Poem Analysis for Christina Rossetti’s Amor Mundi
Themes:
Sin
Earthy vs afterlife
Choice
Summary:
In Rossetti’s ‘Amor Mundi’, she describes a speaker and their friend (perhaps the
devil?) on a downhill path towards hell, which is at first seductive, yet we feel the
speaker regrets her decision through the dark tones yet “there’s no turning back”.
Structure:
She incorporates a dialogue style, whereby the speaker asks the other character
questions on their downhill path, where this secondary character persuades our
speaker to turn her back on a righteous path. The rhyme is extremely unusual for
Rossetti as the pace is quickened by flooded internal rhyme- somewhat playful to
show the ease and pleasure in this sinful path- so easily to be persuaded to take.
Though there are 6 regular quatrains, the poem is heavily irregular through the
littered caesura and this irregular rhyme.
More A* analysis on page 2!
Imagery:
The poem begins with our speaker’s question “oh where are you going with your love
locks flowing”, this line is littered with poetic techniques- Rossetti creates a sorrow
mood with the stressed “oh” as though this is the voice of the vulnerable Victorian
Themes:
Sin
Earthy vs afterlife
Choice
Summary:
In Rossetti’s ‘Amor Mundi’, she describes a speaker and their friend (perhaps the
devil?) on a downhill path towards hell, which is at first seductive, yet we feel the
speaker regrets her decision through the dark tones yet “there’s no turning back”.
Structure:
She incorporates a dialogue style, whereby the speaker asks the other character
questions on their downhill path, where this secondary character persuades our
speaker to turn her back on a righteous path. The rhyme is extremely unusual for
Rossetti as the pace is quickened by flooded internal rhyme- somewhat playful to
show the ease and pleasure in this sinful path- so easily to be persuaded to take.
Though there are 6 regular quatrains, the poem is heavily irregular through the
littered caesura and this irregular rhyme.
More A* analysis on page 2!
Imagery:
The poem begins with our speaker’s question “oh where are you going with your love
locks flowing”, this line is littered with poetic techniques- Rossetti creates a sorrow
mood with the stressed “oh” as though this is the voice of the vulnerable Victorian
