Memory Flashcards
What is Memory about? (4 points)
The first part of this poem was written in 1857 and the second part in 1865
It deals with her rejection of love, despite being engaged twice and having several more men interested in her
Her religious scruples are difficult to grasp today, but she decided to remain true to her principles
The essence of the poem is the memory of love relinquished in this life, but to be consummated in an afterlife of fulfillment
What is the structure of Memory? (3 points)
The poem is divided into two parts, the first comprising five stanzas, the second four - each is a quatrain with a regular ABAB interlocking rhyme scheme
In part one the metrical rhythm is broadly iambic pentameter - the exception is the last line in each stanza which is shorter, a change to the regular rhythm that is slightly unsettling and gives emphasis
In part two, the rhythm varies more, with shorter second lines and the rhyme scheme becoming an ABBA pattern - we can imagine the poet wanting to discard the regular tread of the metre and express herself with greater freedom
What is the language and imagery of Memory? (4 points)
The voice is that of the speaker using the first person pronoun ‘I’
The tone at first is subdued but clipped, strong and definite - however, this builds up to an intense, fierce stanza at the end of part one
Note that the poem begins in the past tense, as the poet looks back on the mysterious ‘it’ (her love) and changes to the present tense as she contemplates the present and the future
There is a mood of peace and resignation, expressed in terms of the inevitable cycle of the seasons and the last hopeful reference to ‘Paradise’
What other poems does Memory link to?
Twice
May
What is the relevant context for Memory? (2 points)
Given the low status of unmarried women in Victorian times, her decision here was courageous, spinsterhood meant social failure and there were few satisfying alternatives to marriage
Rossetti was of a disciplined, ascetic nature - seeking after purity drove her to refuse this secret love of her life, and to draw strength from his memory and the promise of fulfilment after death
