contradictory,
extreme forces and expresses the conflict in terms of night and day, good and evil. Re-
enactment of the fall of main in Genesis Chapter 3. Struggle of humankind against the forces of
evil. Could be seen as a disturbing poem in that it places the responsibility on the ills of the
world of an unnamed woman. Poetic form traditionally used to write about love in which
Rossetti emphasises the need to resist being taken in by earthly temptations.
• Poem begins with the persona stating that during the day the world ‘woos’ her. Taken in by the
softness and fairness, or beauty, of the scenes. Then night comes and everything changes.
Landscape is transformed and she is confronted with everything ‘loathsome and foul’. Snakes
glide through the scenes before her and it is not until the day dawns again that she feels safe.
The idea that ‘by day she woes me’ in lines one and five show the aesthetic temptation of
women. Reinforces the idea that women are viewed as possession and objects of male visual
pleasure. In the 19th century this was the purpose for women who were confined to the
domestic sphere, and were only expected to perform activities for male gratification. ‘woes’ in
an informal predatorial, highlighting that men, although unconventional, are able to get lost in
temptation and sexual desire. Rossetti suggesting that that sexuality and desire can be both
alluring and dangerous.
• Objectification of an women as ‘soft, exceeding fair’. The adjectives express a woman as the
typified angel in the house form. Being that both chaste and pure and are meant to be
submissible to men. Yet this is contradicted by ideas of ‘night’ perhaps suggesting a sense of
duplicity of a woman. Highlights their subverted nymphomania that comes out at night and
threatens the male's purity and assertion in the patriarchy.
• Use of ‘but’ immediately creates this idea of transition within the poem. Use of the symbol of
the ‘moon’ and the semantic field of night connotes the theme of revelation of the truth that
occurs. Idea that the atmosphere is ‘changeth’. Transition is threatening but alluring expressing
a new depth and curiosity that comes with night. Equally acts as a warning for the awakening of
females subverted desire which is not revealed to the majority of Victorian society during the
day.
, • Adjectives ‘loathsome and foul’ express a sense of society being infected. Fears towards the
spread of desire at a period of time when there was a growing fear for the fin de siècle anxieties.
Expresses a sense of truth, potentially revealing the underbelly of London which was often
hidden. Could link to the 1850s crystal exhibition that portrayed the wealth of England. In this
sense Rossetti is brining awareness to the working classes and destitute women of society.
• The adjective ‘hideous’ against ‘leprosy’ expresses the pain and suffering that was occurring.
Implies the threat towards the persona who is walking through the streets at night in Victorian
society. Threat to his bloodline and reputation.
• Metaphorical objectifications of the persona as a ‘subtle serpents gliding in her hair’ could refer
to the Gordon of Greek mythology, Medusa. Potential expressing the seducing and voluptuous
nature of women that threatens the personas integrity and purity. Medusas ill treatment by a
man resulted in her transformation to a serpent-haired monster who could kill with a glance.
Equally, the symbol of the ‘serpents’ could allude to that of the garden of Eden. Could express
ideas of the personas temptation towards women suggesting the alluring and deceitful nature of
the devil and sin that is manifested within human nature. Equally the idea of the serpent could
be ambiguously represented through the dynamic verb ‘gliding’. While it could represent the
secretive nature of the snake, it could equally imply the seductive nature of the women. It is her
beauty that captivates the persona. Potentially by doing this Rossetti condemns males for the
objectifying and lustful nature that submits to women, ruing their reputation. Perhaps this was
in light of her brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti's relationships with women, hence criticising their
manipulation of the situation to be able to be seduced.
• ‘By day she woos me to the outer air’. Juxtaposition between night and day. Women nature and
beauty not having the same effect as at night. Perhaps the lexis ‘outer’ expresses its
meaningless, mundane and monotonous nature, while at night women go the extra mile in their
attempt to attract a male counterpart.
• Next quatrain presents a similar image. Day is beautiful, filled with ‘sweet flowers’ and ‘ripe
fruits’. While the night is a place of nothingness. There is no prayer and there is no joy. In the
last six lines of the text, the turn occurs. Persona describes how after looking at the situation
from afresh has come to the conclusion that day is falsehood. It is nothing but a front put on by
the darkness in order to draw onto into temptation.
• Referring to a woman the ‘woos’ during the say. ‘She’ is ‘soft’ and ‘fair’ whenever the sun is up.
That changes at night though. The world she knew in the light and disappears and an entirely
new one takes over
• The moon rises and changes the sky, so too ‘changeth she’. Comparison familiar towards night
and day are inherently opposite, but Rossetti decided to speak on them in a somewhat unusual
way
• As it traditional, the night is portrayed as a time of malevolence. The entire world is ‘loathsome’
and ‘foul’. Appears ridden with ‘leprosy. And subtle serpents’. This is the first moment in which a
reader might relate ‘the world’ to the book of Genesis in the bible. The mention of snakes has
led many to interpret this piece as commenting on Eden and the make choice made by Adam
and Eve
• Presents two images of night and day. First two lines are dedicated to day and the second to
night. Rossetti uses the word ‘woos’. Second usage emphasise the manipulative nature of the
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