BIRTHDAY

1. BIRTHDAY CHRISTINA ROSETTI Analysis by SIMONG SONG

2. The author-CHRISTINA ROSETTI • 5TH DECEMBER 1830 ~ 29TH DECEMBER 1894. • Father- Gabriel Rosetti: Exiled Politician & Poet. • Mother-Frances Polidori: Famous Physician. • Born in London, have 3 older siblings who all became an artist or writer. • During 1840s, her family face financial problem due to Gabriel Rosetti’s physical and mental illness. • Her mother and her sister became devoted Anglican christian.

3. she was a model for many artist. One of the famous example is the picture of the Virgin Mary by Dante Rosetti-her brother. • Talented writer, but never had a proper education. • Began writing at 1842 • An idealist, fight for freedom of Black people, animal right and natural conservation • She was weak, infertile and suffered for all her life and died of Graves Disease.

4. BIRTHDAY My heart is like a singing bird                Whose nest is in a water'd shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree                Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit; My heart is like a rainbow shell                That paddles in a halcyon sea; My heart is gladder than all these                Because my love is come to me. Raise me a dais of silk and down;                Hang it with vair and purple dyes; Carve it in doves and pomegranates,                And peacocks with a hundred eyes; Work it in gold and silver grapes,                   In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys; Because the birthday of my life                Is come, my love is come to me.

5. SIMILE-GIVES THE VIVID IMAGE OF HER FEELING -My heart is like a singing bird        Whose nest is in a water'd shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree        Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit; REPETITON-EMPHASIZES HER EMOTION -My heart is like a singing bird                   Whose nest is in a water'd shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree                   Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit; LITERARY TERMS

6. SYMBOLISM-GIVES THE HINT OF HIDDEN MEANING -PEACOCK- CHRISTIANITY -POMEGRANATE-RESURRECTION -DOVE-HOLYSPIRIT ALLITERATION-CREATE THE FLOWING SONG-LIKE RHYTHM Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit; USE OF IMAGERY- MAKE THE POEM MORE INTERESTING -RAINBOW SHELL,HALYCON SEA AND BENT WITH THICKEST FRUIT

7. STRUCTURE • Written in IAMBIC TETRAMETER where soft and unstressed beat is followed by strong and stressed beat. It creates a song like rhythm -My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water'd shoot; • End of every second line in second stanza rhyme. -Raise me a dais of silk and down;                   Hang it with vair and purple dyes; Carve it in doves and pomegranates,                   And peacocks with a hundred eyes;

8. Poem is splitted into different stanza at the end of 8th line. • My heart is like a singing bird •                Whose nest is in a water'd shoot; • My heart is like an apple-tree •                Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit; • My heart is like a rainbow shell •                That paddles in a halcyon sea; • My heart is gladder than all these •                Because my love is come to me. • ------------------------------------Raise me a dais of silk and down; •                Hang it with vair and purple dyes; • Carve it in doves and pomegranates, •                And peacocks with a hundred eyes; • Work it in gold and silver grapes, •                   In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys; • Because the birthday of my life •                Is come, my love is come to me. This build up the tension. The writer wanted to show how long she waited for her love

9. THEME • HAS A STRONG RELIGEOUS THEME • CAN BE INTERPRETED IM MANY DIFFERENT WAYS BUT THE WRITER’S ORIGINAL INTENSION WAS TO TELL THE JOY OF MEETING JESUS. - THE METAPHORS USED IN FIRST STANZA IS COPIED FROM BIBLE, THE BOOK OF SONG OF SONG • THE THEME OF POEM SPLIT IN TWO PARTS. • FIRST STANZA IS ABOUT HOW HER RELATIONSHIP AFFECT HER AND HER EMOTION. • SECOND STANZA TELLS ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN AND THE ARRIVAL OF HER LOVE

10. ANALYSIS • FIRST STANZA -My Heart=Singing Bird Singing Bird= Symbol of romantic poem, showing it’s her love song Nest in a Watered Shoot= Safe resting place. Shoot not full grown plant, symbolizing future potential -My Heart=Apple tree Apple tree symbolize Garden of Eden before the Fall-no worries Boughs bent with thickest fruit=tells her emotional state is at her best

11. -My Heart=Rainbow Shell that paddles in Halycon sea Rainbow shell=oyster Word HALYCON was originated from Greek myth, they believed that Kingfisher build its nest on Oyster shell floating a calm sea. Explaining her feeling -My heart is gladder than all these                Because my love is come to me. The Climax of first stanza revealing about her love. “Because my love is come to me” not past tense shows that it’s everlasting joy.

12. SECOND STANZA - Dais= platform used in Anglican church Silk=expensive fabric extracted from silk worm Down=expensive fabric from baby animals Vair= very expensive fur from samll rodents Purple dye= was very rare at that time, only used by priests and royals It shows how important her love is -Pomegranate= Resurrection of Jesus Peacock= Christianity Thousand eyes= attention and thrill. Tells that her love is not toward the human being but Jesus. And she explains how exciting and thrilling her love is

13. -Gold and Silver Grape= the Gold and Silver are expensive and symbolize purity Fleur-de-ly= flower from Lily. Often carved into the soldier’s armor and shield as the symbol of royalty. It explains about the royalty and purity of her love toward the Jesus -Because the birthday of my life               Is come, my love is come to me. The poem ends with the phrase implying the joy of her birthday but it’s not physical birthday but spiritual.