Christina Rossetti
What would I give?
Meaning/Context:
The title of the poem itself connotes the speaker’s self-questioning, though what
they are questioning is never made completely clear, but rather implied. For
example, the former part of the poem suggests the speaker’s wish for the ability
to love, to feel warmth. However, in the latter part of the poem, the speaker
appears to hope instead for repentance; a form of religious cleansing to rid them
of their sins. ‘What would I give?’ explores notions of self-sacrifice and
redemption as the speaker questions the limits of their devotion in god.
Contextually speaking, the contrasting themes of earthly love and the promise of
religious redemption are explored within this poem. Composed in 1864, Rossetti
had recently experienced a relationship with Charles Cayley, a man whose
proposal she would later reject. She was also becoming increasingly dedicated to
the religious aspect of her life and had been helping to reform prostitutes in the
St Mary Magdalene Penitentiary.
Hence, Rossetti perhaps explores the importance of religious redemption,
constructing a speaker who perhaps has lived a life of sin, much like the women
she helped to reform, whilst also revoking the notion of earthly love having
turned down Charles Cayley in order to dedicate herself to god.
Structure/Form:
Rossetti has used a regular AAB rhyme scheme in each of her three quatrains,
which on some level creates a very even and regulated feel to the poem, which
could reflect the surety of the speaker’s choice in choosing religious redemption,
perhaps the poet suggests that such a path is the obvious choice, which requires
little questioning; the simplicity of putting one’s love in the hands of god. One
could argue that in the use of such a perfect use of three, Rossetti is
representing the Holy Trinity.
However, there are slight deviations in form as evident in the use of
enjambement in the second and third stanzas, which creates an awkward and
misplaced feel to the poem, as to the way it appears on the page. In one sense,
this could represent how the narrator consistently feels incomplete without god,
as the last line does not rhyme with the other lines. This perhaps connotes the
true weight and difficulty of the speaker’s decision, underlying its apparent ease.
Maybe the speaker finds their love for god more forced than plain and natural.
Indeed, the last line in each 3-line stanza has internal rhyme which could
represent the internal battle that the narrator is experiencing.
The title of the poem ‘What would I give’ is a refrain which is repeated at the
beginning of every stanza, which could symbolize the desperation the narrator
feels as she asks for redemption and reassurance from God, perhaps ultimately
depicting the complexity of trying to be completely pure and cleansed.
What would I give?
Meaning/Context:
The title of the poem itself connotes the speaker’s self-questioning, though what
they are questioning is never made completely clear, but rather implied. For
example, the former part of the poem suggests the speaker’s wish for the ability
to love, to feel warmth. However, in the latter part of the poem, the speaker
appears to hope instead for repentance; a form of religious cleansing to rid them
of their sins. ‘What would I give?’ explores notions of self-sacrifice and
redemption as the speaker questions the limits of their devotion in god.
Contextually speaking, the contrasting themes of earthly love and the promise of
religious redemption are explored within this poem. Composed in 1864, Rossetti
had recently experienced a relationship with Charles Cayley, a man whose
proposal she would later reject. She was also becoming increasingly dedicated to
the religious aspect of her life and had been helping to reform prostitutes in the
St Mary Magdalene Penitentiary.
Hence, Rossetti perhaps explores the importance of religious redemption,
constructing a speaker who perhaps has lived a life of sin, much like the women
she helped to reform, whilst also revoking the notion of earthly love having
turned down Charles Cayley in order to dedicate herself to god.
Structure/Form:
Rossetti has used a regular AAB rhyme scheme in each of her three quatrains,
which on some level creates a very even and regulated feel to the poem, which
could reflect the surety of the speaker’s choice in choosing religious redemption,
perhaps the poet suggests that such a path is the obvious choice, which requires
little questioning; the simplicity of putting one’s love in the hands of god. One
could argue that in the use of such a perfect use of three, Rossetti is
representing the Holy Trinity.
However, there are slight deviations in form as evident in the use of
enjambement in the second and third stanzas, which creates an awkward and
misplaced feel to the poem, as to the way it appears on the page. In one sense,
this could represent how the narrator consistently feels incomplete without god,
as the last line does not rhyme with the other lines. This perhaps connotes the
true weight and difficulty of the speaker’s decision, underlying its apparent ease.
Maybe the speaker finds their love for god more forced than plain and natural.
Indeed, the last line in each 3-line stanza has internal rhyme which could
represent the internal battle that the narrator is experiencing.
The title of the poem ‘What would I give’ is a refrain which is repeated at the
beginning of every stanza, which could symbolize the desperation the narrator
feels as she asks for redemption and reassurance from God, perhaps ultimately
depicting the complexity of trying to be completely pure and cleansed.
