Remember
Biographical information: Christina Rossetti
Born in England in 1830
Daughter of an artistic Italian family
Wrote 'remember' when she was 19
A feminist figure, popular and influential in her lifetime
Wrote many poems about the complexities of women's lives in a restrictive society
In her late teens, became engaged to the painter James Collison
Content is fragmented and disconnected view of reality
Meaning and Message
Themes of love, memory and grief
A big part of remembering for the speaker, is remembering to remember
She wants him to remember her but doesn’t blame him If he doesn’t
She doesn’t want her absence to cause him pain
Ultimately, she recognizes that it would be better for him to forget about her and be happy,
than remember her and be miserable.
Structure
Petrarchan sonnet:
On Octave of 8 lines and a sestet of 6 lines
Rhyme Scheme
ABBA ABBA CDD ECE
First 8 lines of the octave follow a fairly simple rhyme scheme, the sestet presents a more
complicated variations of lines C, D and E, which mirrors the speakers complex emotions
Tone:
Passionate
Desperate
Irrational
Contemplative
Resigned
Calm
Imagery
Apostrophe: The poems makes use of apostrophe, a direct address to someone - repetition of
'Remember me' and 'You' in lines 3,6,9,13 and 14
Enjambment: Lines 11-12
Alliteration: Lines 3,4,5,9,13,14
Assonance: line 13 'better' and 'forget'
Caesura: Lines 7 and 10
Creates an interruption between what the speaker expects of her lover after death
versus what he can actually do for her.
Biographical information: Christina Rossetti
Born in England in 1830
Daughter of an artistic Italian family
Wrote 'remember' when she was 19
A feminist figure, popular and influential in her lifetime
Wrote many poems about the complexities of women's lives in a restrictive society
In her late teens, became engaged to the painter James Collison
Content is fragmented and disconnected view of reality
Meaning and Message
Themes of love, memory and grief
A big part of remembering for the speaker, is remembering to remember
She wants him to remember her but doesn’t blame him If he doesn’t
She doesn’t want her absence to cause him pain
Ultimately, she recognizes that it would be better for him to forget about her and be happy,
than remember her and be miserable.
Structure
Petrarchan sonnet:
On Octave of 8 lines and a sestet of 6 lines
Rhyme Scheme
ABBA ABBA CDD ECE
First 8 lines of the octave follow a fairly simple rhyme scheme, the sestet presents a more
complicated variations of lines C, D and E, which mirrors the speakers complex emotions
Tone:
Passionate
Desperate
Irrational
Contemplative
Resigned
Calm
Imagery
Apostrophe: The poems makes use of apostrophe, a direct address to someone - repetition of
'Remember me' and 'You' in lines 3,6,9,13 and 14
Enjambment: Lines 11-12
Alliteration: Lines 3,4,5,9,13,14
Assonance: line 13 'better' and 'forget'
Caesura: Lines 7 and 10
Creates an interruption between what the speaker expects of her lover after death
versus what he can actually do for her.
