Exam (elaborations)
Role of women in 'A Helpmeet for Him' and 'An Apple Gathering'
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A-level english lit (edexcel) practice question for Rossetti poetry paper.
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At the time A Helpmeet for Him was written, there were growing frustrations regarding women’sright to the vote, and the Suffragette movement was gaining increasing influence. Rossetti wrote
the poem in 1888 as a response after being asked to speak out against female suffrage by the
Anglican Church. She was very devoted to religion, and based on her interpretation of the Bible,
she saw the roles of women and men as separate and distinct, and believed that they were cre-
ated by God as fundamentally different creatures.
In A Helpmeet for Him, Rossetti presents the idea that women were made my God as an exten-
sion of man, and served as wives and daughters, simply as accessories to a man’s life. The title
itself suggests this idea, as it derived from Genesis 2:18, which suggests that women were made
from men the same way that Eve was made from Adam’s spare rib. The same idea is presented
in the declarative, ‘Woman was made for man’s delight,’ which establishes the patriarchal idea
that women should be submissive and subservient, and puts men on a pedestal above women.
This idea is not unlike Rossetti, as she believed that men were biologically stronger and superior
to women as this was the way that God created beings. Similarly, in the metaphor, ‘His shadow
by day, his moon by night,’ it is implied that a woman is secondary to a man, and follows him
around like a shadow as she is an extension of him. Additionally, in the metaphor following this -
‘his moon by night’ - it is suggested that a woman acts to guide a man, and comfort him. This an-
tithetical contrast between night and day emphasizes the way that a women must be a constant
in a man’s life, and work to comfort him at all times the same way a slave would wait on their
master, which was an idea Rossetti presented in her poem The Lowest Room. This interpretation
suggests that Rossetti was aware of the standing women were expected to adhere to in Victorian
Society, but she accepts it as it was supported by her religious beliefs.
In the second stanza, there is a volta, and the tone changes slightly to become more complimen-
tary of women and their strengths. In the line, ‘Her strength with weakness is overlaid,’ it is sug-
gested that women possess a lot more strength than is credited to them, but they must veil their
strength with meekness in order to adhere to societal standards. This juxtaposes the previous
stanza where it is consolidated that men are physically stronger than women, but it is plausible
that Rossetti intended to present the idea that although a man may be physically superior, a
woman was morally superior. This is emphasized in the hyperbole, ‘World-wide champion of truth
and right,’ where the moral authority and superiority of women is asserted. This viewpoint that
women were morally superior, and therefore belonged in the domestic sphere so they could pass
this on to their children, was used as an argument against giving women the right to vote, as
they were a necessity in the household. As the poem progresses, the ideas also become more
progressive; in the first stanza, a typical Victorian relationship is portrayed, where the male is
dominant. However, the second stanza depicts an equal relationship - ‘Him she stays, by whom
she is stayed’. This suggests a mutual understanding and appreciation between a man and a
woman. The third stanza is even more progressive, and there is no male presence at all: it de-
picts a very positive view of women in the line, ‘Tender and faithful, ruddy and white.’ This al-
luded the Song of Solomon (5:10) referencing Christ, and suggests that a woman is as good as
salvation for a man, which can be interpreted as a gift from God, or even a God-like figure. This
suggests a different type of relationship where women are a blessing to men, rather than an ac-
cessory. This viewpoint seems to develop from the first stanza, which is shown through the cycli-
cal structure where the first and third stanza both end with the declarative, ‘Woman was made,’
however the reason has evolved from being ‘for man’s delight’ into a form of salvation for men.
Although the reason for women being created evolves from the first stanza and becomes more
positive towards women, the idea that women were made for men is a constant, however the po-
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