Winter: My Secret

Winter: My Secret

Analysis of the title…

•          “Winter” – alerts the reader that the poem is seasonal
•          The use of the word ‘My’ tells us that the speaker of the poem will also be its subject
•          “Secret” – arouses curiosity

Form and rhyme scheme…

•          Rhyme, rhythm and stanza form in this poem are irregular.
•          There are a variety of different iambic rhythms
•          Rossetti has created an irregular form and rhyme scheme with intent and she is purposely ‘violating’ the common poem structure

Themes…

•          Identity - “The use of the personal pronouns ‘my' and ‘I' throughout the poem point to the speaker's sense of her individual identity.”
•          “The first line both begins and ends with the pronoun ‘I'. This suggests that the speaker encloses her secret within her own individual identity and that nothing can break through and disturb the concealed interior.”
•          Nonsense – “The speaker suggests that she may be only teasing the listener when she declares that her secret may be ‘just my fun'.”
•          “The revelation that there may in fact be ‘no secret after all' (line 8) suggests that the poem is more about the act of concealment and the practice of secrecy than it is about a particular secret itself.”
•          Curiosity – “Reprimanding the reader for being ‘too curious' (line 4), the speaker emphasises that the secret is hers to give away or to conceal as she wishes.”

Language analysis…

•          “The speaker's sense of being under attack from the curiosity of others is conveyed through a series of words which suggest animals of prey, such as dogs ‘nipping', ‘biting', ‘bounding' and ‘buffeting' her, then birds by which she is ‘pecked at'.”
•          “Whilst veils, cloaks and wraps (line 12) may protect the speaker from the fierce and biting winds of the winter season, they also serve to hide her from curious onlookers who seek to find out her secret.”
•          “Suggesting that she wears her ‘mask for warmth' (line 18), the speaker indicates that it is, for her, a form of comfort.”
•          “The speaker uses the metaphor of enquirers knocking on a front door as they seek to gain entry into her innermost thoughts”