Remember Flashcards
what is the form and rhyme scheme?
- Petrarchan sonnet – written in iambic pentameter, though varied.
- Traditional Petrarchan rhyme scheme used.
- Monosyllabic words create a forceful yet sweet tone.
14 lines: divided into an octave and a sestet. - The octave presents a plea to remember, while the sestet explores what to do if forgotten.
- Volta – a shift where the speaker changes their mind.
what is the context of this poem?
Written when Rossetti was 19 years old.
With James Collinson.
Victorian mourning customs focused on grief, remorse, and death, which influenced poetry.
Pre-Raphaelite philosophy emphasized acceptance of death and the power of the mind over material struggles.
what are the theme of remember?
Love, memory, grief
Life vs. death
Humanity
what would you compare this poem to on theme theme of love?
Twice, Piteous My Rhyme Is, A Christmas Carol (?)
what would you compare this poem to on the theme of memory?
may
“Remember me when I am gone away,/”
First-person address creates an intimate and direct tone.
Imperative command (“remember me”) is succinct yet powerful, drawing readers in.
“Gone far away”
Symbolizes death and being distant in the afterlife.
Stressed syllables (gone far) could form either a spondee or a trochee, depending on emphasis.
Anadiplosis (repetition from one line to the next) emphasizes death’s separation.
“Into the silent land/”
Euphemism for death, heaven, or the afterlife.
Links to Rossetti’s religious beliefs and personal struggles with illness.
Metaphor suggests peace, absence, and loneliness.
Could also mean silence after rejecting a marriage proposal.
ENJ creates a pause that mirrors death’s vastness and silence.
“When you can no longer hold me by the hand”
Alliteration (“h” sounds) creates a gentle, songlike tone.
Imagery of touch conveys intimacy, love, and comfort.
Euphemism for death.
Could reference marriage vows (symbolism of “hand in marriage”).
Biblical imagery (Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam) – loss of life as loss of divine touch.
“Nor I half turn to go yet turning to stay./”
Hesitation about death – speaker is not fully ready to leave.
Repetition of “turning” reflects internal conflict.
Highlights Victorian anxieties about death.
“It will then be too late to counsel then or pray./”
Spiritual meaning – no prayers can change her fate.
Anglican belief that prayers for the dead have no effect.
Reflects Rossetti’s High Anglican faith.
“Yet if you should forget me for a while/ And afterwards remember, do not grieve:/”
Volta (shift in tone & meaning) – new perspective on remembrance.
Internal rhyme (Yet/Forget) reinforces change in thought.
ENJ– fast-paced shift, like a sudden realization.
“Do not grieve” – formal, forceful imperative, isolating the command for emphasis.
“For if the darkness and corruption leave/ A vestige of thoughts that once I had,/”
death’s physical decay and emotional burden.
Acknowledges the grieving process – guilt can come with moving on.
“Vestige of thoughts” – self-sacrificing hope that a small part of her lives on.
