Comparison of Sister Maude and Farmers Bride

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Compare the ways the poet presents ideas about relationships in Sister Maude and Farmers Bride. In Sister Maude Rossetti presents a quarrel between the two sisters. This is shown when she says ‘but sister Maude shall get no sleep’; this suggests that she thinks her sister will go to hell because of what she has done. The fact that she doesn’t use a personal pronoun for her sister suggests that she has disowned her and believes that she is no longer part of the family. The phrase ‘no sleep’ is a euphemism for death and suggests that she will pay for what she has done. This is similar to Farmers Bride as he is frustrated that she will not interact with him. This is shown when he says ‘three summers since I chose a maid’; this suggests that she has been avoiding him for the past three years, which is frustrating for him. The word ‘maid’ implies that she is still a virgin, suggesting that his frustration could also be sexual In Sister Maude italics are used to emphasise her hatred for her sister Maude. This is used in the last line of the poem ‘Bide you with death and sin’; this symbolised her outrage at her sister and her hope that she will pay by going to hell after death. The word ‘Bide’ implies that she will have to live with what she has done, even after death. In contrast, Farmers Bride uses sibilance to emphasise that there are few good point about their relationship; ‘sweet as the wild violets, she, /To her wild self’ this symbolises his love and admiration for her, which is short lived as je cannot get near her. The word ‘wild’ has connotations of unspoilt freedom and rejection of people suggesting that she would rather be with nature than with another person, particularly a male. In sister Maude juxtaposition is used to show the emotion change from one stanza to the next. In the first stanza she is angry with her sister for telling her father, ‘who told my

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