Following a rebellion of British rule in India, Victorian poet Christina Rossetti wrote “In the Round Tower at Jhansi, June 8, 1857.” It is a love poem about a real British couple, Alexander and Margaret Skene. They are depicted as hiding from impending doom, sharing their final moments, and choosing to die at their own hands than face what lay nearby.
This article will share the poem, briefly discuss what actually happened the Skenes, and then wade into the propaganda from which a poem like this was inspired.
To hear the poem as shared on our channel: