A Birthday Essay

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Commentary of ‘A Birthday’ This poem is called “A Birthday” and is written by Christina Rosetti. The poem explores the themes of nature and religion, and is about the speaker expressing her happiness towards this special day, emphasizing that thus Birthday is different from the others that she has experienced. “A Birthday” is composed of two stanzas. In the first stanza, nature is compared with the happiness that she feels. There is a repetition of ‘My heart’ in stanza 1, which gives images of happiness as well as focuses on feelings and emotions that she is experiencing. The use of ‘My heart’ also gives an image of romance. Similes and metaphors are used to give an image of happiness and romance. For example: “My heart is like a rainbow shell, that paddles in a halcyon sea;” The word ‘halycon’ gives an image of relaxation and calm, which makes the poem seem romantic. “My heart is like an apple tree, whose boughs are bent with thick-set fruit;” This gives an image of happiness and nature, that the seasons have changed and spring has arrived, meaning that the trees are in bloom and the fruit is growing which gives off the image of re-birth and expresses her happiness of being re-born and the beauty of nature around her. This image of nature and the images used to describe her happiness signal a change in seasons, which represents a re-birth of nature, a new time, much like a birthday. The last two lines of Stanza 1 truly express her happiness as well as portrays more than one image/theme. “My heart is gladder than all of these Because my love is come to me.” These two lines express her happiness because of her love has come to her, but it could be more than one type of love that she is referring to. It could be her boyfriend coming to visit her, or it could be for her love of a higher power or religion since it doesn’t say ‘he has come to me’ but ‘my love is
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