Compare the Ruined Maid by Thomas Hardy and Cousin Kate by Christina Rosetti Essay Example For Students

Compare the Ruined Maid by Thomas Hardy and Cousin Kate by Christina Rosetti Essay At the beginning of the Victorian period womens lives were very limited: they could not own money; they were their husbands property, and if they had no male relatives to support them they were destitute. Among the few respectable jobs available were teaching and taking in embroidery, but these were poorly paid. Until 1863 girls were barred from sitting public examinations because the professional journal of doctors proclaimed that Higher Education will produce flat-chested women unable to have babies. One in four Victorian women never married, which led to huge numbers of women living on the streets, begging and prostituting themselves. So, male Victorian writers and poets had two conflicting images of women: the pure, and the ruined. Imagery is a technique that is used frequently in Cousin Kate and The Ruined Maid. In Cousin Kate the maid says even so I sit and howl in dust, you sit in gold and sing. This creates an image of how bad Kate is feeling. The use of the word howl gives us an understanding of how upset the maid is, and how bad she feels. It also makes us compare her crying to the sound of a wolf. There is also a lot of imagery in The Ruined Maid. Most of the imagery in The Ruined Maid is about Melias appearance and how she is so different since she has been ruined. Adjectives such as bright, gay, and delicate, build up a picture of Melias appearance. A lot of the language used in Cousin Kate is symbolic. The maid says you sit in gold and sing. Gold is a symbol of wealth and riches; singing represents happiness. The maid is telling us that she feels lonely, dirty and unhappy. The Ruined Maid does not use symbolism in the poem. The Ruined Maid is a simple, satire poem, which used a lot of thyme and dialogue. Another technique used in both poems is repetition, which is mainly used for emphasis. In Cousin Kate it repeats why did a great lord find me out. This stresses her distress over the situation. In The Ruined Maid the words ruined says she, are repeated at the end of each verse, stressing the fact that she is ruined. In Cousin Kate the narrator feels ashamed by her relationship with the Lord. She describes her life with his as shameless, shameful. Looking back on her relationship I think she feels dirty and used, because in the poem she says: So now I moan an unclean thing, who might have been a dove. The narrator in Cousin Kate is quite proud of her son, despite becoming an outcast amongst her neighbours. She calls her son a gift that Kate is not likely to get. She loves her son and is protective towards him. My fair haired son, my shame, my pride, cling close, closer yet. In The Ruined Maid, by contrast she does not feel ashamed by her ruin. Melia says to her old friend that they dress gayer and brighter when they are ruined. She also says that Some polish is gained with ones ruin, We never do work when were ruined and Ones pretty lively when ruined showing that she is better off now that she is ruined, because she used to call home life a hag-ridden dream, when she was digging potatoes, and spudding up docks. This poem by Thomas Hardy satirizes the Victorian view of prostitutes as doomed and ruined women, and suggests that they may in fact be happy and refined. .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba , .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba .postImageUrl , .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba , .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba:hover , .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba:visited , .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba:active { border:0!important; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba:active , .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u013d685d6cd9256f7ec3a60c747499ba:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The darkling Thrush and Neutral tones EssayIndeed, their high incomes and resulting financial independence made prostitutes the first feminists. Whereas in Cousin Kate, the narrator is devastated by her ruin because she used to work and farm and was happy with her friends and she loved her job. Melia in The Ruined Maid despised her job, so is happier now she is ruined. The main contrast between these two poems is that Cousin Kate is a serious love sonnet and the narrator is devastated by her ruin and The Ruined Maids is a satire poem where Melia is happy and refined by her ruin.