Christina Rossetti: Poem #10: 'No, Thank You, John:

CONTENT:

- Spirited and feisty narrator turns down suitor.

AIM + THEME:

- Themes of female identity, oppression, marriage, power-play between the sexes, narrative genre.

DICTION:

- Negative words, some imperatives, shows anger and struggle under male oppression in Victorian era, lots of alliteration, some assonance.

IMAGERY:

- Little imagery, amplifies opinions.

FORM:

- Structured, shows her strength and self-assurity. Could also be seen to be a dichotomy against her anger (disorganised emotion)

RHYME AND RHYTHM:

- ABAB, very structured.

TONE:

- angry, frustrated.

METRE:

- syllable structure = organised. 1 line of iambic pentameter per stanza? masculine stresses, shows male oppression?



-The 1st stanzas are questioning, interrogative
- But then the 3rd stanza stops questioning - she becomes firm in her opinions.
- repetition in stanza 1 shows monotony of his asking
-enjambment (links with the repetition).
-assonance (in stanza 1)
-Victorian era: changes in women's society + roles (right to vote).