There are many ways in which Rossetti uses language, imagery and verse form to create her own portrayal of relationships between men and women.

Firstly, it is apparent from the beginning of the poem that the poetic voice uses powerful, imperative language to get her point across. The title, "No, Thank You, John" is a statement that sets the tone of the entire poem, with further negative imperatives such as "never" and "don't" introducing us to the unforgiving and perhaps business-like poetic voice.

The use of what is stereotypically masculine language and phrases-"Let us strike hands as hearty friends" suggests that Rossetti believes men and women to be equal and as a result should be able to make their own decisions about their lives. The verb "strike" is forceful and typically masculine in itself, as the voice uses this passive aggressive tone to- whilst still being polite- keep John at an arm’s length.

This is in contrast with the context of the poem, which was written in the 1800s when a woman's role in society was as a wife and not as an educated lady. With this poetic voice, Rossetti is trying to display the relationship between men and women as equal.

She iterates this point by using intelligent reasoning to dismantle and arguments made by "John" in the poem, querying his suggestion that she has no heart” by insisting that it is impossible to “give (you) what I have not got”. This further reinforces how educated the poetic voice is. This is important as from the we know it was less likely for a woman to be educated as much so as a man, so Rossetti uses this to illustrate that women can be as intelligent as men and can handle equally well difficult social situations.

Rossetti’s use of the persona also reinforces her belief that women should stand as equals to men. The persona is used within the poem to outsmart the interjection of “John”- a depersonalised male character used to reflect her rejection of masculinity and the constraints within her society. The enjambment of “I have no heart?” appears more as a direct quote from John’s character, which she then uses against him to disprove his statement, telling him to “use (your) common sense”. This shows that, though distracted by the interjection, the poem’s persona is able to form an educated and well-structured argument.