Sister Maude by Christina Rossetti The structure of Sister Maude replicates the fragmented thoughts of the speaker through the use of caesuras. This is evident in ‘oh who but Maude, my sister Maude,’. The comma acts as a caesura to reflect her splintered thoughts. The technique used, repetition, makes the audience certain where the blame lies. The reader would already have a negative impression of Maude and sympathize with the narrator. Alternatively, the use of the caesura could be replicating the narrators heart break after her lover’s death. This is evident in ‘cold he lies, as cold as stone,’. The caesura delineates her broken heart as she pauses to draw a breath or sigh. The alliteration of hard ‘c’ sound emphasizes the strong rhythm and makes the narrator sound angry. The reader would be taken aback by the harshness in the speaker’s tone. The tone of the poem is bitter and hostile. This is most evident through ‘though I had not been born at all, he’d never have looked at you.’ The phrase ‘he’d never have looked at you.’ Conveys her sense of superiority. The narrator throws …show more content…
This is evident in ‘who told my father of my dear?’. The personal pronoun in ‘my father’ conveys how the narrator’s bond with her sister is demolished forever as she no longer refers to the father ‘their’ and calls him ‘my father’. Alternatively, the poet could be portraying the theme of sexual morality. This is evident in ‘who told my mother of my shame,’ she doesn’t seem to be ashamed of her relationship, perhaps this is how her parents view. The noun ‘shame’ connotes guilt and disgrace, while ironically the speaker does not view her affair with her lover as shameful. The rhetorical question is used to emphasize a point or just to get the audience thinking. The poet’s intention is to accuse Maude and blame her for everything that happened to the speaker’s