Critique my essay on Goblin Market?

Review of “Goblin Market”


Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market” is a poem that has created diversity among critics. “Goblin Market” has been read and interpreted from a child’s nursery rhyme to an argument for feminist politics. I believe the strongest interpretation centers around Christina Rossetti’s Christian beliefs and her work with the Oxford Movement’s Women’s Mission where Rossetti helped to rehabilitate prostitutes. Critics such as Mary Wilson Carpenter argue this poem is a way of cautioning prostitutes of the dangers of returning to this fatal lifestyle. In my opinion, Christina Rossetti took stories and characters from the Bible and wrote a poem that deeply resembled the message of the Bible. I also believe she did not stop there, Rossetti also wrote this poem as a tribute to the prostitutes that she spent her time trying to save and rehabilitate.


Rossetti’s character Lizzie closely resembles Jesus Christ from the Bible. Lizzie and Jesus are both pure and avoid temptation. In the book of Matthew from the Bible, Jesus avoids temptation while travelling through the wilderness for forty days and forty nights (Matt.4.1-11). Likewise, Lizzie avoids temptation from the goblin men tempting her to taste their wonderful fruit and following them into a life of debauchery. Jesus and Lizzie both commit to overcoming temptation in order to protect the ones they love. Jesus protected the children of God and Lizzie protected her sister. Jesus and Lizzie both watch their loved ones succumb to temptation and then they sacrifice their selves to save their loved ones. Marian Shalkhauser from the Victorian Newsletter says, “Christ closed his ears to the charms of Satan’s offers and Lizzie “thrust a dimpled finger in each ear, shut eyes and ran.” Christ was willing to die on the cross to save his loved ones from damnation. Lizzie was willing to risk herself to save her sister. I think Christina Rossetti wanted her readers to see the similarities between Lizzie and Jesus and the world and Laura.


A story in the Bible that resembles Rossetti’s poem is the story of Adam and Eve. (Gen.3.1-7). Eve is tempted by a serpent to eat some of the wonderful but forbidden fruit. This same thing happens to the sisters, Lizzie and Laura in “Goblin Market”. Eve gives in and eats the fruit which leads to her destruction. Laura gives in and eats the forbidden fruit which leads to her destruction. Both characters need someone to step in and offer them salvation. Christ offers Eve salvation and Lizzie offers Laura salvation.


I think Rossetti also wanted the readers to see another side to her poem,”Goblin Market”. The poem holds great resemblance to what life may have looked like through the eyes of a Victorian era prostitute. Rossetti spent much of her time working with and helping to rehabilitate prostitutes. These women were lured into prostitution by seemly harmless men. These men turn out to be monsters that rape, trick, and abuse. In the poem, the goblin men represent the men who lure women into this dangerous lifestyle. Once a woman was into prostitution she contracted many illnesses and some even died. Just as, Jeanie in the poem gave into temptation of the goblin men and in the end she perished. In the poem sickness, disease, and the downward spiral of the prostitution lifestyle is symbolized by Laura eating the fruit and withering away. Laura’s hair turned grey and her fire for life burned out. This very same thing happened to women that ended up in a life of prostitution. What better way to scare a prostitute from going back to her old ways then to show her the poem “Goblin Market”. Rossetti ends the poem on a positively with the sisters warning their own children of the dangers of goblin men, and eating their fruit. Rossetti wanted to show that there is hope and redemption for a prostitute. A better and happier life can be obtained.


In conclusion, looking into Christina Rossetti’s background I discovered that she was a deeply religious woman. She denied two men her hand in marriage because she believed they were not spiritual enough to share her life with. Rossetti grew up in partial seclusion with her mother, spending most of her time writing spiritual poetry. Rossetti’s themes were about faith and the peace of eternal spiritual life. All of her poems have a moral or clear purpose behind them. Rossetti spent much of her adult life helping to rehabilitate prostitutes. While reading this poem I cannot help but look to Christina Rossetti’s background for answers as to what this poem means. Deep religious roots and strong convictions helped inspire Rossetti to write a poem that explained God’s love for the world and how he overcame temptation and sacrificed his son, Jesus for the salvation of his people. Rossetti used the same poem to show prostitutes that there is hope and redemption after a life of prostitution.|||for English, I'm doing a transformation of Goblin Market into a play so I know exactly what you mean. I like it and I agree with you on all the points you made - especially the theme of religion and tempation that Rossetti based the poem on.





Couple of things I would advice you to change is to stop repeating facts just for the sake of itl Like you say at the beginning that she worked with prostitues in about 2 sentences so you don't need to repeat it in the conclusion where you say, 'Rossetti spent much of her adult life helping to rehabilitate prostitutes'. It just takes away from your work because it seems like you don't have a lot to say.





I don't know your age but I'm 17 and in college and basing it on the standard of work I do for english, i would give it a C. If you made your sentences more complex, then it would have been a B.|||do not use anything typed here in yahoo as it can be easily detected with a plagiarism detecting software..better try some online research assistance providing websites like fastcustomessays com ...if you have no choice, these guys r smart enough to write anything for getting a good grade... i tried this and worked for me!