Analysis of 'Remember' by Christina Rossetti

Sonnets typically address love or death, and 'Remember' encompasses both. While initially appearing to be about the fear of dying, the poem ultimately reveals themes of true love and selflessness. The speaker's willingness for their partner to forget them and be happy, rather than remember them and be sad, illustrates the profound depth of their love.

The video introduces the analysis of Christina Rossetti's poem 'Remember' for the Edexcel GCSE English literature exam. The title, using the imperative 'Remember,' suggests desperation from someone facing death, wanting to be remembered. The poem is 14 lines long, hinting at its form.

The repetition of 'remember' throughout the poem emphasizes the speaker's fear of being forgotten. The phrase 'gone away, gone far away' uses repetition and a euphemism for death, highlighting the distance and the difficulty of accepting mortality. 'Silent land' is another euphemism for death, which can be interpreted as a peaceful place or a place of loneliness. The speaker fears the physical separation and wishes to remain in the loved one's mind. The word 'only' in 'only remember me' expresses hopelessness, as remembrance is the only thing left for the loved one to do.

The word 'yet' signifies a turning point (Volta) in the poem. The speaker's concern shifts from their own desire to be remembered to the well-being of their loved one. The new imperative 'do not grieve' shows a selfless love, prioritizing the partner's happiness over their own memory. This reflects a stream of consciousness, as the speaker re-evaluates what they are asking of their partner.

The speaker concludes that their lover's happiness is more important than their own desire to be remembered. This is highlighted through antithesis: 'better by far you should forget and smile / than you should remember and be sad.' This demonstrates true, selfless love where personal desires are sacrificed for the partner's benefit.

The poem is a Petrarchan sonnet, consisting of an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines). The octave focuses on the speaker's desire to be remembered, while the sestet, marked by the Volta, shifts to considering the partner's happiness. The poem is written in iambic pentameter, which, despite the speaker's lack of control over death, can be seen as an element of control they maintain over their expression. The traditional Petrarchan rhyme scheme is mostly followed, but a slight deviation in the last four lines reflects the speaker's break from initial expectations of constant remembrance, moving towards a more selfless outlook.