Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · English Literature

    Course version: 9ET0 · Version from Sept 2015

    Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The…

    Full specification wording

    Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Victorian Period – Christina Rossetti Selected Poems, editor Dinah Roe (Penguin, 2008): An Apple-Gathering

    Christina Rossetti’s 'An Apple-Gathering' explores themes of sexual transgression, societal judgment, and isolation.

    Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9ET0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .

    • Point 5 of 18
    • 4 key terms

    Study notes

    From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    The idea

    Christina Rossetti’s 'An Apple-Gathering' explores themes of sexual transgression, societal judgment, and isolation. The speaker plucks her 'pink blossoms' prematurely, leaving her with no apples at harvest time. This acts as an extended metaphor for the loss of virginity before marriage and the resulting social ostracisation. While her peers pass by with full baskets and romantic partners, the speaker is left empty-handed and abandoned by her lover, Willie. The poem critiques the Victorian sexual double standard and the harsh consequences faced by 'fallen women'. By using the agricultural harvest to represent female purity, Rossetti highlights the unforgiving nature of a society that values women solely on their chastity.

    What earns the marks

    • Analyse the extended metaphor of the apple blossoms and the harvest to represent virginity and societal expectations of women.
    • Evaluate the contrast between the isolated speaker and the communal joy of the other named girls.
    • Discuss the significance of Willie's abandonment and how it reflects the Victorian sexual double standard.
    • Explore the tone of regret and marginalisation created through the speaker's lingering presence in the twilight.

    Common mistakes and how to put them right

    • Assuming the speaker is angry at Willie.

      Put it right: The tone is more characterised by sorrow, longing, and a sense of inevitable social exclusion.

    Exam tips

    • Link the poem's treatment of the 'fallen woman' to other Rossetti poems like 'Goblin Market' or 'Cousin Kate' for a strong comparative argument.
    • Examine the use of temporal shifts, particularly the movement from the impulsive past to the desolate present of the twilight harvest.
    • Discuss how the sensory imagery of the plump apples contrasts with the speaker's empty basket to emphasise her social and emotional deprivation.

    Try the lesson

    The start of the Component 3: Poetry – Section B: Specified Poetry Pre- or Post-1900 – Pre-1900 – The Victorian Period – Christina Rossetti Selected Poems, editor Dinah Roe (Penguin, 2008): An Apple-Gathering lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

    Have a go first

    In Christina Rossetti's poem 'An Apple-Gathering', what action does the speaker take that results in her having no apples at harvest time?

    Listen

    Christina Rossetti’s 'An Apple-Gathering' explores themes of sexual transgression, societal judgment, and isolation. The speaker plucks her 'pink blossoms' prematurely, leaving her with no apples at harvest time. This acts as an extended metaphor for the loss of virginity before marriage and the resulting social ostracisation. While her peers pass by with full baskets and romantic partners, the speaker is left empty-handed and abandoned by her lover, Willie. The poem critiques the Victorian sexual double standard and the harsh consequences faced by 'fallen women'. By using the agricultural harvest to represent female purity, Rossetti highlights the unforgiving nature of a society that values women solely on their chastity. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Analyse the extended metaphor of the apple blossoms and the harvest to represent virginity and societal expectations of women. Evaluate the contrast between the isolated speaker and the communal joy of the other named girls. Discuss the significance of Willie's abandonment and how it reflects the Victorian sexual double standard. Explore the tone of regret and marginalisation created through the speaker's lingering presence in the twilight. Exam tip: Link the poem's treatment of the 'fallen woman' to other Rossetti poems like 'Goblin Market' or 'Cousin Kate' for a strong comparative argument.

    See it

    A top-down flowchart of eight boxes connected by arrows. The first box reads 'Speaker plucks her pink blossoms prematurely' and points to 'No apples at harvest time'. That points to 'Extended metaphor for loss of virginity before marriage', which points to 'Social ostracisation'. From 'Social ostracisation' two arrows branch out: one to 'Peers pass by with full baskets and romantic partners' and one to 'Speaker left empty-handed'. The 'Speaker left empty-handed' box points to 'Abandoned by her lover, Willie', which points to the final box, 'Victorian sexual double standard and consequences for fallen women'.
    A cause-and-effect chain showing how the speaker's premature plucking of blossoms leads to her empty harvest, social ostracisation, abandonment by Willie, and the poem's critique of the Victorian sexual double standard.

    Key words

    Say what each word means before you turn the card.

    The Fallen Woman

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Societal Judgment

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Nature and Harvest

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    Regret and Isolation

    Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.

    See every definition
    The Fallen Woman
    A woman whose loss of virginity before marriage leads to social ostracisation, a harsh consequence the poem critiques.
    Societal Judgment
    The unforgiving valuing of women solely on their chastity, which the poem critiques as a Victorian sexual double standard.
    Nature and Harvest
    The agricultural harvest used to represent female purity, with the plucking of pink blossoms prematurely leaving no apples at harvest time.
    Regret and Isolation
    The tone of sorrow and marginalisation created through the speaker's lingering presence in the twilight, left empty-handed and abandoned.

    Label the diagram

    Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.

    The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart of eight boxes connected by arrows. The first box reads 'Speaker plucks her pink blossoms prematurely' and points to 'No apples at harvest time'. That points to 'Extended metaphor for loss of virginity before marriage', which points to 'Social ostracisation'. From 'Social ostracisation' two arrows branch out: one to 'Peers pass by with full baskets and romantic partners' and one to 'Speaker left empty-handed'. The 'Speaker left empty-handed' box points to 'Abandoned by her lover, Willie', which points to the final box, 'Victorian sexual double standard and consequences for fallen women'.

    • 1Box 1

    • 2Box 2

    • 3Box 3

    0 of 3 labelled

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