Poem Analysis for Christina Rossetti’s Standing afar off for the Fear of her
Torment
Summary:
In Rossetti’s ‘standing afar off for the fear of her torment’ she demonstrates the
female characters “pride” and “foulness”, yet here she is alone as a consequence for
her sins. The poem was written in her final year and displays Rossetti’s panic about
God’s judgement. The poem also seems to discuss the fate of a fallen woman.
Structure:
The poem follows the same structure as ‘Uphill’ and ‘Amour Mundi’ with the
question- answer structure- does this display how her speaker is searching for
answer- yet is there a certain comfort in the way the speaker receives some answer.
Rossetti has structured her poem in a perfect symmetry with the rhyming couplets,
which perhaps convey the inevitability of death, the inevitable judgement of women
who have sinned.
Interestingly, through the use of “she”, Rossetti excluded the fallen woman from the
conversation as she is talked about yet does not have a voice.
More A* analysis on page 2!
Imagery:
The poem begins with a bleak question “Is this the end? Is there no end but this”,
with the stress on “this” both times as though the persona is disappointed with such
an end- does this represent Rossetti’s fear that her life of self-abnegation will lead to
nothing? However, through the response, we learn Rossetti may be describing a
fallen woman, as there is “no other end for pride/ and foulness and besottedness”,
meaning sins of the world- self obsesses- perhaps the character has indulged herself
in earthly love. The second stanza begins with the same format, two consecutive
questions: “hath she no friend? Hath she no clinging friend” perhaps describing a
Torment
Summary:
In Rossetti’s ‘standing afar off for the fear of her torment’ she demonstrates the
female characters “pride” and “foulness”, yet here she is alone as a consequence for
her sins. The poem was written in her final year and displays Rossetti’s panic about
God’s judgement. The poem also seems to discuss the fate of a fallen woman.
Structure:
The poem follows the same structure as ‘Uphill’ and ‘Amour Mundi’ with the
question- answer structure- does this display how her speaker is searching for
answer- yet is there a certain comfort in the way the speaker receives some answer.
Rossetti has structured her poem in a perfect symmetry with the rhyming couplets,
which perhaps convey the inevitability of death, the inevitable judgement of women
who have sinned.
Interestingly, through the use of “she”, Rossetti excluded the fallen woman from the
conversation as she is talked about yet does not have a voice.
More A* analysis on page 2!
Imagery:
The poem begins with a bleak question “Is this the end? Is there no end but this”,
with the stress on “this” both times as though the persona is disappointed with such
an end- does this represent Rossetti’s fear that her life of self-abnegation will lead to
nothing? However, through the response, we learn Rossetti may be describing a
fallen woman, as there is “no other end for pride/ and foulness and besottedness”,
meaning sins of the world- self obsesses- perhaps the character has indulged herself
in earthly love. The second stanza begins with the same format, two consecutive
questions: “hath she no friend? Hath she no clinging friend” perhaps describing a
