This document covers the poem: 'Echo' 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 this w...
• Compassion seen in the title
• Echoes of his/ her voice which are an echo of the past
• Unregular rhymer scheme- confusion
• Onomatopoeic
• -previous relationship
• Echo of a past relationship
• Recurring and can only be found in a memory
Language:
• The repetition of the imperative verb ‘come’ to highlight the importance of the lost lover to the
persona.
• The abstract noun ‘silence’ immediately highlights the isolated and sombre tone of the poem.
‘silence’ repeated to highlight the repetition of the persona's lover occurring in their dreams
• ”O” phrases such as “soft round cheeks” and “sunlight on a stream” all invoke strong details in
an individual that are not the kind of things noticed by the average person
• Adjective ‘bright’ suggest the hope and joy experienced I their dream with their lover
• Heavy use of alliteration “speaking silence,” “sunlight on a stream” and in “soft” and “silence”
surrounding this. Combined these traits give the first sense of euphony, and a deeply moving
attention to detail that implies to the reader how much the person being referred to means the
speaker
• “Come back in tears” coupled with “finished years” suggest that the person being referred to
will not return. Suggest that they could have passed away.
• Power of three abstract nouns. Joy from relationship and naivety ends with the full stop. Use of
caesura's slows down the pace. Reflection on the loss of these emotions in death
• Somber atmosphere of the piece is suggested and enhanced by these lines as the speaker
attempts to call back their lost loved one (“love of finished years”) in the night, hoping they will
appear in a dream, the only way they now can
• Second verse continues sentimental and sorrowful theme established in the first one. First word
another “o” simply adds to the atmosphere and to the image in the readers mind of a lost soul,
yearning to know what has become of their loved one.
• Repetition of “sweet” in the first line invalidates its meaning; the “sweet dream” is only so
because it makes the speaker remember a time long gone, and it turns “bitter” in their mind
• Oxymoron between ‘bitter sweet’ could suggest the melancholy tone of realism of the loss of
their lover. Ambiguous as could be in death or somewhere else
• Admission of the second line, the speaker believes that upon their passing, their loved one is
worthy of heaven. Purpose of verse in remembrance and speculation of the meaning behind
their dreams
• “Paradise” portrayed in this dream is centred around a door that only opens and closes to let
people in. Likely metaphor for death, the finality of the loved one leaving and never returning
, • Ambiguous phrase ‘wakening should have been in Paradise”. Could suggest their lover is now
with another lover. Equally an allusion to the love that should have been between eco and
narcissus. Separated due to societal classes suggestion the barriers and boundaries put in in
relationship due to societal expectations
• “Souls brim-full of love” continue the romanticised writing style that focuses on deep emotion
rather than physical description, and the themes of finality and loss present between the lines
• Common noun ‘souls” reflects the spiritual beliefs of Rossetti.
• Recalling that this verse is here to describe a dream makes it even more somber; few happy
people dream of “thirsting, longing eyes”. Even in speakers dream, there are tears for souls
departed beyond the world of the living. The dynamic verb ‘thirsting’ could be objectifying and
illicit. Could echo Narcissus want to love Echo then his rejection of her. Desires of males towards
females. ‘Thirsting”. Physical and emotional first to behold the image of their loved one again.
Hope to find their lost love in heaven. No return from death
• ‘Slow door’ could be symbolic of the door to heaven. Reflects that the lover could be dead.
• ‘That opening, letting in, lets out no more.’ reflects the loss of the lover's persona. She is only
able to reach them through dreams. Could allude to Echo and Narcissus potential relationship
which fell apart after Narcissuses rejection of Echo. Echos call is meant to remain today. Hence
could suggest the sorrow from the lost love and the dependency on another, especially females
on a masculine figure. Could represent societal views on women as inferior to males.
• Final verse refers to returning and death. Speakers loved one passed away and gives meaning to
title. An echo is a remnant, and nothing more; a sound that is not unique, but simply lasting.
• In the speaker’s dreams, they yearn for their loved one to appear so that in those dreams they
can feel that they are once again alive. Dreams are only dim reflections of the past, and poem
concludes by reminiscing on how long it has been since the passing
• To dreams of a lost companion to listen to an echo in the hopes of hearing something new; it
does not work, but the simple hearing of a pleasant sound is a happy thing to do. Narrator of the
poem simply wants to be comforted by the memory of their loved ones
• ‘Combe back to me in my dreams’. Repetition of the imperative verb ‘come’ echoes the opening
stanza. Could therefore reflect that the echo becomes less persistent over time. Like the grief of
losing a loved one, they never are forgotten but the persona realizes that she has to live her life
for the other person. Could reflect Echoes attempt to appeal to Narcissus, Speakers attempt to
appeal to the header. Inciting, seductive. Harmony and unity in a relationship.
• ‘That I may give’. The personal pronoun ‘I’ becomes possessive. Reflects the traumatic loss of
the personas lover as she reflects on the love she would have had if it had not been for death.
• Despite seeing loved ones in dreams is a means for the speaker to feel alive again, it is the
dreamer who is returning life to the deceased “pulse for pulse, breath for breath”. Adds to
desperate plea experienced by the lonely soul. Caesuras slow down the pace, reflects grief and
the end of a life. Something becoming less persistent in memory.
• Revelation at end of poem that this is not a recent passing creates an image of an intelligent and
well-written person who is unable to be freed from their past, where their loved one is still alive
and can be spoke to and relied upon. Dreamed of their loved one’s breathing and of their
heartbeat, the things that drive life. Dream of soft cheeks, of bright eyes and of tears when they
remember they are only dreaming
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