Goblin Market

1. In Lines 184-91, Rossetti stresses how closely the two sisters resemble each other, like “two blossoms on one stem” (Line 188). Why might the poet have chosen to stress their physical resemblance? In a journal entry, answer this question and support it with quoted lines or phrases.

2. Rossetti uses an irregular or experimental meter in “Goblin Market.” In a piece of writing, analyze her choices and identify patterns and shifts in her meter. Why do you think Rossetti made these choices? What effect on atmosphere, tone, action, or theme does the poem’s meter have? Use the topic sentences of your body paragraphs to answer each of those questions, establishing notable variations in meter, their effect on elements of the poem, and the purpose for Rossetti’s choices.

3. In the poem, the goblins and their fruit symbolize temptation. In a brief piece of writing, connect this to the poem’s title “Goblin Market”—what does the poem’s title ultimately signify? In your response, use the topic sentences of your body paragraphs to discuss what the fruit and the goblins represent and how the goblin market is literally and figuratively depicted in the poem.

Develop your ideas with supporting sentences that cite evidence from the text to justify your response.