The Way Jessie Cameron Is Told

This lesson, we started by converting Jessie Cameron into a ten lined short play. This was to bring up the coursework in which we will have to add an extra scene into a piece of literature or change a piece into a different style.

We then discussed ways Rossetti tells the story of Jessie Cameron, deciding that the text was laid out ballad form, due to aspects such as:

• It begins with something climatic.
• It has a swift opening.
• Uses everyday language.
• The narrator tells the story.
• It uses imagery over description.

We then discussed the text, deciding upon our idea of the purpose in which we decided it was about 'fate and the power of the sea'. This is due to both Jessie and the neighbour's son having negative aspects to their personality, such as 'pride' in Jessie and stubbornness in the neighbour's son due to his constant asking of the unknown question of the poem. Their deaths may be an inescapable punishment which is an act of fate. The sea seems to know such an act is about to happen, as it is 'moaning', foreshadowing a bad event. It also 'crept' closer, suggesting it could possibly be the sea which caused Jessie's and the neighbour's son's deaths.