In the section “Red Clowns” from the book The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros illustrates how being chosen is not as innocent as society makes it seem when the character Esperanza gets raped. While Esperanza and her friend Sally are at a carnival, Sally is chosen by a big boy and leaves with him (99). Sally is chosen because she was pretty and her being chosen was a positive event for her as she left voluntarily. She gets to be the fairy tale princess and gets a happy ending for the night. Meanwhile Esperanza is left behind and is chosen, but in a negative way. After being raped, Esperanza describes being chosen is not like how it is in “all the storybooks and movies” (99). In fairytales, being chosen is a wonderful thing since the…
There is nothing more beautiful than the human language. Words that flow off of the tongue like honey and paint a van Gough picture in the mind brings readers to a place of tranquility. Anne Sexton’s Transformations reveals dazzling poetic elements to transform the Brothers Grimm fairytales into her own work of confessional poetry. Her poem entitled “Rumpelstiltskin” uses poetic elements such as similes and allusions to enhance the imagery of her poems and transform these short stories into her own work of confessional poetry.…
Christina Rossetti’s poem “Goblin Market” published in 1862 depicts sisters, Lizzie and Laura, as goblin men walk past selling their fruits. In the context of this essay, an allegory is meant to be interpreted as an alternative, figurative understanding of the text that lies underneath the literal meaning of the text. Some critics believe “Goblin Market” to be an allegorical attack on the Victorian woman and the society of Rossetti’s time. In this context, the Victorian woman is to be understood as the ideal woman under the societal norms of 19th century England where women were shackled to the domestic sphere and required to remain “pure”, ignorant of all sexuality. However, an alternative allegorical interpretation exists where the poem is understood as a representation of the Judeo-Christian Eden…
Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market,” published in 1862, illustrates her attempt at combating certain problems she identifies within English literature’s canon social norm, specifically the lack of a proper heroine. In Rossetti’s present time period, there are no noteworthy female heroes in English literature. They may make an appearance every once in a while, but none have an outlet for heroic action. Women seem forever bound by their gender-roles in a male-dominated society. In “Goblin Market,” we enter a sort of parallel universe wherein instead of men dominating society, or marketplace, goblins hold the authority and power, while women are still constrained to the same role. Enter Laura and Lizzie, two sisters who are launched into a “complex representation of the religious themes of temptation and sin, and of redemption by vicarious suffering (1489).” Rossetti intertwines these themes with religious beliefs to promote a proper, moral heroine.…
Prior to reading “The Princess and the Goblin”, I assumed it was just another fairytale about a princess who falls in love with a cursed being and help transform that being into his original well-being. Even from the beginning of the book, I thought ‘this book is going to be so boring and predictable’. Little did I know, the more I read the more thought provoking the book became. Only after completing the book did I realize the author’s real intentions and how some of the underlying specific messages relate to religious symbolism.…
The two poems are written by a twentieth century poet called Carol Ann Duffy. In her poems women are presented in various ways. For example, the women in her poems ‘Salome’ and ‘Havisham’ are both quite deranged together with disturbed characteristics as they view love and relationships in two different ways – anger and bitterness. Duffy is known to write about traumatising scenes from childhood, adolescence, and adult life through love, memory and language; as shown in these two poems. Like comparing any two pieces of literature they both equally have their similarities and differences. These two poems were written around the same time, and one peculiar thing about the poems that Duffy wrote is the fact that she produced poems about women who were unimportant and inferior to famous pieces of writings like Salome in the first two books in the New Testament of the Bible as Herodias’ daughter and Herold Antipas’ step-daughter, and Havisham in one of Charles Dickens’ novels as Miss Havisham – ‘Great Expectations’. The women in Duffy’s poems are the same women as in those famous novels, however, they have a voice of their own – the poems show what these women have to say for themselves. Love has played a big role in the two women’s lives; it had scarred them and is one of the main reasons for their actions mentioned throughout the poems. Nevertheless, how they accept the consequences of love are completely unalike, yet one similarity is that they both respond to it as hatred.…
The poem expresses Anne Bradstreet religious faith towards the difficult situation the poem is based on, that is the burning of her house and belongings. Being a Puritan (English Reformed Protestants) women her religious beliefs are implemented in her writing, because she relates various verses of her poem with biblical references such has “the arm of flesh didst make thy trust?” (Psalm) which can be interpreted with not putting our faith in material things of earth such has the house, instead we should put it in God who is the giver of all things. Therefore, God is the owner of everything here on earth and he is the one who decides when to give the things and when to take them away.…
Christina Rossetti, a poet in nineteenth century England, wanted to make sure that women of the era go out and explore the world. That is why Christina choose two female protagonists to be the heroine and the hero of the poem. Maurice Sendak has infact revealed that his poem is also for adults. He was asked in an interview with Stephen Colbert, “ Does rumpus mean sex?” and he replied, “sure.” These stories can be taken for its literal value for children, but also can be analysed as meaningful…
Christina Rossetti uses a range of techniques such as oxymoron a qoute to prove this is “comeliest corpse” the poet has used two opposite feelings together,the letter “c” is a plosive and echoes her anger to her sister Muade, also “comeliest corspe” and suggest that even as a corpse, he is still handsome enough and worthy to embrace the queen,in the second stanza it shows the narrators passion for her dead lover. His once beautiful hair is now “clotted”, also the writer uses letters “c” to show alliterations to show to her sister, sister Maude.…
Ann Bradstreet’s conception of a loving and giving God is not consistent with Jonathan Eduwards’, who views Him as evil and punishing. Even in the worst situation, such as the burning of her house and all of her possessions, she praises the Lord, and has enough faith to “bless His grace that gave and took” (Bradstreet 14). Bradstreet’s use of euphonious diction with soft s, c, v, and g sounds in phrases such as “bless His grace” give a tender, graceful mood to the poem. Also, her word choice has a positive connotation and suggests unconditional praise. She says that the world holds no promises for her, because her “hope and treasure lies above” (54). The irony in this line is relevant because Bradstreet has just lost everything she has ever had, but she realizes that her real treasure is found not in the material world, but in eternal salvation with God. Therefore, she views God as loving and giving due to the promises He has for her in heaven. Jonathan Edwards, however, does not view God in this way. He thinks that God, “the God that holds [him] over the pits of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors [him]” (154). Fearful and tormented, Edwards thinks that God promises nothing but eternal damnation, which contrasts greatly with Bradstreet’s conception of a loving God. By comparing a sinner to a spider, Edwards is insinuating that they are a worthless annoyance to Him. Sinners are helpless in the hands of an angry God, the way spiders are helpless in the hands of an angry person. For these reasons, Ann Bradstreet’s conception of a kind and faithful Lord is different than Jonathan Edwards’ belief in an angry, punishing…
Goblin men are likened to a “tramp” – the verb confirms a lack of grace, Rossetti conveys the ugliness that the goblins try to mask their ugliness with the mesmerising fruit, however their demonic demeanour springs out.…
Women in today’s time can read these stories and feel empowered by the change of how the world views them has become one or independence and strength. In “Goblin Market”, Laura becomes consumed of this fruit and it is only by pure love of her sister’s actions that she is able to set Laura free (Rossetti 524-542) This action by Lizzie can easily represent the actions of Christ dying for the sins of the world. Lizzie allowed her herself to be beaten, mocked and abused all for the sake of saving her sister (Rossetti 424-440). Jesus Christ allowed himself to be beaten, mocked and even killed just to save us from our sins. The main theme that can be seen in “The Chrysanthemums” by the use of the chrysanthemums in relation to Elisa. Elisa seems to be happy and be confident by the idea of how well her flowers are doing. It is easy to see how close Elisa is to the flowers. While her flowers may look beautiful and stand up strong, besides that they have no effect or use in society, much like Elisa sees herself in this era. A wife was at the house to cook, clean, care for the children and maybe do a little garden but besides this she had no authority in her marriage (“Women’s…
One of poets best and unique writer, whom live have changed as a teenage little girl, shortly after she marries Tomas Dudley, was on the voyage to a new world “America”. This quite amazing child was Anna Bradstreet, who later in her journey wrote “Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House” This poem, without doubt, as of many off her poems, is a pure example of Puritan writing. The first several lines of the poem indicate her truly believe in faith and values. As of one of those chilling moments of her live, Anna’s poem is entirely about her own feelings as she haplessly watches her house burning as thousands of kindles. Her writing makes readers as if they were experiencing same emotions and thoughts as she was at the time. Anna’s way of rhymes affects the way the entire poem flows as each rhyme has a unique feeling, emotion, and interpretation. Also, it abides the reader to process the two rhyming lines together before going on to the next few. As a very well educational woman, her choices of words are one of the consciousnesses with extremely strong connotations. Using such as words as ashes, ruin, fire, succor-less, and more, are an indication on extraordinary severity of the damage as her home is at the edge of being destroyed by the fire, with all the possessions and memories. On the other hand, she contracts those words with vocabularies such as treasure, love, and hope. These two unalike groups of descriptions through these words, describes material possessions, and the other on her faith and affiliation with God. This is obviously suggestion that Anna’s first priorities are God and salvation.…
The world is a very mysterious place with its constant advancements and how it is always evolving, but to some people this world may be considered a scary place. This fear of the outside world has the ability to make those who fear it unable to accept reality. In Tennessee Williams play The Glass Menagerie, the thought of accepting reality is especially hard for the Wingfield family, Laura, Tom, and Amanda, causing them to close themselves off each in their own unique way.…
Mendoza begins by arguing that Goblin Market is an allegory for female sexuality, drug addiction and the issues surrounding the 19th century labour market. He notes that Christina Rossetti herself stressed that the poem should be read as an independent work and was not allegorical in any way but Mendoza suggests otherwise. It is also noted that the issues of economics and sexual desire are always intertwined in the poem, and that each school of thought is used to help shed light on the dynamics of the other. Mendoza also discusses the idea of fetishism in Goblin Market, particularly in terms of fetishism of the fruit. Mendoza provides historical context for this fetishism, noting that there were issues with harvest during 1859 meaning the purchase of fruit was a luxury. The mystery…