The Presentation of Rossetti's Methods and Concerns in 'A Christmas Carol' Tan Wei Xin 12th Grade

‘A Christmas Carol’ by Christina Rossetti is a devotional poem that has been set to music many times, most famously by Gustav Holst in 1906, and remains a choral favourite today. It is centred around the birth of Jesus Christ, as told from the perspective of a speaker who although is excluded from this biblical scene by both time and status, feels deeply connected to it.

An indication of the tone and content of the poem, as well as Rossetti’s aspirations for it, can be found in the title ‘A Christmas Carol’. This is because the title essentially invites readers to view the poem as a potential song, as carols are popular hymns usually sung as a way of providing enjoyment during the holiday season. However, this poem defies the stereotype of a joyous carol by providing a particularly morose and gloomy setting, that can be found in the opening line itself. The reference to the winter as ‘bleak’ is repeated throughout the first and second stanza, and this creates an atmosphere of hopelessness that is typical of Rossetti’s poetry. This experience of desolation is then intensified through Rossetti’s usage of multiple layers of imagery. For example, tactile imagery is present in the phrase ‘Frosty wind’, whereas auditory imagery can...