The Senses of the Dead:
A Look into the “After Death” Christina Rossetti’s, “After Death” is a Victorian-style poem written in the 19th century. Rossetti gives a unique female perspective uncommon for that time period that paints a picture of what the dead see in their journey to the afterlife. “After Death” opens up with a simple setting before introducing the poems two characters, the man and the child. The child tells how she watches the man after she has died. He lingers over her body, mourning her death. The irony is that the man did not love she in life, but, instead, pitied her in death. This essay will examine two main elements that are used in “After Death” depicting the relationship missing and the child’s observation of the continuing absence of affection. First, Rossetti does not address the gender of the child, however, a feminine presence is felt with her description of the man and child’s relationship; both the physical and emotional aspects of the poem paint a father, daughter connection. The second is examining how “After Death” uses four out of the five senses to take us through the poem. The poem brings the reader on a journey beginning with smell and sight, then leans toward sound, and concludes with a cold touch. The senses show the absence of love between the man and the child, not by what he does, but by what she notices he does not. “After Death” has only two characters, a man and a child. The gender of the child is never mention, but the reader can understand that it is meant to be interpreted as a young girl, the man’s daughter. Although the poem is short, Rossetti is able to make it evident in multiple lines. “He leaned above me…” from line five is to show an authority figure coming from above. In the Victorian age, women were very limited and men were their authority figure; Rossetti tapped into the era’s