A Birthday Analysis

The speaker of "A Birthday" is feeling good—really good. It's no surprise, then, that her inner harmony is reflected in the way this poem is put together. It's got both a regular meter and a rhym...

The speaker of "A Birthday" is having a good day. Sure, most folks enjoy their birthdays, but we get the feeling that turning another year older is not literally what she's celebrating here. She's...

With a title like "A Birthday," you're probably expecting a setting like a pool party, or maybe a Chuck E. Cheese. Well, we hate to disappoint you, but there are no ball pits or video games in this...

"A Birthday" is singing a happy song. It's a praise poem, really, one that celebrates the speaker's relationship with the divine. As such, we would expect it to make happy sounds—like birds chirp...

We won't lie to you, Shmoopers; we're a little disappointed. For a poem called "A Birthday," there's no party hats here, no presents to speak of, and—worst of all—no cake. Just what kind of bir...

Although she's perhaps best know for a fantastic, odd, and sexualized poem called "The Goblin Market," the bulk of Christina Rossetti's work reflected her life of Christian devotion. Much like in "...

"A Birthday" looks like a pretty straightforward party on its surface, but it helps to be familiar with a slew of Christian symbolism if you really want to get in the swing of things. Don't worry,...

At the start of her career, Christina Rossetti wrote under the pseudonym Ellen Alleyne, publishing seven poems by that name. (Source) Rossetti was such a devout Christian that she engaged in regula...

The speaker may have beloved, but it's more than likely the religious kind—not the earthly kind. It's a G-rating all around.

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