Remember - Poem Analysis

The video introduces Christina Rossetti (1830-1894), an English poet whose work influenced and continues to inspire others. The poem's title, 'Remember,' directly reflects its central theme of remembrance.

The poem is identified as a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet, split into an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines). This structure will be further analyzed for its relation to the poem's message.

The octave begins with the imperative 'Remember Me,' establishing a demanding and personal tone from the speaker to her beloved. The repetition of 'gone' and the euphemism 'silent land' emphasize the speaker's impending death, focusing on memory rather than tragedy. She stresses the physical separation ('no more hold me by the hand') but desires continued remembrance. The phrase 'yet turning stay' suggests her reluctant acceptance of death. The speaker highlights the deep, planned future they shared, emphasizing her sole request: 'only remember me.' She concludes that advice or prayer after death will be too late, making remembrance the crucial act.

The sestet introduces a significant shift, or 'Volta,' with the word 'yet.' The speaker now acknowledges the possibility of her beloved forgetting her for a while, showing a more realistic and less demanding tone. She advises him 'do not grieve' if he forgets and then remembers, wanting him to avoid guilt. 'Darkness and Corruption' euphemistically refer to her death and the physical decay of her body. She expresses a desire not to be remembered negatively, associated with illness or the tragedy of her passing.

The poem concludes with the speaker's ultimate self-sacrificing sentiment: 'better by far you should forget and smile than that you should remember and be sad.' This reveals the extent of her love, prioritizing her beloved's happiness over her own desire to be eternally remembered. She realizes that endless remembrance might cause him additional pain after mourning, leading her to let go of that initial desire.

The Petrarchan sonnet structure perfectly fits the poem's evolving argument, with the octave setting up the initial plea and the sestet offering a counter-argument and conclusion. The tone shifts from commanding to reflective, forgiving, and melancholic. Key themes include memory, remembrance, legacy, mourning, grief, and the pain of remembrance. The poem also explores the idea of how one is remembered, highlighting the ironic thematic message where the initial request to remember is eventually contradicted for the sake of the beloved's happiness.