Song: When I am Dead my Dearest

Question 1

“Sing no sad songs for me,
Plant thou no roses at my head,”

Answer 1

Song:
- Imperative speech
- Speaker feels a sense of empowerment with God
- Repetition of “no”, immediately reflects her lack of desire for her partner to mourn her
- Roses a significant symbol of the duality of love, painful and soft, the speaker wants to rid herself of former pain

Question 2

“And if thou wilt, remember,
And if thou wilt, forget.”

Answer 2

Song:
- Repeated conditionals, the speaker wishes for their lover to follow their will
- Archaic language, reference to the Bible, reflects closeness to God in death
- Speaker presents two alternatives to both which she is indifferent

Question 3

“I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not feel the rain;”

Answer 3

Song:
- Anaphora reflects perspective shift from her lover to herself
- Seeming transcendent of God’s natural creations
- Absolute “shall” signifies a sense of certainty in heaven
- Visual and tactile images present her joy in heaven

Question 4

“I shall not hear the nightingale
Sing on, as if in pain:”

Answer 4

Song:
- Presents life on Earth with her partner as a burden
- warped perception of the melody of birdsong
- Ignorant of others willing to grieve her, feels more comfort away from humanity

Question 5

“Haply I may remember,
And haply may forget.”

Answer 5

Song:
- Consistent image of God as a source of solace
- Conditional “may” contradicts previous absolutes, she is granting her partner freedom in life
- Poem concludes but is left without a solution
- Readers left in a state of uncertainty
- Peaceful acceptance that no one can dictate another persons feelings