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Remember - Christina Rossetti - Coggle Diagram
Remember - Christina Rossetti
Summary: the speaker asks a loved one to remember them after death, but also gives permission to forget if it causes pain
A sonnet in which the speaker asks a loved one to remember her after death, but ultimately offers comfort by saying that forgetting is acceptable if remembrance causes pain. It’s a meditation on memory, loss, and selfless love.
Key Themes:
Love
memory
death
selflessness
Love and Loss: Central to the poem’s emotional core is the sorrow of anticipated death and parting.
Grief vs Consolation: The speaker wishes to ease the emotional burden of her departure.
Selflessness: The shift from “remember” to “forget and smile” illustrates mature, selfless love.
Mortality: A calm, accepting tone contrasts with typical fear of death
Structure:
petrachen sonnet
volta - 'yet' changes the direction of poem, revealing true feelings
form slightly written about love in the face of death
Petrarchan sonnet: Octave (first 8 lines) outlines the desire to be remembered; the sestet (final 6 lines) allows for forgetting.
Volta (turning point) at line 9 reflects change in emotional perspective.
Techniques:
volta
paradox
gentle tone
imperative verb - depth of emotion - " remember me"
Repetition: “Remember” is repeated to emphasise longing and importance of memory.
Euphemism: “Gone away” and “silent land” soften the reality of death.
Tone: Shifts from firm insistence to gentle, forgiving and reflective.
Imagery: The “silent land” symbolises death, distance, or the unknown afterlife.
Enjambment: Creates a reflective, flowing rhythm as thoughts continue beyond lines.
Compare with:
Do Not Go Gentle - (attitudes toward death) - different responses to death - resistance vs acceptance
Sonnet 116 (enduring love)
Poem at Thirty Nine - (memory) - mourning through memory and legacy
If - selflessness and emotional maturity
key ideas
Balance Between Love and Letting Go: True love is shown in the willingness to relieve another’s pain.
Memory as Connection: Remembering keeps the speaker alive emotionally, even after physical departure.
Dignity in Death: Acceptance rather than resistance (contrast with Thomas).