Final Answer:
a. She became interested in botany and suffered from a severe illness.
Step-by-step explanation:
At the age of 14, Christina Rossetti became interested in botany, which was a significant passion for her throughout her life. Unfortunately, she suffered from a severe illness during this time, which impacted her health and well-being. This experience influenced her later works and contributed to the depth of emotion and introspection found in her poetry.
Christina Rossetti’s interest in botany was sparked at an early age, and she pursued this passion with great enthusiasm. However, her suffering from a severe illness at the age of 14 had a profound impact on her physical and emotional well-being. This period of illness likely influenced her perspective on life and mortality, themes that are recurrent in her poetry. The combination of her botanical interests and the adversity she faced during her teenage years contributed to the development of her unique poetic voice.
The suffering Rossetti endured at 14 due to a severe illness may have served as a catalyst for her introspective and contemplative approach to poetry. Her experiences with illness likely shaped her worldview and provided a deeper understanding of human frailty, which is evident in the themes present in her literary works.