CHRISTINA ROSSETI’S ‘’WHAT IS PINK?

’’
ANALYSIS
A famous poet of the Victorian Era Christina Georgina Rossetti. She was born in London , England on
December 5th in 1830. She was home-schooled by her parents. Her parents influenced her to become
a poet.
Her family faced finacial problems and her dad got sick. He was really sick that he stopped teaching
and he lived 11 years and he died. Her mother had to work to look after her family. One of her brother
was working in an Office while her other brother was at art school. Therefore she became lonely. She
suffered from depression when she was 14. Her mother and sister beacame interested in Anglo-
Catholic movement that started in England. She married James Collinson the painter. And they got
divorced because James Collinson converted to Catholic. When her family had difficulties in
1853.She helped her mother to keep a school but it did not succeed. When her father died in 1854 her
mother and Christina returned to London. Even though she received marriage propasals she rejected
all of them. She began writing poems in 1842. She began trying poem types such as sonnets , ballads.
In 1871 she wrote a poem called What is Pink ?. The poem is about expressing colors. She continued
to write about children’s poetry. In 1872 she suffered from hyperthyroidism.
On December 29th 1894 she died and buried on New Years Day.
WHAT IS PINK?
BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI

What is pink? a rose is pink

By a fountain's brink.
What is red? a poppy's red
In its barley bed.

What is blue? the sky is blue

Where the clouds float thro'.
What is white? a swan is white
Sailing in the light.

What is yellow? pears are yellow,

Rich and ripe and mellow.
What is green? the grass is green,
With small flowers between.

What is violet? clouds are violet

In the summer twilight.
What is orange? Why, an orange,
Just an orange!
Themes

Nature
Animals
Natural beauty

Poetic Devices
Simile
Rhyme

The rhyme scheme:

Pink - A Mellow - E
Brink - A Green - F
Red - B Between - F
Bed - B Violet - G
Blue - C Twilight - D
Thro - C Orange - H
White - D Orange - H
Light - D
Yellow - E
 First Stanza

The speaker compares beauty of nature to colors. The speaker loves

flowers.

Second Stanza

Third stanza
The speaker mentions soft and ripe pears. On the grass there is flowers.

Fourth Stanza

The speaker mentions various colors of the sunset.

.