I

ccStGeT
A Ouidr to wb(rqt

UPhill
tho waY?
wind uP'hill all
CHrusnua very cod'
tcke the wholc
long daY?
will
to dght' EY friead.
About tte Poet
for thc aigbt a resting-Place?
Ctristina Rossctti was bom ot But hours begltr'
l

A whcn thc slow dark

a fmily tlat had 8 famc. Hcr mY face?
darloess hide it from
herbrotherDaatc May
miss that inn.
Itr I 8J0 sevc! ofhcrpocms
iu the.lburoal Tha Germ which w&t a other waYfarers at night?
Horvever, Rosse$i is best knowu
have gone before.
fecling and symbolism. Her Gtblin
rucces, with favourable noticcs I knock, or call when just in sight?
Spcctator, not keep you standing at that door'
Reviw. (ioblin
rn vanout
temphtion ofgoblin fruil FroE l
comfort, havel-sore aod weak?
Rossetti rccovcrcd, thc you shell fiud the surn
was diagooscd with witt be beds for me and all who seek?
in her own home. The for all who come.
of acute Euffering shc
study Rossetti's responsc to
uodcr discussiol arc

)1
 tl

ccllGE.S
b llboat Writitrg ud
A Cuid!

Annotrtlons lnd
Tbe "slow
Does rhe rcod wlnd uP'hill oll t,ha
qucrtioo whsthr lifc will alwayr
hvo voiccs. Hsre we fsd thc
lmit vorcc
bcgrming &c corvcrsational stylo t6 suggest
wzd road dirccB out by powcr.
-Thc
oflife. Lile an uPhill rcrd our .ife has

tes, n rte vetT cnd-

Thc Poco
sltutraliBg liacs, ltc lirt
voice is thc
udetrt8!d thc road ahcad Thc s€cond
tlc jomey md shrer wisdom about it dealh @vel16' Hs€ it symbolises heaven'
ovemight lodging for
the dayljoumey- Thc day stsods
Hereit mcaos humao beings'
travellers.
The first spesker wants to kflow
rcad lretj
*hole neet otherwqtanrs at nlght? -
bdshc will mect others in hcaven.
to a maa's l.ifc, Thc
before-\\o* who have already died andreachedheaven'
lifc for dtrrhS hava- uho hove gone
*ill aotkeep you standing at thal door-- Wtren one will reach there (at
ona gstc ofheaven), theY wiltbe called In.
or tlc altcr cgo. I find confort, tavel-sore and weak? The travetler wants to know
staa& for
-
hc will tind comfort in the inn, i.c., the speaker inquires if heaven is a
-It
sccks rcsti[g placc will find comfort there.
place or he
for etemal rcst affer 'hbour you
shall find tie sum- Here we find the poet deviating
from the
Christian view of Heaven and Hell.
According to Christianity the
arc puuished in Hell and
the holy and pious persons are rewarded
in
the poet asserts that otre
rcceives comfort equal to
during otre's life.
there be beds
{or me and all who
seek?- The idea that all are
ls reassurcd destined in
in this line.All who are deadwill
Thc word have accommodation
"seckl, suggests ut
the path as a spiritual
journey: a quest
for
coae'-According
!o the answerer,
all are predesthed to
heaven-
29

)
 trj
":. :1.

cc3lGE,l

AGui& D $'omdl and

l3
Ltphilh A thc Poet

t0 6is stylc of
orhs rrswcring to the quctions.
liacs rad so se tic asswcrs;
and Oc
faith and to

EFET GHGH.
Tbc Poe6 15 an allegory oflifc
6e firct rcligious aod sPirioal The
rcl.igiou cuvictioa through thc
wryfrcr's uplill jomcY Aom
a resting
Esi$ilic.ot coly{satior, thcre is g
stylc of tbc pmm rcminds us
is equal to thc toil in The

tow{ds dat4 fussctti aludqs fo Thcy would provide not only accommodatiou but also food,
jouraeys.
sta&d But Rossetti warot\ and compaaionship to people who Eight otherwise be strangeB.
orthodox Chdstiu Airh ofi"ns seen figuratively and metaphorically fitti:rg to
pea scras to allude, wc find tbat uotion of heavcn and, to the idea of God as atr im-keeper. So, the poem
ga& ii vcly trrllow, so
few csn tLat Sough lifc is a long, hard, sonetimes dark and diffrcult joumey,
rcst h h€veu tics at it;end.
Buiathe poce,

3l
 ]

cctlGEl

A Gui& b 9,bm@! Wtitiig 'od

CriticllAnalysis
of
Tbe
chrsdna Rosscttit our
has
banu*o t*O P.OO*O---OOO
odff who klos cvcrytluDg
Again, th€sc hvo PtEoEc
thc depth ofhis persoBl faith.
considcrcd to bc
onc of tlrc
Shc exprcssed hcr
strong
Rorscni tclls simplc
under tis
sPpareotly
meuilg. But Rosscfti sonowhat
orthodox Cbristian faith of hcavcu
Howcvcr, to Put fomard
bvmtiwbu
tmm lifc is gcocratlY
comprnd humaa lifc to an
hu ihoscn u ordiaary sctting foi
.( i
uderstaad
ud [oublcsonc, and fult ofupr
' with rirc and fall. The pocm is
ttat thougt lifc is har( loog, difticult
&k joumey thcrc is always
Within thc ftaraowork of a
b thc qustiors rclatitrg o hunan Lifc reit in hcavco. But thc comfort therc is equal to the toil in this earthly
comporison betwcen heaven and inn is very appropriate. Inns are
a0 ofrest allerjoumcys, They would provide not only
accornmodation but
drinh, warmth, and companionship to people
who might otherwise
All these charscteristics of inns seem
fitting to the notion ofheaven
fi guratively and
and, to the idea of God as
So, the poem suggests that an inn-
thoughlife is a long, hard, sometimes
journey, peacetul dark
rest in heavcn lies
at its eDd.

t;;'
JJ

L
 !- I ,-'
tri

cc5rcBr

AGuiatoU&@l
Though

tbEt atl can

thc
to death.
to
hro asd
all
o6cr wto lnows
th*

adds sooe
Christian
thc poem

assures of us are destined to

of this life. The

an
likcwisca0a thc hard toil througbout our life, we lo[g for taking rsst in
But the comfort there is equal to the toil in this earthly life. The
heaveo atrd rffr ls very appropriate. Inns are placeg ofrest
not ouly accommotlation but also food,
people who might otherwisc be strangers.
figuratively and metaphorically fitting to
,34
il 35
 'j
ccrlG'E'1

wdtira
AGuUc lo lvomeol

the
Q.2. Brlng out

bcridq Rossetti has

joumey. Io putting
alludcs to Mttthcw 7:14
somcwhat dcviated
hcrves 8nd hcll. In
h,at the Puthto bezven reassuriug answer "Yea,
a both appeasing
c8D fitrdit or eEte! thtough
Because
leadeth
dtular
a gateway
're long for
earthly
Thc titular
to8 between heaven 3ad inn very appropriate. lnns are

forthe foo{ drinlq warmth, and companionship to people who might otherwise
poem. rtrasgcrs. All these characteristics of ions seem fi guratively and
and ftll fitting to the notion ofheavetr and, to the idea of God as an inn-
The poem suggests that though life is a long, hard, sometimes
peaceful rest in heaven
daik and
lies at its ind. So the title upholds
symbol in the poem upon which the
the theme is expressed and the poet,s
life and death is
conveyed.

3?
 cct1GES

AGuidc b Bbmab Writing ud Wm'r ErPo*mat

Brlag out th€ rellglour ids the po€t ln
a. 3.
Or,
will be
Bri[g out Rorcetd'r lder of heeven .trd slterlife of hcavcn'
Heaven'
Uphitl, at th€
or'
Do )'ou thiuk Rotr.ttl'r PoeE
life towrrdr derth? Subrtrndrtc
Christina Rosctti's tPllllis rn
ooc of ths finest a0d

uc of metaphors,
to thc sfttrlifc 8nd tho Proldsc
vcry difficult ad tsoublesoEc,
difiicult ud wirh nsa and
couvcrsatioq thc poct soswcrs to tba
to dcath, Thepoem is dcsiglcd to
6ith io persoos who may havc doubE.
you ttirk Rorsetll'r poem Uphlll l3 rn rllegory? Sqbstantlate
In convcying her idca
answer,
!o Matthew 7:i4 whcrc man'sjouruey
dcviatrd fom the conventional ider aud. rllegory is a story with two levels of meaning. There is ao apparently
rnd hcll. I! Matthcw 7:14 to which..thc
path to heaven is very difficult aad the
find it or eater tbrough it:
Becausc s0-ait IE the narrow ls
leadeti unto lifc, aDd few

who is experienced

understatrd
to the hill is very
difficult aDd

39
 ccatGE,l

A cui& r lvffi! l&itiDg ral lvmaL EspoltcEEt

a$d the
rir aad fall. to klow

to tbc qucsdom rclating to hm Ufo sbctc.hing

At tIc edd of thir jomcY, thorc
H* rhc hl is symbolc of[avca or aficrlift. Ib CDCD
the pet uscs im for hesvcl After a
thc rvayfaren long to travc a restiog placc
toil thrcugtout ou lifc, wc long for
t!ffi is cqusl io tbe toil in thi. earttly lifc.
ud im is vcry rppropristc. Inls 8ro a
provide not oaly lccommodation
dawn
compauions[ip to pcoplc who
chmrcristics of ims scem ard The
of hcaven ead, to ttc idea of God as an
Yct one ray bc doubful whcther
wbctier dukness, that is, ignoraucc of this
dcsa'aatioa, frzy cause to miss this life. Tltis Rossettialludes toMatthew 7:14 where man's journey to heaven
dem.'nd assurance, gueraotee and support Bur Rossetti somewhat deviated from the conventional idea and
poet assurcs us tbat aII ofus aro dcstilcd to Christian faith ofheaven and hell.
the hst puagnph of thr: poem, the caqurer
tsaycl-sore and weak?" and gets
tlltiautely, he asks directly;WiLl thcre

so that all
to the

the poet

and

41
t

capes

h8s

afld

and suPPort even

in the

very appropriate. Inns are

43
I

a dual
verb

common

There

of time in the afterlife'

hour is mentioned here?
"[Tlhe slow itarlr hours begin'-Which
The hour of death and thc beginning of the afterlife
is meutioned. here'
{lvlsy not the darkness hide lt from my face?'-What does the
mean here?
oflight may be endangered
The goodness
deathby evil power. Moreover, it may stand for ignorance; the speaker is
that thc ignorance of the afterlife and
heaven may mislead us to some
placc. So he wonders
whether evil or ignorance will hide the resting-
at the end of the road
(May
tom our sight.
not the drrkncss
to hcre?
hitte it from my face?r_What does sit",
Herc "if'refen h the inq which symbolises
the afterlife or heaven
iu this