A Daughter Of Eve Christina Rossetti Analysis - 1187 Words

Published in 1875, the Victorian poem â€Å"A Daughter of Eve† brings to light the harmful effect of societys pressures towards women regarding purity and innocence. Although Christina Rossetti’s ideas are a clear contradiction towards the accepted ideals of her time, the poem is engaging and creates a connection with readers, specifically those who are female. Through her use of imagery, repetition, contrast, and her allusion to biblical passages, she fashions a poem containing a coherent message that shines light on how societal pressures towards women poach ownership of their bodies, coerce them into believing they do not belong to themselves, and fester shame regarding actions resulting in a loss of innocence. In criticizing this trend,†¦show more content†¦To reflect on how society’s pressures affect women and their own placement of blame, and Rossetti uses various forms of repetition. The beginning of the poem immediately characterizes the speaker as ‘a fool’ (1), in her own perspective. Rossetti then uses this phrase as an anaphora, repeatedly positioning it at the beginning of various lines within the first stanza. As the phrase is repeated, a tone reminiscent of a mother scolding a child is developed, which the poet uses to mirror the speaker’s deep-wrought disappointment in herself. Rossetti introduces this feeling to reflect how the abandonment women face cultivates shame and lowered self esteem. As the poem progresses, the speaker insists on herself enjoying ‘no more to laugh’ and ‘no more to sing’ (14), as though she is dictating punishment to herself. In this case, the nature of the repetition not only takes on a scolding tone, but implies that the speaker believes that ‘punishment’ of a lack of happiness is both justified and deserved. Through this, the poet successfully portrays a belief convincing the speaker of her deservement of consequences that plague her after her loss of innocence, reflecting a trend among the vast majority of women in similar situations. Rossetti attributes this self-demeaning thought to society with the use of juxtaposition of light and