1. In the Tower at Jhansi Christina Rossetti
LO: How does Rossetti explore themes of love, sacrifice and strength in this poem?
Title and LO

2. Can you get the key info in time?
THE CONTEXT GAME
Can you get the key info in time?
KEY HEADINGS
What happened at Jhansi
What the papers reported
Why this was happening
Context resource also in folder
They work in teams. One person leaves the room to look at the context sheet (or just turns it over on the table, if you don’t want them to leave the room), then comes back to their group and relays as much info as possible. The group all takes notes whilst they talk. Then the next person goes, then the next person, and so on. They have to work as a team to help memorise the information as effectively as possible.
LO: How does Rossetti explore themes of love, sacrifice and strength in this poem?

3. Swarming = move as a large group; crowd; overrun
A hundred, a thousand to one: even so;   Not a hope in the world remained: The swarming howling wretches below   Gained and gained and gained. Skene looked at his pale young wife.   ‘Is the time come?’—‘The time is come.’ Young, strong, and so full of life,   The agony struck them dumb. Close his arm about her now,   Close her cheek to his, Close the pistol to her brow—   God forgive them this! ‘Will it hurt much?’ ‘No, mine own:   I wish I could bear the pang for both.’— ‘I wish I could bear the pang alone:   Courage, dear, I am not loth.’ Kiss and kiss: ‘It is not pain   Thus to kiss and die. One kiss more.’—‘And yet one again.’—   ‘Good-bye.’—‘Good-bye.’
Swarming = move as a large group; crowd; overrun
Pang = a sudden sharp or painful emotion
Loth = reluctant; unwilling
Initial Questions:
What links can you see with the letter from The Times?
How does Rossetti depict the Indian army?
How could you describe the attitude of the couple?
Which words are repeated? What is the significance of this?
How is she using punctuation for effect?
Talk through poem with initial comprehension questions
The balance between the couple

4. STRENGTH (of mind, of character)
What do you think Rossetti could be saying about these key themes?
SACRIFICE
LOVE
Themes on board – they add post-its with their interpretations
Stronger students stand at the board, evaluate, find links between people’s ideas, and lead discussion based on the post-its they choose

5. Item 1: Suicide in the Bible
Context – how does it change/reinforce our current interpretations?
Item 1: Suicide in the Bible
The Bible does not explicitly state that suicide is a sin, but the suicides in the Bible are looked on unfavourably.
Some use the following verses as evidence that it may be sinful:
Exodus 20:13
Thou shalt not kill.
1 Corinthians 3:16
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Item 2: The 1862 Revision
The poem was first published in a periodical (Once a Week) in 1859, but stanza 3 was added the publication with Goblin Market :
Close his arm about her now,   Close her cheek to his, Close the pistol to her brow—   God forgive them this!
Item 3: The 1875 Footnote
In the 1875 reprinting, Rossetti added a footnote: “I retain this little poem, not as historically accurate, but as written and published before I heard the supposed facts of its first verse contradicted”.
Information about revisions found here:

6. What do the critics say?
The poem is, as Rossetti blithely notes, “not… historically accurate”, but the ‘supposed facts of its first verse’ are subordinated to the greater truths of its whole – a depiction of idealised British, Christian, married love.  While the events themselves may be questionable, Rossetti’s account is beyond reproach.  Rossetti’s choices to publish and republish this poem, in relation to the retracted and the ‘new’ versions of actual events, make a claim for the validity of the message of this poem, despite (or even in contrast to) the non-validity of its original source.  Rossetti’s poem claims it tells a different kind of truth, and presents a different and unimpeachable kind of authority.
“With thrilling interest”: Victorian Women Poets Report the News
By F. Elizabeth Gray, Massey University, New Zealand
In Nineteenth-Century Gender Studies 
ISSUE 10.2 (Summer 2014)

7. Where has the writer addressed the different AOs in this paragraph
Where has the writer addressed the different AOs in this paragraph? What level would it receive (ignoring comparison)?
Rossetti is a poet for whom religion is an ever-present force, seen in even the most human of her poems. ‘In the Tower at Jhansi’ depicts a poignant moment at the end of a relationship. The poem is notable in her works for its human and earthly focus, with little mention of the divine. The couple’s closeness is repeatedly emphasised in the poem, whereas the invading soldiers are dehumanised. Rossetti’s footnote, added sixteen years after the poem’s initial publication, confirms that she is prepared to eschew historical fact to retain her depiction of unity in marriage. However, a stanza added in 1862 includes the exclamation ‘God forgive them this!’. This indicates that in the five years since the poem had been written, the Christian disapproval of suicide was something she had felt compelled to address, despite her commitment to the poem’s portrayal of human love and strength in adversity.

8. Which of Rossetti’s poems might provide a good comparison point for an essay on either of these three themes?
LO: How does Rossetti explore themes of love, sacrifice and strength in this poem?

9. “Rossetti willingly accepts the state of destitution into which she is cast”. How far do you agree with this view?
Home Learning: Write a full essay response to the Q above. You should plan and prepare for 15 minutes, then spend 1 hour writing: first task is to UNPICK the statement and what it means!
Introduction - How do you respond to the statement in the Q? What are the three main arguments you have?
3 x PCQA Paragraphs - How far do you agree with the statement? Explore a different interpretations of the statement in each paragraph, bringing in all the information you can CHALLENGE: Can you create a line of argument by connecting your ideas? Can you use some critics in your answer?
Conclusion - What is your overall interpretation of the question? What is your most powerful argument?
First essay task – students haven’t been bogged down with exam technique, so this is an opportunity to see how they respond to the texts…