essay on cousin kate

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Cousin Kate Summary & Analysis by Christina Rossetti

• Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
• Poetic Devices
• Vocabulary & References
• Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
• Line-by-Line Explanations

“Cousin Kate” is a dramatic monologue by the British poet Christina Rossetti. Rossetti wrote “Cousin Kate” while she was a volunteer at the St. Mary Magdalene house for "fallen women," a derogatory 19th-century term for supposedly unchaste women (such as unmarried mothers and sex workers). The poem is told from the perspective of one such woman, who is seduced by a powerful lord and bears his child out of wedlock. "Cousin Kate" is specifically addressed to the speaker's cousin, who marries the lord despite his mistreatment of the speaker. Like many of the other poems included in Rossetti's first and most famous book of poetry, Goblin Market and Other Poems , "Cousin Kate" explores the hypocrisy of gender roles and the dangers of temptation.

• Read the full text of “Cousin Kate”

The Full Text of “Cousin Kate”

1 I was a cottage maiden

2 Hardened by sun and air

3 Contented with my cottage mates,

4 Not mindful I was fair.

5 Why did a great lord find me out,

6 And praise my flaxen hair?

7 Why did a great lord find me out,

8 To fill my heart with care?

9 He lured me to his palace home -

10 Woe's me for joy thereof-

11 To lead a shameless shameful life,

12 His plaything and his love.

13 He wore me like a silken knot,

14 He changed me like a glove;

15 So now I moan, an unclean thing,

16 Who might have been a dove.

17 O Lady kate, my cousin Kate,

18 You grew more fair than I:

19 He saw you at your father's gate,

20 Chose you, and cast me by.

21 He watched your steps along the lane,

22 Your work among the rye;

23 He lifted you from mean estate

24 To sit with him on high.

25 Because you were so good and pure

26 He bound you with his ring:

27 The neighbors call you good and pure,

28 Call me an outcast thing.

29 Even so I sit and howl in dust,

30 You sit in gold and sing:

31 Now which of us has tenderer heart?

32 You had the stronger wing.

33 O cousin Kate, my love was true,

34 Your love was writ in sand:

35 If he had fooled not me but you,

36 If you stood where I stand,

37 He'd not have won me with his love

38 Nor bought me with his land;

39 I would have spit into his face

40 And not have taken his hand.

41 Yet I've a gift you have not got,

42 And seem not like to get:

43 For all your clothes and wedding-ring

44 I've little doubt you fret.

45 My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride,

46 Cling closer, closer yet:

47 Your father would give his lands for one

48 To wear his coronet.

“Cousin Kate” Summary

“cousin kate” themes.

Gender, Morality, and Hypocrisy

• See where this theme is active in the poem.

Lust, Love, and Temptation

Line-by-line explanation & analysis of “cousin kate”.

I was a cottage maiden Hardened by sun and air Contented with my cottage mates, Not mindful I was fair.

Why did a great lord find me out, And praise my flaxen hair? Why did a great lord find me out, To fill my heart with care?

He lured me to his palace home - Woe's me for joy thereof- To lead a shameless shameful life, His plaything and his love.

Lines 13-16

He wore me like a silken knot, He changed me like a glove; So now I moan, an unclean thing, Who might have been a dove.

Lines 17-20

O Lady kate, my cousin Kate, You grew more fair than I: He saw you at your father's gate, Chose you, and cast me by.

Lines 21-24

He watched your steps along the lane, Your work among the rye; He lifted you from mean estate To sit with him on high.

Lines 25-28

Because you were so good and pure He bound you with his ring: The neighbors call you good and pure, Call me an outcast thing.

Lines 29-32

Even so I sit and howl in dust, You sit in gold and sing: Now which of us has tenderer heart? You had the stronger wing.

Lines 33-36

O cousin Kate, my love was true, Your love was writ in sand: If he had fooled not me but you, If you stood where I stand,

Lines 37-40

He'd not have won me with his love Nor bought me with his land; I would have spit into his face And not have taken his hand.

Lines 41-44

Yet I've a gift you have not got, And seem not like to get: For all your clothes and wedding-ring I've little doubt you fret.

Lines 45-48

My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride, Cling closer, closer yet: Your father would give his lands for one To wear his coronet.

“Cousin Kate” Symbols

• See where this symbol appears in the poem.

Clothing and Accessories

“Cousin Kate” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

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Parallelism

Rhetorical question, “cousin kate” vocabulary.

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Silken knot
• Mean estate
• Fair-haired
• See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Cousin Kate”

Rhyme scheme, “cousin kate” speaker, “cousin kate” setting, literary and historical context of “cousin kate”, more “cousin kate” resources, external resources.

Gender and Sexuality in the 19th Century — A collection of articles on gender and sexuality in the Victorian era, written by a biographer of Christina Rossetti and Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

In Our Time: Christina Rossetti — A 45-minute podcast episode in which literary scholars discuss Rossetti's life and work for BBC Radio 4.

The Oxford Movement — The Wikipedia page for the Oxford Movement, including a list of associated figures.

Rossetti's Biography — An in-depth account of of Rossetti's life, including a detailed discussion of her writings and links to many of her poems.

A Reading — A reading of "Cousin Kate" on YouTube.

Art Term: Pre-Raphaelites — A brief, straightforward overview of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood from the Tate Museum.

LitCharts on Other Poems by Christina Rossetti

An Apple Gathering

Babylon the Great

From the Antique

Good Friday

In an Artist's Studio

In the Round Tower at Jhansi, June 8, 1857 (Indian Mutiny)

Maude Clare

No, Thank You, John

Piteous my rhyme is

Sister Maude

Soeur Louise de la Miséricorde

Some ladies dress in muslin full and white

Song (When I am dead, my dearest)

Winter: My Secret

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Cousin Kate

By Christina Rossetti

‘Cousin Kate’ speaks to the circumstance of women during the Victorian era. The period in which Rossetti wrote this poem makes the message all the more meaningful.

Christina Rossetti

Her most important collection is Goblin Market and other Poems.

Poem Analyzed by Allisa Corfman

Degree in Secondary Education/English and Teacher of World Literature and Composition

The time period in which this poem, ‘ Cousin Kate ,’ was written makes the message all the more meaningful. The writer, Christina Rossetti , was a woman of the Victorian era. Born in 1830, Rossetti lived during a time when women had no choice but to be chaste. Anything else was to be outcasted from society. On the other hand, men were known often to use prostitutes as an outlet for their sexuality until (and sometimes after) they were married.

However, during this period, women were also thought to be inferior to men in many ways, including physically and intellectually. However, they were thought to be superior to men morally. Thus, a much higher moral expectation was placed on women. They were thought to have little to no sexual desire aside from for the purpose of becoming a mother. Therefore, when a woman was found out to have had sexual relations outside of marriage, it was treated as something entirely different from when men had premarital sex. It was looked upon as an act of defiance for women against family, society, and God. For men, it was seen as a moment of weakness in which they gave in to an overwhelming sexual desire.

During this time, women were also considered the property of men. They were to obey them. This presented a problem for women. If a Lord, Duke, or perhaps even the King wanted to have a woman sexually, she was expected to obey him. And when he was done using her, she bore the shame of losing her virginity before the marriage. This poem speaks to that exact kind of circumstance.

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• 1 Summary of Cousin Kate
• 2 Analysis of Cousin Kate
• 3 Christina Rossetti Background

Summary of Cousin Kate

The speaker in ‘ Cousin Kate’ was lured away by a lord. His magnificence and place in life probably made her feel intimidated. Her whole life, she was taught that a woman’s role was to obey men, especially a man in a position of authority. Thus, when the lord sought her out, it was natural for her to obey. Her cousin, Kate, watched the whole thing. Then, when the lord was tired of the speaker, he went after her cousin, Kate. Kate, having seen her cousin brought to shame by the lord, denied him sexually. Because she did this, the lord married her, and she was brought to a place of honor while her poor cousin was destined to live the rest of her life in shame.

Analysis of Cousin Kate

I was a cottage maiden Hardened by sun and air, Contented with my cottage mates, Not mindful I was fair. Why did a great lord find me out, And praise my flaxen hair? Why did a great lord find me out To fill my heart with care?

‘Cousin Kate’ begins with the description of a beautiful young maiden who spent her days out in the sun and the air. This young maiden was content to be with her cottage mates. She had no thought for a man and no desire for anything that she did not already have. She claims that she did not even know that she was a beautiful girl until a great lord found her out. She asks, “Why did a great lord find me out,/ And praise my flaxen hair?” The tone of this question suggests that the affair with the great lord will not end well for the speaker.

She asks again, “Why did a great lord find me out to fill my heart with care?” This reveals that the great lord made the speaker feel something for him. While she was once a beautiful young maiden without a care in the world, the attentions of the great lord caused her to become a young maiden quite in love with someone much above her in social status.

Of course, during the Victorian era, few people married for love. Most men married when a handsome dowry could be offered, and most women sought to marry in such a way that would move them up the societal ladder.

He lured me to his palace home– Woe’s me for joy thereof– To lead a shameless shameful life, His plaything and his love. He wore me like a silken knot, He changed me like a glove; So now I moan, an unclean thing, Who might have been a dove.

The speaker uses the word “lured” to suggest further that the great lord did not have pure intentions in his praise of her. The speaker says that when he took her into his home, he “woe[ed her] for joy thereof.” Here, the readers can see that what the great lord did for his own joy was the woe of the young maiden. She says that he took her “to lead a shameless shameful life” and to make her “his plaything and his love.” The way the speaker describes her life as the mistress of the great lord reveals that he used her for his own satisfaction without a thought for the way that it would alter the course of her life for the rest of her days.

In the sixth line of this stanza , the speaker reveals that he finally set her aside completely. She says, “He changed me like a glove.” She clearly felt that she was nothing more than a toy or an article of clothing to this man. He would use her while she was new and exciting, but he would set her aside when he was done with her. He had no concern for what it would do to her. But she cries out to tell her story through these words. She says, “So now I moan, an unclean thing who might have been a dove.” Her place in society, her future, and her value for herself were all destroyed and all so that a powerful man might use her to amuse himself for a while.

Stanza Three

O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate, You grew more fair than I: He saw you at your father’s gate, Chose you, and cast me by. He watched your steps along the lane, Your work among the rye; He lifted you from mean estate To sit with him on high.

There is a shift with this stanza so that the speaker is not talking to the readers anymore but to her cousin, Kate. It is possible that she has been talking to Kate all along. When she calls her “Lady Kate,” she makes it clear that her cousin has risen in social status to become a Lady. The speaker reveals that her little cousin grew to be more beautiful than she was herself. And the great lord saw her at her father’s gate, chose her, and cast aside the speaker.

Stanza Four

Because you were so good and pure He bound you with his ring: The neighbours call you good and pure, Call me an outcast thing. Even so I sit and howl in dust, You sit in gold and sing: Now which of us has tenderer heart? You had the stronger wing.

With this stanza, the speaker reveals that Kate was “good and pure” and so “he bound [her] with his ring.” The lord married her because Kate would not allow the great lord to take her to his bed without marriage. Thus, she rose to the position of a lady. The speaker says to her, “the neighbors call you good and pure, call me an outcast thing.”

Then she says that she sits in the dust and howls. This imagery comes from the biblical book of Job, and the description of sitting in the dust and howling is well known as the epitome of despair. The speaker contrasts herself with Kate, saying that Kate sings while she sits in gold. This is a stark contrast to the speaker, who howls in the dust.

But then, the speaker asks Kate a question. She says, “Which of us has a tenderer heart?” The question implies that the speaker believes herself to have a more feeling heart than Kate.

In the last line of this stanza, the speaker claims that Kate “had the stronger wing,” but her previous question leaves the readers with a picture of the speaker as the sweeter and more tender of the two, while Kate was the stronger.

Stanza Five

O cousin Kate, my love was true, Your love was writ in sand: If he had fooled not me but you, If you stood where I stand, He’d not have won me with his love Nor bought me with his land; I would have spit into his face And not have taken his hand.

With this stanza, the speaker begins to draw a more distinct line between herself and her cousin. She appeals to her, exclaiming, “O cousin Kate, my love was true, Your love was writ in sand.” This reveals that the speaker did feel herself in love with the lord, though he used her as he did. She compares her true love with the love of her cousin, which she claims was not true and deep love, but one that was written in the sand and could have been washing away by the tide.

The speaker continues to explain her heart to her cousin. She says, “If he had fooled not me but you,/ If you stood where I stand, He’d not have won me with his love.” Kate was fortunate enough to be able to watch what happened with her cousin before the lord took an interest in herself. The speaker says that if it had been the other way around, and the lord had seduced Kate first, and she herself “would have spit into his face and not have taken his hand.” The speaker clearly regrets that she allowed herself to care for this man and to go into his bed. She wants Kate to know that the difference between the two of them really came down to the coincidence that the lord went after the speaker first and Kate second.

Yet I’ve a gift you have not got, And seem not like to get: For all your clothes and wedding-ring I’ve little doubt you fret. My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride, Cling closer, closer yet: Your father would give lands for one To wear his coronet.

In the final stanza, the speaker continues to contrast herself with Kate. Up until now, she has shown that she is living a life of shame while Kate lives a life of glory. She has shown that Kate was stronger, but the speaker’s own love was more true. Here, she says to Kate, “I’ve a gift you have not got and seem not like to get.” She goes on to dismiss Kate’s clothes and her wedding ring. She tells her cousin that she knows that she must fret about what she does not have.

Then she reveals what this gift is. The great lord had given her a “fair-haired son,” which she calls her “shame” and her “pride” in one breath. This son brought her shame in the eyes of society. And yet, as every mother can understand, the child was also her pride and joy. She does not consider him a curse but a gift. Then, she tells Kate, “Your father would give lands for one/ To wear his coronet.” A coronet, a small, simple crown, was often worn by lesser royalty. The speaker reminds Kate that although she is named a Lady and has a great husband, she herself will come to nothing without a son to inherit the wealth of his parents and grandparents.

Women were married away with a dowry during this time, but they were not given an inheritance. It is not clear whether Kate was unable to have children or whether she seemed to have only baby girls. Whatever the case, the speaker asserts that Kate seemed likely not to have a boy. It is very likely, then, that the speaker’s own boy would inherit the wealth of his father. Often if there were no legitimate son to inherit wealth, an illegitimate son would be named heir. Thus, despite losing her husband and place in society, the speaker clings to the hope that one day her son will have a better life through inheriting the wealth of his father.

Christina Rossetti Background

Given the author’s background, ‘ Cousin Kate’ is somewhat ironic . One might expect to find that Rossetti had once been in the same position as the speaker, but it does not appear so. From what is known about Rossetti, she was a highly religious woman who never married and even broke off an engagement because her fiance had become a Roman Catholic. She was a loyal member of the Anglican church. Perhaps her adherence to her beliefs led her to this kind of sympathy for a woman in the position of the speaker of ‘ Cousin Kate’ . After all, Jesus himself had a heart for the woman who was caught in the very act of prostitution.

Likewise, though seemingly pious and religious, Rossetti shows sympathy for her fellow women who were not so fortunate as to have escaped being lured in by a man. Her poem particularly shows sympathy for women and the skepticism of men. The man in ‘ Cousin Kate’ is clearly vile, and the women are at his mercy. Perhaps this fear of men and their power over women is what lead Rossetti to remain single, though she received two offers of marriage.

Christina Rossetti received a second offer of marriage – her suitor in this instance, being a man of letters and pre-eminently a scholar. Again, she was favorably disposed to her suitor and again actuated by religious scruples, and she was constrained to reject his offer (Bell).

This reveals that the author had probably been in love more than once in her life, but that she was afraid to do the wrong thing and sought to adhere to the church rather than marry when she was not sure that it was entirely right to do so. Although the author could not entirely identify with her speaker in ‘ Cousin Kate ,’ she clearly was able to have empathy for all the women in her society who had given in to their passions and been ruined by them. ‘ Cousin Kate’ also reveals the fear that she may end up cast aside if she responds to her suitors.

Works Cited:

• Bell, Mackenzie. Christina Rossetti: A Biographical and Critical Study . Thomas Burleigh, 1898.
• Murray, Janet Horowitz. Strong-minded women: and other lost voices from nineteenth-century England . Pantheon, 1982.

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Didn’t they design Fortnite?

i love the poem it repeats a few lines for example when it says why did a great lord find me out it adds rhyming to it.

When a poem repeats lines it is called a refrain, it’s a common poetic device that often helps to cement an idea in the readers mind – fun fact!

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Corfman, Allisa. "Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti". Poem Analysis , https://poemanalysis.com/christina-rossetti/cousin-kate/ . Accessed 28 August 2024.

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Cousin Kate ( Edexcel GCSE English Literature )

Revision note.

Cousin Kate

Your Edexcel GCSE English Literature Poetry Anthology contains 15 poems, and in your exam you will be given one poem – printed in full – and asked to compare it to another one from the anthology. As this is a “closed book” exam, you will not have access to the second poem, so you will need to know it from memory. Fifteen poems is a lot to revise. However, if you understand these four essential things about each poem, you will be able to produce a top-grade response:

• The meaning of the poem
• The ideas and messages the poet wanted to convey
• How the poet uses poetic methods to convey these ideas and messages
• How the ideas and themes in each poem compare and contrast with the ideas and themes of the other poems in the anthology

Here is a guide to Christina Rossetti’s 'Cousin Kate', from the Conflict Anthology. It includes the following sections:

• Overview : a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
• Writer’s methods : an analysis of the poet’s techniques and methods
• Context : an exploration of the poem’s context in relation to its themes
• What to compare it to : suggestions about which poems to compare it to in the exam

In your exam, you may be asked to compare 'Cousin Kate' with another poem from your Conflict Anthology. When you compare poems, you should focus on the way each writer presents their ideas about conflict. The conflict they depict may be a military conflict, such as a war or a battle, or it may be a personal conflict, as in this poem. 

The section below on ‘What to compare it to’ offers detailed suggestions about how to compare 'Cousin Kate' with other poems in the anthology. If the poem printed on your exam paper is 'Cousin Kate', you should start by stating which poem you’re going to compare it to, and why. For instance, you could compare this poem to one that also focuses on personal conflict, such as William Blake’s 'A Poison Tree'. Your introduction should include a summary of the main similarities and differences you intend to focus on.

To answer an essay question on any poem, it is essential that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• The poem in a nutshell
• An explanation of the poem, section-by-section
• An outline of Rossetti’s intention and message in each of these sections

'Cousin Kate' in a nutshell

In 'Cousin Kate', an unnamed young woman tells the story of her conflict with her cousin, Kate. She relates how she was fooled into becoming the mistress of a “great lord”, a man of much higher social status. Her lover then abandoned her in order to marry her cousin. The speaker is left with an illegitimate child, which makes her a social outcast . She rages against the injustice of her situation, especially in comparison with the respectability and luxury enjoyed by Kate. However, she takes bitter pleasure in the fact that she has a son, while Kate has not produced an heir for her husband. 

'Cousin Kate' breakdown

“I was a cottage-maiden 

Hardened by sun and air, 

Contented with my cottage-mates, 

Not mindful I was fair. 

Why did a great lord find me out 

And praise my flaxen hair? 

To fill my heart with care?”

Explanation

• The speaker was once a young woman from a low social status who lived in the countryside
• She was healthy and happy with her life
• She was not aware of her beauty and had not thought about romantic relationships
• Why did a “great lord”, a man of much higher social standing, notice her and flatter her?
• Why did he do that, then make her miserable?

Rossetti’s intention

• The speaker is remembering her life before the events that led to her current situation
• Rossetti wants to contrast the speaker’s early, happy life with her current misery
• Rossetti implies that the speaker’s life would have continued happily if the “great lord”, a nobleman , hadn’t noticed her
• The speaker’s rhetorical questions show that she doesn’t understand why these things happened:
• This implies that she had little control over the situation
• The repetition of “find me out” implies that the man was searching, or hunting, for her
• Rossetti is making the case that the speaker was an innocent victim, and the “great lord” is responsible for her suffering

“He lured me to his palace-home – 

Woe’s me for joy thereof – 

To lead a shameless shameful life, 

His plaything and his love. 

He wore me like a golden knot, 

He changed me like a glove: 

So now I moan an unclean thing 

Who might have been a dove.”

• The nobleman tempted the speaker to go and live with him in his palace
• The speaker now regrets that she went with him happily
• The nobleman appeared to love her, but treated her casually and without respect
• He discarded her like a glove when he spotted someone he preferred more
• Now, she is miserable and disgraced , when she could have been pure and innocent, like a dove
• The speaker was “lured” by the nobleman to live with him, which implies that he tricked or trapped her into becoming his lover, possibly with promises of marriage
• The speaker’s current “ woe ” is for feeling “joy” when she became his lover:
• This implies that she believed his love to be real, before realising that he seduced her under false pretences
• “Shameless” describes how people would have characterised her actions: 
• Her life was also “shameful” because she wasn’t married, which went against the social expectations of Rossetti’s time
• The contradiction in the speaker being both a “ plaything ” and the nobleman’s “love” emphasises the nobleman’s deceit:
• He made her believe he loved her, but she was just a casual enjoyment for him
• The image of being worn “like a glove” shows how easily the nobleman cast the speaker aside, like taking off a glove
• The speaker’s bitter regret for her actions is shown in her description of herself as an “unclean thing”:
• She has internalised her social rejection, seeing herself as a “thing” that isn’t even human
• The dove, a traditional image of purity and innocence, is used to present a dramatic contrast between the speaker’s ruin and what might have been
• In this verse, Rossetti is illustrating the difference between the terrible consequences of sexual transgression for a woman and the apparent lack of any consequences for men

Lines 17–24

“O Lady Kate, my Cousin Kate, 

You grow more fair than I: 

He saw you at your father’s gate, 

Chose you and cast me by. 

He watched your steps along the lane, 

Your sport among the rye: 

He lifted you from mean estate 

To sit with him on high.”

• Cousin Kate’s title, “Lady”, shows that she is married to the nobleman
• Kate grew up even more beautiful than the speaker
• When the nobleman saw her, she was still living in her father’s house
• The nobleman chose Kate and discarded the speaker
• He watched Kate as she went about her daily life
• He raised her social status by marrying her
• The speaker’s direct address to her cousin makes her grievance feel more dramatic
• The description of the nobleman watching Kate suggests the calculating , almost predatory nature of his interest:
• It also mirrors his behaviour towards the speaker when he first met her
• In this stanza, Rossetti emphasises the nobleman’s power:
• He is able to marry the woman of his choice, regardless of his immoral behaviour
• He is also able to discard his previous lover without consequence

Lines 25–32

“Because you were so good and pure 

He bound you with his ring: 

The neighbours call you good and pure, 

Call me an outcast thing. 

Even so I sit and howl in dust 

You sit in gold and sing: 

Now which of us has tenderer heart? 

You had the stronger wing.”

• Kate refused to have sex with the nobleman unless he married her
• For this reason alone, the neighbours praise Kate’s goodness and purity, while they reject and despise the speaker
• While the speaker is suffering for her actions, Kate is enjoying a pleasant, luxurious life
• The speaker speculates that she was persuaded by the nobleman because she has a softer heart
• However, Kate’s determination to make the nobleman marry her was stronger:
• Her “stronger wing” is a metaphor for her stronger will and ambitions
• In this stanza, the speaker is comparing the nobleman’s seduction of her with Kate’s resistance to him
• Rossetti shows the contrast between the outcomes for the speaker and her cousin:
• Kate’s happiness is based on her marital status
• The speaker’s misery is based on her unmarried state
• The reference to the “gold”, or wealth, that Kate enjoys contrasts with the “golden knot” that characterised the speaker’s relationship with the nobleman:
• This represents a sense of the speaker’s entrapment , as opposed to Kate’s ease and luxury 
• Rossetti is illustrating how misplaced trust can lead to a lifetime of social exclusion

Lines 33–40

“O Cousin Kate, my love was true, 

Your love was writ in sand: 

If he had fooled not me but you, 

If you stood where I stand, 

He had not won me with his love 

Nor bought me with his land: 

I would have spit into his face 

And not have taken his hand.”

Explanation: 

• The speaker’s love for the nobleman was real, but Kate’s was not
• If the situation were reversed, the speaker wouldn’t have been persuaded by his wealth and status – “his land” – or his love
• Instead, she would have rejected him violently

Rossetti’s intention:

• The speaker compares her actions with her cousin’s:
• She claims her love was genuine, but Kate’s was “writ in sand”: not sincere or lasting
• If their situations were reversed, and Kate had been the seduced one, the speaker would have seen what kind of man he was:
• She would never have agreed to marry him 
• The speaker implies that Kate has only married the nobleman for his wealth:
• However, Rossetti also implies that Kate has less autonomy than the speaker suggests
• She describes her being “won” like a prize, and “bought” like an object
• This stanza questions the social mores of Rossetti’s time:
• Kate has done the right thing according to social convention, but has wronged the speaker
• This is because she has behaved in a materialistic , uncaring and disloyal way

Lines 41–48

“Yet I’ve a gift you have not got 

And seem not like to get: 

For all your clothes and wedding-ring 

I’ve little doubt you fret. 

My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride, 

Cling closer, closer yet: 

Your sire would give broad lands for one 

To wear his coronet.”

Explanation:

• However, the speaker has something that Kate hasn’t got, and doesn’t seem likely to get
• Despite Kate’s marriage and riches, the speaker believes she is sad about something
• The speaker has an illegitimate son, who is a source of shame and pride to her
• The nobleman would love to have a son to inherit his lands and title
• Rossetti shows that, although the speaker’s son is illegitimate, he is loved: 
• The speaker describes him as a “gift” and her “pride”
• She instructs him to “cling closer” to her, implying that she is his only source of comfort and protection
• However, being an unmarried mother is also a reason for the speaker’s “shame” in the eyes of society
• She expresses her bitterness by taunting Kate:
• Kate is the one who has married the nobleman, but she can’t give him a child
• The speaker’s son is illegitimate, so he can’t be the nobleman’s heir
• The fact that the speaker has something that Kate wants very much gives her a sense of bitter victory
• However, Rossetti’s focus is on the injustice that led to the speaker’s social rejection: 
• Women were disempowered in her society, because men could get away with destroying a woman’s life without suffering any negative consequences

Writer's methods

This section is split into three separate areas: form, structure and language. However, it’s important to link these areas of Rossetti’s writing together, in order to understand how she is presenting her ideas and why she has made those choices. Think about how Rossetti’s language, structure and form contribute to her theme and message in 'Cousin Kate'. 

You will gain far more marks by focusing on Rossetti’s theme, rather than individual poetic techniques. In the following sections, all the analysis is arranged by theme, including Rossetti’s intentions behind her choices of:

The best way to discuss the technical aspects of poems, such as their form, structure and language, is to link your knowledge of them with the themes and ideas in the poem. You should demonstrate your understanding of how Rossetti gets her meaning across. 

That means you should avoid identifying poetic techniques without linking them to the themes of 'Cousin Kate'. Your response should show how Rossetti uses form, structure and language to make her ideas clearer and more effective. For example, instead of writing “Rossetti uses a traditional ballad form”, you could state that “Rossetti’s use of the ballad form emphasises the universal nature of her message”. 

'Cousin Kate' is a narrative poem, written in the form of a ballad . The stanzas contain two  quatrains each, with alternating lines of eight and six beats and a rhyme scheme of ABCB. The poem is also a monologue , which emphasises the speaker’s direct address and intensifies her emotions as she tells her story. 

The poem’s structure tells the story of the speaker’s downfall , returning every few lines to her current feelings of sadness, shame, anger and resentment towards her cousin. This movement between the past and present emphasises the cause-and-effect nature of events in the poem. This in turn suggests the inevitability of the outcome, as well as the lack of consequences for the nobleman who betrayed her trust.  

Rossetti employs a range of metaphors and similes to convey her speaker’s situation. This is because her Victorian readers would have been shocked, or even alienated , by more direct descriptions of her speaker’s sexual relationship. They would have been capable of interpreting Rossetti’s language and its intended meaning. The poem also uses a number of language techniques to convey the speaker’s misery, disempowerment and sense of injustice.

Context offers you a different perspective on a poem and can enrich your engagement with it. However, you should aim to only use your knowledge of context to support your analysis of Rossetti’s ideas. Examiners don’t want to see chunks of information about Rossetti’s life or the times she lived in, unless they are supporting a response about the themes of the poem. The ideas explored in 'Cousin Kate' centre on the conflicts caused by injustice and inequality, especially for women. Therefore, this section has been bullet-pointed under the following themes: 

Conflict and injustice

Conflict and inequality

• The Victorian Era , when Rossetti was writing, was marked by deep injustices in the way society was organised:
• There was a huge gap between the richest and the poorest in society
• Things like infant mortality rates for the poor were extremely high
• Christina Rossetti grew up in a very artistic family:
• All the children were encouraged to develop their creative talents
• Rossetti’s brothers went on to have successful careers in painting and writing
• Rossetti wrote poetry all her life, and some of it was published:
• However, she did not have a professional career, like her brothers
• Instead, she spent most of her life caring for her invalid father
• Rossetti became deeply involved in the Anglo-Catholic movement at an early age:
• Her life was ruled by strict moral and religious principles
• She never married, and cancelled plans for marriage twice
• Rossetti published 'Cousin Kate' in 1862 in her collection Goblin Market and Other Poems:
• The title poem of the collection, ‘Goblin Market’, focuses on women’s vulnerability to deception , just like 'Cousin Kate'
• Much of Rossetti’s writing focuses on the injustice experienced by women 
• One of the most striking inequalities in the Victorian Era was the attitudes towards men and women:
• Women were believed to be inferior to men physically and intellectually
• They had few legal rights, and were seen as their husbands’ property
• However, the moral expectations of women were extremely high 
• Rossetti’s work often focuses on the unfair expectations placed on women’s moral and sexual behaviour:
• Women were expected to be chaste (to not have sex outside of marriage)
• The same expectations were not placed on men
• Rossetti experienced the results of this inequality directly:
• She volunteered at a charity for fallen women for ten years
• She worked with women whose lives had been ruined by their transgression of sexual norms
• Rossetti’s concern with the inequality between women and men can be seen in 'Cousin Kate':
• The speaker is an outcast, because she has had a child outside of marriage
• The nobleman who ruined her life suffers no consequences 
• The speaker lacks the power to confront the man, and instead attacks her cousin

Your response should show your understanding of the relationship between the poem and its context. Demonstrating your knowledge of contexts is a great way to add complexity to your analysis of the poem’s themes and ideas.

However, you should avoid including sections of information about Rossetti’s life or the Victorian Era without connecting them to the ideas she presents in 'Cousin Kate'. Aim to use your knowledge of contexts to support your analysis of Rossetti’s message. Your main focus should be on the poem’s key themes and how you can link them with the themes of other poems in your Conflict anthology.  

What to compare it to

In your exam, you are asked to compare the ideas and themes explored in two of the poems in your anthology. That means it’s a good idea to revise pairs of poems together, to understand the similarities and differences in how each poet presents their ideas about conflict in relation to each other. In 'Cousin Kate', Rossetti’s main themes are conflict and injustice , and conflict and inequality , so the following comparisons are the most appropriate:

'Cousin Kate' and 'A Poison Tree'

'Cousin Kate' and 'No Problem'

For each pair of poems, you will find:

• The comparison in a nutshell
• Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem
• Differences between the ideas presented in each poem
• Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

Your comparison of 'Cousin Kate' with another poem should show your detailed understanding of both poems. You will need to compare how Rossetti uses language, form and structure to present her themes with the methods used by other writers. Therefore, it’s important that you have a thorough knowledge of all the poems, rather than just memorising a series of quotations. 

Make sure your comparison includes the named poem and one other poem in the anthology. If you only write about the poem given on the paper, you will only achieve half the marks available. Writing a thorough comparison of two poems will achieve the highest marks. For instance, you could compare how Rossetti and Blake present anger, or how Zephaniah and Rossetti illustrate the effects of inequality.

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both William Blake’s 'A Poison Tree' and 'Cousin Kate' explore how deception can lead to acts of injustice in ordinary people’s lives. In both poems, there is a contrast between how people see themselves and how other people see them. Blake depicts how his speaker’s misrepresentation of his feelings leads to a tragedy, while Rossetti shows how her speaker’s tragedy has been caused by someone else’s deception. In 'Cousin Kate', the speaker’s bitterness and anger are caused by her sense of injustice, while in 'A Poison Tree', the speaker’s anger leads to the injustice of his enemy’s death. 

Similarities:

Differences:

Benjamin Zephaniah’s 'No Problem' and Rossetti’s 'Cousin Kate' focus on the theme of inequality. In 'Cousin Kate', the speaker’s unequal status is due to her being low-born – a “cottage-maiden” – and a woman. In 'No Problem', the speaker experiences inequality because he is Black. In both poems, the speakers are not the cause of inequality, but they suffer the consequences of it.  

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Author: Jen Davis

Jen studied a BA(Hons) in English Literature at the University of Chester, followed by an MA in 19th Century Literature and Culture. She taught English Literature at university for nine years as a visiting lecturer and doctoral researcher, and gained a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education in 2014. She now works as a freelance writer, editor and tutor. While teaching English Literature at university, Jen also specialised in study skills development, with a focus on essay and examination writing.

Cousin Kate

I was a cottage maiden Hardened by sun and air, Contented with my cottage mates, Not mindful I was fair. Why did a great lord find me out, And praise my flaxen hair? Why did a great lord find me out To fill my heart with care? He lured me to his palace home? Woe’s me for joy thereof? To lead a shameless shameful life, His plaything and his love. He wore me like a silken knot, He changed me like a glove; So now I moan, an unclean thing, Who might have been a dove. O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate, You grew more fair than I: He saw you at your father’s gate, Chose you, and cast me by. He watched your steps along the lane, Your work among the rye; He lifted you from mean estate To sit with him on high. Because you were so good and pure He bound you with his ring: The neighbours call you good and pure, Call me an outcast thing. Even so I sit and howl in dust, You sit in gold and sing: Now which of us has tenderer heart? You had the stronger wing. O cousin Kate, my love was true, Your love was writ in sand: If he had fooled not me but you, If you stood where I stand, He’d not have won me with his love Nor bought me with his land; I would have spit into his face And not have taken his hand. Yet I’ve a gift you have not got, And seem not like to get: For all your clothes and wedding-ring I’ve little doubt you fret. My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride, Cling closer, closer yet: Your father would give lands for one To wear his coronet.

Summary of Cousin Kate

Analysis of poetic devices used in ‘cousin kate’.

I was a cottage maiden Hardened by sun and air, Contented with my cottage mates, Not mindful I was fair.

Quotes to be Used

He’d not have won me with his love Nor bought me with his land; I would have spit into his face And not have taken his hand.

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Cousin Kate, Christina Rossetti Poem Analysis/Annotations

• March 10, 2019
• All Poems / GCSE Edexcel

Cousin Kate, Christina Rossetti

FULL POEM - SCROLL DOWN FOR LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS​

I was a cottage maiden

Hardened by sun and air

Contented with my cottage mates,

Not mindful I was fair.

Why did a great lord find me out,

And praise my flaxen hair?

To fill my heart with care?

He lured me to his palace home –

Woe’s me for joy thereof-

To lead a shameless shameful life,

His plaything and his love.

He wore me like a silken knot,

He changed me like a glove;

So now I moan, an unclean thing,

Who might have been a dove.

O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate,

You grew more fair than I:

He saw you at your father’s gate,

Chose you, and cast me by.

He watched your steps along the lane,

Your work among the rye;

He lifted you from mean estate

To sit with him on high.

Because you were so good and pure

He bound you with his ring:

The neighbors call you good and pure,

Call me an outcast thing.

Even so I sit and howl in dust,

You sit in gold and sing:

Now which of us has tenderer heart?

You had the stronger wing.

O cousin Kate, my love was true,

Your love was writ in sand:

If he had fooled not me but you,

If you stood where I stand,

He’d not have won me with his love

Nor bought me with his land;

I would have spit into his face

And not have taken his hand.

Yet I’ve a gift you have not got,

And seem not like to get:

For all your clothes and wedding-ring

I’ve little doubt you fret.

My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride,

Cling closer, closer yet:

Your father would give lands for one

To wear his coronet.

LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS

A ‘maiden’ is an unmarried girl or woman. The past tense of this first line creates a reminiscent tone, suggesting something happened to her for the worse thereby turning her away from this seemingly picturesque existence. The ‘sun’ and the ‘air’ create a beautiful, natural tone.

This line describes how the girl wanted nothing more from life – not a man, or wealth, or anything. Instead, she was content with her lower-class life with her ‘cottage mates’.

This states that she was not aware of her own beauty.

This rhetorical question gives an insight into her regret as if she is lamenting the fact that the ‘lord’ found her and ‘praised [her] flaxen hair’. We would expect her to be elated at such compliments and look back at this recognition with pleasure.

The repetitive nature of the rhetorical questions heightens the tone of regret like she is mourning her previous life. The word ‘care’ may imply that she had feelings for the ‘Lord’ or, instead, she is reflecting on her carefree nature which he stole.

Rossetti’s use of the verb ‘lured’ makes the Lord sound sinister, predatory and animalistic. This menace juxtaposes the luxury of his ‘palace home’.

This line narrates how the Lord caused her great sorrow for his own joy. His use of her mirrors his predatory nature in the previous line – he is feeding off her for his own joy.

This oxymoron encapsulates the conflicting emotions of the woman. She’s ‘shameless’ because of her newfound life of wealth and attention but ‘shameful’ as she’s aware that she’s being taken advantage of. With contextual knowledge of Victorian times, this shame she feels becomes more significant as it links to the view that women were not allowed to have sex out of wedlock and were viewed as inpure if they did.

‘Plaything’ shows that the relationship was just temporary to the Lord and that, to him, she was nothing more than an object of his pleasure – he didn’t ‘love’ her just the pleasure she provided for him.

A ‘silken knot’ is a piece of jewellery worn like a brooch and its effect here is to signify that she was merely an accessory to him – a possession to flaunt with little underlying emotion.

This line is pivotal in the poem as it illustrates how the woman was permanently changed by the Lord’s selfish pursuits of pleasure. The image of the ‘glove’ repeats how she was just an accessory for the Lord to flaunt.

She is now viewed by society as ‘unclean’ as, in Victorian times,  women who lost their virginity were viewed as in pure and having lost their innocence.

This line highlights just how much life the woman has to mourn. The pure, innocent image of the white ‘dove’ juxtaposes with how she is now ‘unclean’, and this contrast emphasises the extent of her loss.

O Lady kate, my cousin Kate,

The narrative shifts in this stanza as the speaker addresses her ‘cousin Kate’.

The speaker describes that whilst she was the Lord’s ‘plaything’ she lost her innocence as well as her beauty but her cousin’s beauty grew to become greater.

These two lines reveal why the speaker addressed Kate as ‘O Lady Kate’ at the start of this stanza. The ‘He’ is the ‘Lord’ and the speaker reveals how, upon seeing Kate, he cast the speaker away in favour of her.

These two lines narrate how the ‘Lord’ turned his attention towards Kate and became fixated on her and the attraction that he felt for her that the speaker could no longer offer.

There is a symmetry the Lord taking away Kate now as he did with the speaker in the events of the first stanza. The fact ‘he lifted’ her away creates a power imbalance in his favour just like previously. The height in the last line is a metaphor for her elevation in the social hierarchy.

The speaker implies that Kate refused to have sex with him out of wedlock, hence, retaining her purity. His attraction described in the last stanza motivated him to ‘bound [her] with his ring’ or propose to Kate. Ironically, Kate’s initial rejection of the Lord resulted in their marriage and the retention of her purity whilst still receiving the joys of living in luxury.

This line also offers us some contextual analysis as it shows that the view of society in Victorian England was held in great esteem. The perception of the ‘neighbours’ is a metaphor for the perception of the entire Victorian society/

The contrasting societal views of the two women becoming more evident with the contrast between ‘good and pure’ of Kate and the ‘outcast thing’ of the speaker. The pronoun ‘thing’ signifies her status as almost sub-human.

There juxtaposing comforts of life are now elaborated on. The animalistic imagery of the speaker howling in the dust links with the dehumanisation in the previous line and it brutally contrasts with the pleasantness of singing and the luxury of the ‘gold’, compared to the coarseness of the dust.

This rhetorical question implies that the speaker is questioning how easily moved Kate is in comparison to her. The inference is that the speaker believes her own heart has become more tender and compassionate as a result of her hardship, whilst Kate’s has become less due to her life of luxury.

The speaker doesn’t answer her rhetorical question (the ambiguity, I think, suggests she feels it’s herself) but does conclude that Kate was stronger willed and surmises that it is this which has led to their juxtaposing outcomes in life.

The narrator reveals that her love for the Lord was real and, ultimately, this sincerity of her love brought about her tragic downfall.

The description of Kate’s love as ‘writ in sand’ is a metaphor for the lack of meaning and substance to her love, just as writing in the sand is insignificant and temporary because it gets washed away by the sea.

The tone of regret returns as the narrator once again laments how she was fooled by the lord. A tinge of contempt for her cousin is also evident here, as the narrator feels betrayed and envious of Kate who, in a way, benefitted from witnessing the demise of her relationship with the lord.

The narrator describes that if she was in Kate’s position having seen Kate be fooled like she was, she too, would not have been charmed and ‘bought’ by the Lord and his power.

The narrator follows the previous lines by reinforcing the fact that, had their roles been reversed, her love would have turned into contempt for the Lord.

The narrator makes another comparison between herself and her cousin. But this time she has the upper-hand – she previously mentions Kate’s life of luxury compared to her own life of poverty, but now she has a ‘gift’ that Kate may never have.

The language and structure here have an effect of belittling these material possessions and their importance. It is a touch ironic as this is what compelled the narrator to the Lord in the first place. But the main inference is that this ‘gift’ exceeds any material possession that Kate may have.

The narrator reveals that this incredible gift is a ‘son’. With contextual knowledge, we know the extent of the importance of having a son in Victorian times – to continue the family name and inheritance. Her son is her ‘shame’ because of the out-of-wedlock sex and loss of innocence he personifies, but his historical significance and the connection between mother and baby also make him her ‘pride’.

Your father would give his lands for one

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• GCSE Edexcel

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Cousin Kate

Cousin kate lyrics.

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The poem is a dramatic monologue , directly addressed to the eponymous Cousin Kate, who is called “you” throughout, although she is clearly not present. As in all good dramatic monologues, the reader can track the gamut of emotions, contradictions and inconsistences in this unreliable narrator’s story. We are left with a fascinating picture of confused motives, injustice and self-delusion.

The emotional story is complex, and one can read into it possible comments about gender imbalance, class inequality and family strife. All this derives from a simple plot. A ‘great lord’ is able to pick and choose from the poor girls living nearby. The narrator and her cousin are comparable, but one, Kate, is fortunate to be raised to the position of his wife. The narrator is less lucky and becomes shunned and ruined as his sexual plaything. As in another comparable poem by Rosetti, ‘Sister Maude’, it also tells a story of bitter family rivalry.

It is worth noting that the dramatic nature of the stories that appealed to Victorian readers, especially women, were often histrionic and Gothic; an escape for those who lived dull, oppressive middle-class lives.

Structure It is written in a traditional ballad form. This means that it alternates 8 and 6 syllable lines — that is an unstressed and a stressed syllable called a iamb forming a metric foot — with a regular rhyme scheme. There are six stanzas, each of eight lines. Ballads are often narrative poems, like this one.

The rhyme scheme is complex. The first stanza forms ABCBDBDB. The other stanzas, when analysed, show slight variations on this basic pattern. This sounds confusing yet when read or spoken the poem flows naturally and is an indication of Rosetti’s ability to manipulate rhyme.

Language and Imagery This is written in the first person singular,‘ I’, a dramatic monologue in which the ‘cottage maiden’ tells her story. The language is that of a country girl with limited education, direct and without complex metaphors, but the effect is dramatic and moving.

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Cousin Kate by Christina Georgina Rossetti: poem analysis

• christina-georgina-rossetti

This is an analysis of the poem Cousin Kate that begins with:

I was a cottage maiden Hardened by sun and air ... full text

More information about poems by Christina Georgina Rossetti

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Cousin Kate (Christina Rossetti)

Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti is a narrative poem that tells the story of a young woman who is seduced and abandoned by a wealthy lord. The speaker, Kate's cousin, reflects on her own past relationship with the lord and the consequences of his betrayal. Despite the speaker's love and loyalty, the lord chooses Kate over her, leaving the speaker feeling betrayed and abandoned. However, as the poem progresses, the speaker reveals that Kate's relationship with the lord has also brought her suffering, as she is now left alone with his child while the speaker has found love and happiness elsewhere. You can read the poem below and find analysis further down the page.

Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti

I was a cottage-maiden

Hardened by sun and air,

Contented with my cottage-mates,

Not mindful I was fair. 

Why did a great lord ­ find me out

And praise my ‑ flaxen hair?

To ­ fill my heart with care?

He lured me to his palace-home –

Woe’s me for joy thereof –

To lead a shameless shameful life,

His plaything and his love. 

He wore me like a golden knot,

He changed me like a glove: 

So now I moan an unclean thing

Who might have been a dove.

O Lady Kate, my Cousin Kate,

You grow more fair than I: 

He saw you at your father’s gate, 

Chose you and cast me by.

He watched your steps along the lane,

Your sport among the rye: 

He lifted you from mean estate

To sit with him on high.

Because you were so good and pure

He bound you with his ring:

The neighbours call you good and pure,

Call me an outcast thing. 

Even so I sit and howl in dust

You sit in gold and sing:

Now which of us has tenderer heart? 

You had the stronger wing. 

O Cousin Kate, my love was true,

Your love was writ in sand: 

If he had fooled not me but you, 

If you stood where I stand,

He had not won me with his love

Nor bought me with his land:

I would have spit into his face

And not have taken his hand.

Yet I’ve a gift you have not got

And seem not like to get:

For all your clothes and wedding-ring

I’ve little doubt you fret.

My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride,

Cling closer, closer yet:

Your sire would give broad lands for one

To wear his coronet.

Title and Subject Matter:

The title "Cousin Kate" immediately introduces the central characters of the poem: Kate and the speaker, who is Kate's cousin. The poem explores themes of love, betrayal, and societal expectations, particularly regarding the roles and expectations placed on women in Victorian society.

Structure and Form:

"Cousin Kate" is written in quatrains with a regular rhyme scheme (ABAB), creating a sense of rhythm and structure. The use of regular meter and rhyme scheme contributes to the poem's narrative flow and emotional impact.

Language and Tone:

Rossetti uses simple, yet evocative language to convey the speaker's emotions and experiences in a direct and relatable manner.

The tone of the poem is melancholic and reflective, with the speaker lamenting the betrayal and abandonment she has experienced at the hands of the lord.

Characterisation and Point of View:

The poem is narrated from the perspective of the speaker, Kate's cousin, allowing readers to empathise with her feelings of betrayal and resentment. Through the speaker's reflections, Rossetti explores the complexities of relationships and the societal expectations placed on women during the Victorian era.

Love and betrayal: The poem explores the theme of love and betrayal, as the speaker recounts her past relationship with the lord and the subsequent betrayal by both him and Kate.

Social expectations and gender roles: Rossetti examines the societal expectations placed on women, particularly regarding relationships and marriage, highlighting the injustices and constraints faced by women in Victorian society.

Redemption and resilience: Despite the speaker's initial feelings of betrayal and abandonment, she ultimately finds redemption and happiness, showcasing her resilience and strength.

Key Quotes:

"O cousin Kate, my love was true, / Your love was writ in sand:"

"He changed me like a glove; / So now I moan, an unclean thing, / Who might have been a dove."

"Yet I've a gift you have not got, / And seem not like to get: / For all your clothes and wedding-ring, / I've little doubt you fret."

Conclusion:

Cousin Kate by Christina Rossetti is a poignant exploration of love, betrayal, and societal expectations in Victorian society.   Through the speaker's reflections, Rossetti delves into the complexities of relationships and the injustices faced by women, particularly regarding the expectations placed on them by society.   The poem's inclusion in the Edexcel GCSE English Literature Conflict Poetry Anthology provides students with an opportunity to explore themes of love, betrayal, and gender roles, as well as to engage with the social and historical context of Victorian society.

You can find analysis of all the Edexcel Conflict Poetry Anthology Poems here . 

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Power and Gender in Christina Rossetti's "Cousin Kate"

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Introduction

I. structural analysis.

II. Language and Imagery

Iii. gender and power dynamics, iv. conclusion.

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• The poems "the seduction" and "cousin Kate" Pages: 6 (1705 words)

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Compare Cousin Kate by Christina Rosetti and Poison Tree by William Blake (Edexcel GCSE)

Here’s a sample essay for Edexcel GCSE English Literature (Paper 2) – demonstrating a comparison between “Cousin Kate” by Christina Rosetti and “Poison Tree” by William Blake. These poems are both from the Edexcel GCSE Conflict anthology.

Have a read through this, and pretend you are marking the exam. What would you change about the essay and why? Have I met all the key marking criteria – and do you know what this is!?

Remember, you’ll have 35 minutes in the real thing – so why not have a go yourself, and write a comparison of another two poems in your anthology? But in the meantime, let’s get some inspiration…

Re-read “Cousin Kate”. Choose one other poem from the Conflict anthology. Compare how difficult emotions are presented in the two poems. In your answer, you should consider the: poets’ use of language, form and structure (AO2) influence of the contexts in which the poems were written (AO3)

In both Cousin Kate by Christina Rosetti and Poison Tree by William Blake, the poets present the destructive force of negative emotions and injustice in society. Whilst the two poems are contrastingly written from male and female perspectives, they both utilise conventional poetic forms and present narrators striving to regain personal agency and power (with varying degrees of success!).

The regular form and rhyme scheme of both poems (Blake using four quatrains formed of rhyming couplets and Rosetti utilising a traditional ballad form with an ABAB rhyme scheme) provides an outward illusion of regularity and control. Whilst these accessible forms allowed both poets to reach a wider audience with their didactic messages of social reform, they hide the deeply subversive actions of their narrators. Whilst Blake presents the shocking fact that his narrator is “glad” his foe has been poisoned, Rosetti’s narrator is similarly triumphant in her defeat of Cousin Kate; a family member she may have been expected to support in her marriage.

In both poems the volta comes early. In a Poison Tree, this comes after the first two lines when the focus switches from anger between friends to anger between enemies (“I told it not, my wrath did grow”). In Cousin Kate, the volta comes after the second stanza where the narrator’s focus shifts from her own treatment to Cousin Kate who had “grew more fair than I”. After this point, both poems deal with the jealousy and anger experienced by each narrator. Blake was a well known social reformer, and the ambiguous reference to “foe” (the reader never finds out the cause of the disagreement) could perhaps refer to the necessity of open communication to avoid anger and violence within society.

Despite the similarity of both poems depicting the destructive potential of unchecked anger – Rosetti’s narrator arguably has much more to be “angry” about. Rosetti’s own charitable work with “fallen women” at the St Mary Magdalene House of Charity informed her interest in women looked-down upon by Victorian Society. These were often prostitutes and single women with little power and agency in society. Indeed, she only utilises active verbs to describe the male character. The great lord “wore me”, “changed me” (with similes comparing her to inanimate knots and easily disposable gloves) and then “watched” and “lifted” fair Cousin Kate once he tired of the narrator. The narrator (just like Victorian women in a patriarchal society) was powerless to reject his advances which have now made her an “unclean thing” in the eyes of society.

Whilst the nobleman stole the woman’s potential to have remained an innocent “dove” – Blake’s antagonist also attempts to steal from the narrator. Even though he “knew that it was mine”, he tries to steal the “apple bright” from the narrator’s garden. The image of the apple is an allusion to the fruit eaten by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden – destroying their innocence and bringing sin into the world. Despite these negative religious connotations, it also represents the moment of triumph for the narrator, who had been obsessively growing this trap (and “sunned it with smiles” and “soft deceitful wiles”) to entice his foe. The sibilance of “sunned it with smiles” enhances the threatening tone, leaving the reader in little doubt that the foe “outstretched beneath the tree” has met an untimely end.

Just as Blake’s narrator enjoyed ultimate triumph over their enemy, Rosetti’s narrator also revels a strange “revenge” on Cousin Kate and the Great Lord. With the alliterative phrase “I’ve a gift you have not got, and seem not like to get” she introduces her son (likely begot from the Lord himself). The juxtaposition of “my shame, my pride” reflects the opinions of society more generally (shame at a child born out of wedlock), as well as the woman’s personal love for her child. A legitimate son is what the man deeply desires – and would “give lands” for one to “wear his coronet”. It becomes the only thing the female narrator has the power to keep from him.

In conclusion, both Cousin Kate by Christina Rosetti and Poison Tree by William Blake…

How would you conclude this essay!? Remember to make sure this matches both your introduction and the things you’ve talked about during the essay as a whole. How are they similar, and how are they different? Have a go at writing a few sentences to summarise the key points – and good luck! 😊

Edexcel Mark Scheme: Level 5

N.B. If you struggled with knowing what to mark in the essay – here’s the things Edexcel say you’ll need for top marks:

The writing is informed by perceptive comparisons and contrasts, with a varied and comprehensive range of similarities and/or differences between the poems considered. There is perceptive grasp of form and structure and their effect. The response offers a cohesive evaluation of the poets’ language and its effect on the reader. Relevant subject terminology is integrated and precise. There is excellent understanding of context, and convincing understanding of the relationship between poems and context is integrated into the response.

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Christina Georgina Rossetti

Cousin kate, other works by christina georgina rossetti....

If the sun could tell us half That he hears and sees, Sometimes he would make us laugh, Sometimes make us cry: Think of all the birds that make

Promise me no promises, So will I not promise you: Keep we both our liberties, Never false and never true: Let us hold the die uncast,

If stars dropped out of heaven, And if flowers took their place, The sky would still look very fair… And fair earth’s face. Winged angels might fly down to us

I said of laughter: it is vain. Of mirth I said: what profits it? Therefore I found a book, and wri… Therein how ease and also pain, How health and sickness, every one

What are heavy? Sea—sand and sorr… What are brief? To—day and to—mor… What are frail? Spring blossoms a… What are deep? The ocean and trut…

Hope is like a harebell trembling… Love is like a rose the joy of all… Faith is like a lily lifted high a… Love is like a lovely rose the wor… Harebells and sweet lilies show a…

Minnie and Mattie And fat little May, Out in the country, Spending a day. Such a bright day,

The horses of the sea Rear a foaming crest, But the horses of the land Serve us the best. The horses of the land

The summer nights are short Where northern days are long: For hours and hours lark after lar… Trills out his song. The summer days are short

The sunrise wakes the lark to sing… The moonrise wakes the nightingale… Come darkness, moonrise, everythin… That is so silent, sweet, and pale… Come, so ye wake the nightingale.

‘Kookoorookoo! kookoorookoo!’ Crows the cock before the morn; ‘Kikirikee! kikirikee!’ Roses in the east are born. ‘Kookoorookoo! kookoorookoo!’

My baby has a mottled fist, My baby has a neck in creases; My baby kisses and is kissed, For he’s the very thing for kisses…

Rosy maiden Winifred, With a milkpail on her head, Tripping through the corn, While the dew lies on the wheat In the sunny morn.

If hope grew on a bush, And joy grew on a tree, What a nosegay for the plucking There would be! But oh! in windy autumn,

There is but one May in the year, And sometimes May is wet and cold… There is but one May in the year Before the year grows old. Yet though it be the chilliest Ma…

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Comparing and contrasting the two poems: 'Cousin Kate' and 'The Seduction'.

Temel Adil 10TA

      My essay is going to be about comparing and contrasting the two poems: ‘Cousin Kate’ and ‘The Seduction’. I have read the two poems thoroughly and researched the authors. ‘Cousin Kate’ is about a young maid who serves the Lord. The Lord leads on the maid and has sex with her for his own pleasure. The maid thinks the Lord is going to marry her but he does not. The maid’s cousin – Kate marries the Lord instead. The maid becomes pregnant and has a child out of wedlock. This makes her a social outcast. ‘The Seduction’ is about a teenage girl who has one night-stand with a boy after an all night party. The teenage girl becomes pregnant and everyone in the neighbourhood sees her as a social outcast.

     These poems have many things in common. For example they both have female authors. In both poems, the maid and the girl both feel betrayed because the girl in ‘The Seduction’ says that she feels betrayed by her magazines and I quote ‘And she ripped up all her My Guy magazines and her Jackie photo comics until they were just bright paper like confetti’. In ‘Cousin Kate’ the maid feels betrayed by the Lord because the Lord uses her and dumps her for her cousin Kate, ‘you grew more fairer than I: He saw you at your father’s gate, chose you and pass me by’. Further more, both of the women have a child out of wedlock. In Christina Rossetti’s time, it was wrong to have a child out of wedlock and I can prove this by ‘The neighbours call you good and pure and call me an outcast thing’. In Eileen McAuley’s time, it isn’t that bad because there are teenagers having babies all over the place. I know that in ‘The Seduction’ had a child out of wedlock and that she hated it because she said it was ‘better to starve yourself that to walk through town with a belly huge and ripe’.

This is a preview of the whole essay

     The two poems are also different in many ways. One of the differences is that the protagonist in ‘The Seduction’ is a sixteen year old girl doing her O levels ‘was the summer of her sixteenth year’ and ‘about her O levels she’d be sitting in June’. Whereas the protagonist in ‘Cousin Kate’ is a maid for the Lord. I know this because the poem reads ‘I was a cottage maiden’. Furthermore, there is another difference. The girl in ‘The Seduction’ hates her baby whereas the maid in ‘Cousin Kate’ accepts her child. I back this up by ‘better to starve yourself, like a sick precious child than to walk through town with a belly huge and ripe’ this is what the protagonist thinks of her baby in ‘The Seduction’. In ‘Cousin Kate’ the protagonist says her child is ‘my shame, my pride’. There is also another difference between the two poems. The two poems were written in different times. ‘The Seduction’ was written in the 20 th  century whereas ‘Cousin Kate’ was written in the 19 th  century. This can create different views towards the poems.

     The mood of the poems are depressing yet interesting. At the start of ‘The Seduction’ the mood is a hopeful mood. Sentences like this make the mood hopeful – ‘she had met him at the party and he had danced with her all night’. Later on in ‘The Seduction’ the mood became depressing and betrayal came into the poem. The protagonist in ‘The Seduction’ felt betrayed, ‘full of glossy horoscopes and glamour with a stammer; full of fresh diets – hoe did she feel betrayed’. In ‘Cousin Kate’, the begging of the poem, the maid sleeps with the Lord thinking that he is going to marry her ‘He lured me to his palace home – woe’s me for joy thereof’. The Lord ended up marrying her cousin. The maid felt used in ‘Cousin Kate’, ‘He wore me like a silken knot, He changed me like a glove’.

       The languages in the two poems are both different. I think because ‘Cousin Kate’ was written in the 19 th  century and ‘The Seduction’ was written in the 20 th  century so the language was more modern in ‘The Seduction’. Christina Rossetti used words such as ‘changed me like a glove’ to describe how the Lord used her in ‘Cousin Kate’. I found this effective because it is a good metaphor and it makes the Lord sound like a user. The language used in ‘The Seduction’ was not as standard as the language used in ‘Cousin Kate’. The language used in ‘The Seduction’ paints a bleak picture of the night events. The poet Eileen McAuley uses settings such as ‘Birkenhead Docks’ to create the image that the setting is not romantic. The language makes me feel interested in the poem and allows me to get into the poem thoroughly.

     ‘The Seduction’ was a much longer poem than ‘Cousin Kate’. ‘The Seduction’ has 16 stanzas whereas ‘Cousin Kate’ has 5 stanzas. The stanzas in ‘The Seduction’ has 4 lines that every other line rhymed. ‘Cousin Kate’ has random lines in each stanza and a random rhyming pattern.

     Finally I come to my conclusion. To be honest I preferred ‘The Seduction’ it reflects how teenagers get pregnant so easily. These days teenage pregnancies are at a record high and people do not take any notice anymore whereas in Christina Rossetti’s day it was a disgrace to have a child out of wedlock. It can also depend on the situation. That concludes my essay.

Document Details

• Word Count 942
• Page Count 2
• Subject English

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By christina rossetti, cousin kate quotes and analysis.

He changed me like a glove; So now I moan, an unclean thing, Who might have been a dove. Speaker

The speaker uses two very different metaphorical comparisons to describe the possible roles she might have fit into, and in doing so critiques the harshly delineated roles available to women of her social class. Currently she is treated like a fashionable accessory. The lord physically uses her like a piece of clothing, treating her as a useful but ultimately dispensable object. Moreover, the word "unclean" insinuates that, according to the sexual norms of her society, she becomes sullied and less-valued because of this objectification. The object with which she metaphorically contrasts the glove is not an object at all but a living thing, capable of flight and therefore of agency. Doves are also symbolically resonant. They mate for life, suggesting that the speaker might have been a valued companion of the lord. They are also associated with peace, hinting that, had she married the lord, the speaker would not have allowed such intense social discord to occur.

O Lady Kate, my cousin Kate, You grew more fair than I: Speaker

This neat quatrain demonstrates the arbitrary standards and capricious decisions that have led to the speaker's downfall. In the space of just three quick iambs, the speaker chronicles the process by which her own previously mentioned fairness becomes irrelevant. She is outstripped by her cousin in a process outside of either girl's control, and both of their lives change as a result. This strange shift from an equal relationship to an unmatched one, leaving a bizarre tension between Kate and the speaker, is summarized in the first of these two lines. The speaker addresses her cousin as both "O lady" and "my cousin," the first title distant and worshipful, the second familiar and proprietary.

Because you were so good and pure He bound you with his ring: The neighbors called you good and pure, Call me an outcast thing. Speaker

Here, the speaker highlights the impossible trap she finds herself in. She was initially rejected by the lord in favor of Kate, as a result of her perceived promiscuity relative to her cousin's perceived morality and purity. However, rejection alone is not the only price she has to pay. The lord puts her in a purely sexual role, which only increases her reputation for promiscuity, causing society as a whole to turn on her. Her divergence from gender norms places her in a cycle, by which she is forced into increasingly non-normative roles, leading to harsher and harsher rejection. Furthermore, the speaker's initial sin was not any particular act of promiscuity, but only a failure to be judged as pure as her cousin. A scarcity of opportunities means that Kate's success results in disproportionate punishment for the speaker.

Even so I sit and howl in dust, You sit in gold and sing: Now which of us has tenderer heart? You had the stronger wing. Speaker

Here, Rossetti makes use of the ballad form to emphasize the contrast between the two girls. Lines one and three match both in length and in end-rhyming sound. The same is true of lines two and four. Rossetti chooses to focus on Kate in lines two and four, emphasizing her happiness, comfort, and success. In lines one and three, meanwhile, the speaker receives more focus. The contrast between the speaker and Kate is heightened by the contrasts between line length and end rhyme. By interspersing lines focusing on Kate with those focusing on the speaker, Rossetti has readers pivot between the two, the sudden juxtapositions causing an awareness of the simultaneous closeness and extreme difference between the women.

My fair-haired son, my shame, my pride Speaker

The word "fair" holds a great deal of significance in this line and in the revelation of the son. The speaker is described early in the poem as being "flaxen-haired," meaning that both she and her son have blond hair. This underscores the closeness between herself and her child, establishing him as the one thing she still has some degree of ownership over. At the same time, this mark of their relatedness makes the child an even more potent reminder of the speaker's experiences of exploitation by the lord. For this reason, the child is indeed both her "shame" and her "pride," representing both her loss of control and the little control she maintains. Moreover, the word "fair" has previously cropped up to describe both Kate and the speaker. In these earlier instances, "fair" meant "beautiful" rather than "light-colored." Nevertheless, fairness was the metric by which the lord chose Kate over the speaker, and its use here subtly suggests that the son will win his father's affection.

Cousin Kate Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Cousin Kate is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Study Guide for Cousin Kate

Cousin Kate study guide contains a biography of Christina Rossetti, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Cousin Kate
• Cousin Kate Summary
• Character List