This document covers the poem: 'What Would I Give' 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. ...
• The conditional verb ‘would’ create the subjunctive mood
• Rhetorical question creates uncertainty
• Repeated refrain at the beginning of each stanza. Projects the claustrophobic and burdened
feeling of the persona who is unable to escape the chains she has branded herself with
• Subordinate clause. Do not finish the ending. As there are no answer expresses the physical and
psychological damage to the personal Her questions remain unanswered
Language:
• Lays open the complexity of feelings within the narrator, we can assume the poet. She is
conflicted, he desires for love and warmth at odd with what she believe
• Poem is written in the first person. Highlights the burden to the persona and the burden she
places on herself due to the sins that she feels that she has committed
• Absence of detail also adds a mood of mystery to the short stanzas. One is left to wonder what
terrible thing could’ve happened to this woman to make her hate herself so completely. There is
no conclusion in the forcing on the wondering infinitely. Mirrors the speaker’s own state which
does not improve as the poem progresses
• First lines of the three stanzas begin with the repeated refrain ‘what would I give’ also forming
syntactic parallels. Rhythmic emphasis and cohesion to the poem. Expresses the personas
yearning an unhappiness. Whatever she could give would not solve her emotional need.
Through utilizing this short refrain appearing at the beginning of each stanza creates an internal
question. Debating the lengths to which she would go to have a ‘heart of flesh’. Warmth that
simply does not come from her own organ. Yearning passionately for something in her life to
change. On to feel as she expects others to feel, then her body and soul would be warm
• ‘Heart of flesh to warm me through’. Heart and ‘warm’ are symbolic of hope and love. As the
persona is longing for these qualities and emotions it highlights her decayed state of mind.
Equally, this could become metaphorical for a human relationship. Perhaps it highlights the
personas isolation from society in her struggle to communicate and form a relationship with
others due to the barrier created by her pessimistic and melancholy emotions
• ‘Stone in her chest’. Metaphor for the personas heart suggesting that she is unable to access the
feelings required to create lasting relationships. Does nothing to move her emotionally and
seems to suck up all the warmth her life could provide her. Dislike for her own heart foes even
farther through.
• List of adjectives ‘hard and cold and small’. Pleas in comparison to all the other hearts.
Impossible to understand the reason behind the persons feeling. Leaves the reader to question
the past of the personas life which may have made her feel this way
• Finishes with ‘of all hearts the worst of all’. The adjective ‘worst’ highlights the persona almost
condemning herself for her perspective and attitudes and her inability to create and articulate
her feelings. Perhaps for the more modern reader would recognise this as concerning due to the
mental state of the depression that this has caused for the reader. Yet, a contemporary reader
, may view this as concerning as the female personas isolation from society rejects the traditional
role of women being independence of a male figure.
• Persona wonders over what she ‘would I give for words’. The modal verb ‘would’ elucidate the
theme of longing that is presented throughout the poem. The use of the first-person pronoun ‘I’
creates a sense of intangibility. Persona longing to be able to express her undeniable and
untellable externally emotions. Yet this is a liminal barrier which prevents her from being able to
do so. Believes their words are not enough for them to be forgiven by God, Spirit is no longer
salvable and has fallen lifeless to the ground. Narrator knows that their spirit no longer has
happiness connected to it.
• Rossetti's use of the phrase ‘if only’ extenuates the theme of longing. Represents the use of the
subjunctive tense. The persona desiderates to be able to find the words, however doubt she will
be able to do so due to this psychological block and barrier that the persona has formed against
her emotions
• ‘In its misery my spirt has fallen dumb’. The abstract noun ‘misery’ expressing the pitiful and
melancholy state of the persona. She has fallen into a state of ennui. ‘dumb’ is defined as silent.
Commonly used to refer to someone who could not speak, usually due to a disability. Equally
the abstract noun ‘spirit’ could allude to a godly and spiritual figure the persona is attempting to
reach yet is unable to do so. Represents detachment of the persona towards these emotions.
While the dynamic verb ‘fallen’ could perpetuate the persona as the fallen women. She
condemns herself for being unable to feel and potentially the past actions she performed which
cultivated this agonizing disability. Creates a sense of remorse and regret from the persona.
• Agonizing over the fact that no ‘words’ come to her when she news them. Unable to participate
in the lives of her ‘merry friends’ nor is she adequately able to speak with God. The adjective
‘merry’ could highlight the joy of life. Yet, the persona expresses that if she joined in with their
celebrations it would be gluttonous and superficial and not a real display of emotions. Emphasis
of the loneliness the persona feels. They can no longer call out to God as a result of their sin, or
call out to people who has conform to gender normality.
• Imperative in ‘go your way’ highlighting the personas desire to alienate herself from society.
Does not want to ruin the genuine radiance and exuberance of her friends. Persona could be
seen as submitting to this gloom which she has involved herself in, realising that she has ‘never
a word to say’. Barrier of the persona. Unable to connect with people or with God.
• Last line the persona is with her own speechlessness instead of with ‘merry friends’. She is
salivated and alienated from a life with others. Perhaps envying this who are able to enjoy life.
• Persona concludes there is no use to try and live her life as her friends live theirs. Tells them that
they might as well go away as she will ‘never a word to say’. It is unclear at this point whether or
not the absence of her friends made her heart grown cold and small or it if the disintegration of
her heart resulted in the loss of her friends. Alternatively, the persona could be viewed as
always being this way and is now giving up trying to be someone she is not
• Final tercet conveys a sense of guilt and self-hatred that might trouble a modern reader.
• Seeks not ‘smiles’ but ‘scalding tears’, as if masochistic suffering and punishment will ease here
sense of worthlessness. Persona's sense of self had degraded and degenerated. ‘smiles’ would
only worsen her mental situation. Metaphor could allude to the idea of salvation in which the
persona reflects that she can only reach salvation which she has been punished to cleanse and
redeem herself of the sins which she feels burdened by.
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