Remember Flashcards
What is Remember about? (4 points)
The narrator addresses her beloved and encourages him to remember her after her death
She asks him to keep her in his mind even when his memory of her begins to fade
Eventually, the narrator gives this person — either real or imagined — her permission to forget her gradually because it is better to “forget and smile” than to “remember and be sad
The poem ultimately deals with the struggle between physical existence and the afterlife
What is the structure of Remember? (2 points)
It is a Petrarchan sonnet in iambic pentameter, consisting of an octave with an ABBA ABBA rhyming
There follows a CDD ECE rhymed sestet (the next six lines)
What is the language and imagery of Remember? (2 points)
She repeats ‘Remember me’, as a refrain or anaphora, but the tone changes when she renounces the need to be remembered altogether
The imagery of death, a ‘silent land’, dominates
What other poems does Remember link to?
At Home
Echo
What is the relevant context for Remember? (3 points)
This poem was written during a period of national mourning for Prince Albert who died in 1861 - custom for poetry to deal with themes of grief, remorse, and death during the period
Acceptance of death is common in Pre-Raphaelite philosophy - Pre-Raphaelites also believed that material troubles pale in comparison to the struggles of the mind
Rossetti was a High Anglican - the Anglican Church did not encourage praying for the dead
