Remember Flashcards
(25 cards)
Poem Title & Author
“Remember” by Christina Rossetti
Central Theme 1
The enduring power of love and remembrance beyond death.
Central Theme 2
Selfless love and the speaker’s ultimate concern for the beloved’s well-being over their own memory.
Central Theme 3
Acceptance of mortality and the natural process of grief.
Poetic Form
A Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet. It has 14 lines, typically divided into an octave (8 lines) and a sestet (6 lines).
Rhyme Scheme
ABBAABBA CDD ECE (Rossetti’s variation for the sestet, typically CDCDCD or CDECDE in a strict Petrarchan sonnet).
Stanza Structure
Octave (lines 1-8) presents the speaker’s initial plea for remembrance; Sestet (lines 9-14) presents the shift in thought, prioritizing the beloved’s happiness.
Point of View/Speaker
First-person, from the perspective of someone facing imminent death, addressing their beloved.
Literary Device: Tone Shift
A significant volta (turn) occurs around line 9. The tone shifts from a plea for remembrance to a selfless instruction to forget if it causes sadness.
Literary Device: Caesura Example
“Remember me when I am gone away, / Gone far away into the silent land;” (line 1-2) The comma creates a pause, emphasizing the finality of death.
Literary Device: Enjambment Example
“…you tell me of our future that you planned, / Only remember me; you understand / It will be late to counsel then or pray.” (lines 3-5) Carries the thought smoothly across lines.
Literary Device: Repetition
The repeated phrase “Remember me” throughout the octave emphasizes the speaker’s initial desire for continued presence in the beloved’s mind.
Significance of “the silent land”
A euphemism for death or the afterlife, implying peace but also separation and absence.
The “future that you planned”
Represents the life the beloved and speaker envisioned together, now impossible due to death.
The phrase “when you can no more hold me by the hand”
A literal inability to touch, but also a metaphor for the loss of physical presence and emotional connection in life.
“It will be late to counsel then or pray.”
Implies that once dead, the speaker can no longer influence or interact with the beloved, highlighting their finality.
The “darkness and corruption”
Refers to the physical decomposition of the body after death, an unpleasant but unavoidable reality.
What causes the speaker’s shift in attitude in the sestet?
A deep, selfless love that prioritizes the beloved’s happiness over their own desire to be remembered.
Analysis of: “Better by far you should forget and smile / Than that you should remember and be sad.”
This is the poem’s core message: true love means wishing happiness for the beloved, even if it means being forgotten. It’s an ultimate act of selflessness.
Why does the speaker suggest forgetting?
Because the memory of her, if accompanied by sadness or grief, would be a burden rather than a comfort to the beloved.
Rossetti’s context (briefly)
A prominent Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite poet, often exploring themes of love, death, faith, and women’s roles. Her religious convictions influenced her views on the afterlife.
How does the poem reflect Victorian attitudes towards death?
It acknowledges death as a natural part of life and expresses a desire for peaceful remembrance, but also a pragmatic acceptance of its consequences.
The poem’s message about grief
It suggests that grief is a natural process, but it should not become a permanent state that prevents happiness.
Emotional impact on the reader
Evokes feelings of sadness and contemplation about loss, but ultimately offers a sense of comfort and the profound beauty of selfless love.
