essay help

[mslovely]

how would i start off this question.. would you agree that rossetti's poetry reflects the victorian obsession with death? i really need help with the introduction.. if you could help i would be so greatful. thanks ever so much xx

[tetherend]

mslovely, I'm no academic, but what about:

Let us consider Rossetti's poetry and the belief/possibility/that it reflects the Victorian obsession with death.

 

Hope someone comes up with a better suggestion for you.  Good luck.

[Peter Pedant]

The Victorian obsession with death is connected with the observation that Death did not visit only the young and Old, or indeed only the sick and infirm. Culturally it is associated with the prolonged time period in which outward signs of Death were maintained. Black mourning clothes were worn for a year. There is even a black wedding dress on exhibition in a clothing museum worn by a bride who had been bereaved during her engagement. Death is protrayed in Art, Music and.....der daaah Poetry.....

[tetherend]

mslovely, I'm glad Peter has replied.  I don't think you'd get a better suggestion.

[Morrisonker]

Mslovely if you have enough time I recommend a book called 'The Poetry of Mourning'.  type that into Amazon and you should find it.  It's a collection of essays looking at various poets and the theme of death and mourning within their work.  It's really interesting and really helped when I was doing an essay on a similar topic to you.

[magicdice]

perhaps a good way to begin the essay would be with a few comments on the victorian obsession with death, references to other poets whose work also demonstrates this and then move on to discussing rossetti's writing.

[flaming]

Do you mean Christina Rossetti?  Or Gabriel? Start off with "Undoubtedly, the Victorian obsession with death is reflected in Rossetti's poetry.  Bearing in mind his/her middle-class upbringing and his/her writing years (dates), he/she was a product of that time, thus his/her poetry - the writing of which would be considered an admirable pursuit for a well-to-do person of the day - could only have reflected the zeitgeist of that period.  Much of the melancholy displayed at that time followed the example set by Queen Victoria whose behaviour, following the death of her beloved Consort, Albert, set the tone for mourning fashions, mourning jewellery, decorous behaviour and so on.   Small wonder that this attitude to death permeated the creative arts so much so that Rosetti would have known little else.  After reading  (examplesof poems read) I conclude that the creative circle of poets and painters of the day had little chance of NOT reflecting this obsession."

 I don't know if this helps.  Take a word or a phrase from here or there.  The questioner just wants to know if you agree or not, so the word "undoubtedly" shows you are confident about your view.  Get some dates and examples into the essay.  My bit about the Queen setting the tone is an example of a reason - try to get in an explanation of why you agree.  Show the coming through of the reflection by discussing particular lines from particular poems. 

[TanyaLieberman]

Hope this post will help you Media URL: http://blog.custom-papers.co.uk/index.php/2012/03/19/introduction-to-poetry-learn-everything-that-you-wanted-to-know/
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[TanyaLieberman]

Try this post http://www.theanswerb...e/Question108320.html