Compare and contrast 'Cousin Kate' and 'The Seduction'.

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Riyadh Abdulla 11J4        English Literature: Pre-1914 Poetry Comparison Instructor: Mrs Patel

         

In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting ‘Cousin Kate’, a first person narrative poem written by Christina Rossetti written during the 19th century (1830-1894) and ‘The Seduction’, a third person narrative poem written by Eileen McAuley during the late 20th century (1980).

 The narrator in ‘Cousin Kate’ is a cottage maiden who chronologically narrates readers through the changes that have happened to her life after meeting a ‘great Lord’, of who she fell in love with, but in return was manipulated by him. The main themes which the poem explores are Marriage; motherhood; abuse of power; wealth/poverty and the female role during the early 19th century.

 In ‘The Seduction’, the problems presented are those of a fifteen year old teenage girl who was ‘seduced’ by a young man, by her naivety, to have sex with him under the influence of alcohol; an issue which is relevant to contemporary society. McAuley also explores the influence of the media in shaping others’ thoughts.

  But the central issue which both poems address and emphasise is the consequences which non-martial pregnancy can cause to women: psychologically and in society.

 

The narrator of ‘Cousin Kate’ presents her feelings and emotions precisely and expressively as the poem is written from first person perspective.

  It starts with “I was a cottage maiden”, conjuring up an idea of banishment or neglect by the use of the past-tense. A cottage-maiden does not suddenly stop being a cottage maiden; but because of the 19th century social superstitions, women having pre-marital sex were seen by the eyes of society as being unclean, ‘an unclean thing’.

  She provides the name of her ‘betrayer’, her cousin Kate, which makes us think that she is trying to almost shame her. It is ironic, thus, that she has named the poem by Kate’s name because one would only name a literary piece by someone else’s name as sign of tribute.

  Women, generally, during early 19th century Britain, did not have the right to acquire quality jobs. Therefore the only approach that a cottage-maiden could take for a better life was by marrying a rich man, like the Lord. Thus Kate can be blamed for not helping her cousin; but all the blame cannot be shifted on her.

 There are two types of love presented in ‘Cousin Kate’: one which is inner thus genuine; and the other which is superficial or advantageous.

The narrator starts from the first stanza by emphasising her naivety, ‘Not mindful I was fair’ to forward the idea that the maiden lived a good life, ‘fair’, where she didn’t have to worry much, ‘not mindful’ . Readers, reading the poem for the first time, note the irony as she questions her happiness with a lord, when she was a mere cottage maiden:

Why did a great lord find me out,

And praise my flaxen hair?

Why did a great lord find me out,

To fill my heart with care?

    Flax is a beautiful naturally occurring material, therefore Rossetti is trying to emphasise the cottage-maiden’s natural beauty. The way in which the lord firstly praises her attractive physical attributes foreshadows his superficial, rather than inner, attraction towards her.

  The use of foreshadowing is vital as the poem progresses to further reinforce the general outer attraction that these men had. Their ‘love’ can be substituted or upgraded when a higher quality is found, ‘... (Cousin Kate) You grew more fair than I’. Hence this quote reinforces the idea of a woman being substituted by another when the male had found someone else more physically attractive.

 This idea is forwarded in, ‘He changed me like a glove.’ ‘Changed’ emphasises her disposability; the simile emphasises how she can be changed, without thought or remorse. This further highlights the social context of the early 19th century era as gloves were in fashion at the time. Especially to rich land owners, such as the Lord, who generally owned countless pairs. And pairs which did not satisfy the Lord’s sense of fashion were just merely thrown away, like the narrator, after her cousin was founded.

   Another similar simile is, “He wore me like a silken knot”. Silk is a soft material, which can show the ‘soft-hearted’ approach of the Lord towards the narrator. However, the way in which the narrator describes herself being in a ‘knot’ emphasises the difficulty of her situation, as she tries to un-tie herself from the emotional scars which were left with her.  

  Rossetti continuously covers the theme of superficiality. Because Kate was more attractive than the cottage-maiden, they were married, “He bound you with his ring”. ‘Bound’ has two meanings in this situation: One can mean that their marriage was quickly conducted, as in a bond, hence it was rushed; or can alternatively emphasise that they were married, as ‘bound’ is a legal term.

  The ‘ring’ can symbolise the superficiality of the Lord, as it is, again, like ‘flaxen hair’, the first thing mentioned; it is an object which can be merely bought thus contradicting of the emotional attraction which marriage is meant to bring. This idea is further reinforced by the status of a lord; a mere ring would not financially affect him.

  Readers get the idea that Kate is almost being used as a dormant, pretty object used to give an impression. This status of Kate is show when the narrator says, “You sit in gold and sing”. ‘Sit in gold’ can, if thought about, paint an image of an Egyptian queen, who does nothing but tries to impress people with her vocals, or merely to act as a still painting for visitors. This quote can also link to show how wealth can turn one into being egotistical, because for Kate to be singing whilst her cousin in contrast is suffering, “Even so I sit and howl in dust,” can be striking to the reader. Onomatopoeia is used in ‘howl’ to emphasise the social equivalence of a ‘dog’, which also howls, to a woman who had pre-marital sex. The way she ‘howls’ can be interpreted to show her cynicism towards human emotion, she is trying to show that calling out for an animal would at-least guarantee a response and empathy.

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 When a dog howls – no one cares; some might even get aggressive trying to hush the dog. This is an effective comparison to show how her mourns will be treated by society. Howling in ‘dust’ reinforces the way she is cut off from society; she is burying her head beneath the dust to emphasise her isolation, she does not need to use her sight or hearing, because no-one will be there.

    A similar type of imagery is used in ‘The Seduction’. The girl is on her own with no one to listen to her, “She sobbed in ...

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