Understanding the poem 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti
I can explain how Rossetti presents gendered conflict.
Understanding the poem 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti
I can explain how Rossetti presents gendered conflict.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The poem explores the conflict between the speaker and society's expectations of her as a woman.
- Victorian women had higher moral expectations placed on them than men.
- The speaker in the poem has been caught having sexual relations outside of marriage.
- Women were often considered the property of men at the time the poem was written.
- Rossetti explores Victorian gender roles in the poem, reflecting on the inequality of a patriarchal society.
Keywords
Predatory - exploitative behaviour aimed at taking advantage of others
Influence - something or someone that affects others' behaviours, decisions, or beliefs
Gender roles - societal norms dictating appropriate behaviours for different genders
Societal conflict - disagreements and struggles within a society
Patriarchal society - a social system dominated by men, with power centred around male authority
Common misconception
This poem is primarily about familial conflict.
Although the speaker and Kate are family relations, the conflict between them is focused on their shared love interest and so their family connection is inconsequential.
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Understanding the poem 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: Understanding the poem 'Cousin Kate' by Christina Rossetti, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 4 english lessons from the Poetry anthology 2 unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You need access to a copy of ‘Cousin Kate’ by Christina Rossetti for this lesson. You can find this in the Edexcel Poetry Anthology (we will be using the ‘Conflict’ cluster).
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of sexual content
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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