Remember

By Christina Rossetti
1830-1894
Poetry essay question
Complete the first poetry essay question (1.10) on
page 11 of the resource book.
 Remember

What do we understand from the title of the poem?

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
 1830-1894
Pre-Raphaelite Christina Rossetti
Rossetti was born in London; her father was a painter and
political exile from Italy and her mother was the sister of
John Polidori, the friend and physician of Lord Byron. Her
Much of her early work focused on death and loss. Her
most famous collection – which featured Remember – was
published when she was 31 and she became the foremost
female poet of her time. She died of breast cancer in 1894.
How is the context and the role of
women evident in the poem:
• Passive role of women is emphasised in line 6:
• “You tell me of our future that you planned”

• Her beloved made plans for her future without

necessary consulting her.
• Women did not have the right to vote own
property; were expected to submit to men, etc.
• Her feelings are present – rebellious – “the thought
that once I had” (line 12)

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The title
• Links to the theme, which is remembrance.
• Is seen as an imperative/demand/order/command.
• This is tied to her greatest fear- being forgotten.
 Juxtaposition: Remember me= keep me alive
is juxtaposed with “gone away”= metaphor
Order/command for death.

Remember me when I am gone away,

Gone far away into the silent land;

The distance between them is reinforced

by the repetition of ‘gone away’ with the
added adjective ‘far’. Creates a feeling of
isolation.

What is the poet saying here?

What is the significance of the metaphor ‘silent land’? What do you think it
represents?
Melancholic/sombre/sorrowful mood is created. This mood
creates a sense of loss and finality.
A symbol of
death/euphemism

the silent land

‘the’ gives it a sense of

importance, leading to
A spiritual rather than
an understanding that physical place. Creates a
this is heaven/afterlife. sense of mystery.

1. Death is a place of silent rest. The righteous can rest after their struggles on
earth.
2. Death is a place where we can no longer communicate with (hear or see) our
loved ones. It is isolating and lonely.
3. Her state of mind= fearful/apprehensive of the unknown and the isolation
she might experience. Alternatively, she might see it as a peaceful escape from
her pain.
 1. A symbol of first love (holding hands).
2. A physical representation of love that will be
impossible once she is dead.
3. The alliteration softens the impact of the
imperative ‘remember’, creating a more consoling
tone.

When you can no more hold me by the hand,

Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.

Metaphor for her uncertain feelings
Repetition of ‘turn’ reinforces that she
about death. She tries to prolong her
cannot turn from death. She cannot life for as long as possible. For her,
change her mind and stay. death is merely a 'half turn' away.
However, her willpower enables her to
What is the poet saying here? turn toward life in order to remain with
her beloved for as long as she can. She
will be alone in the silent land.
Passive role of women: he made
the plans for their lives, but also
signifies that they wanted to be Once she has died, they won’t be
together forever. together.

Remember me when no more day by day

You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
This future no
longer exists. A
sense of loss.
A second imperative – and third, Prayers and counsel are
but softened this time with ‘only’. needed now; it will be too
Only= only action allowed or late after she is dead – he
allowing him to let go? What is the will only be able to
effect of this? remember.
The sestet:
 Change in idea. If
Signals the volta, or shift, reinforced by the remembering her
replacement of ‘remember’ with ‘forget’ brings him pain, he
should forget her
until he can think of
Yet if you should forget me for a while her fondly. She puts
her selfish need for
remembrance aside
And afterwards remember, do not grieve: for her lover’s
happiness. Forget=
metaphor for death.
A further softening of
‘remember’. After he has
grieved, he will be able to
remember their happy
memories together.
suggests death and the unknown. It
conveys her fear of death and a sense of
foreboding of the desolation/despair that
her passing might bring.

For if the darkness and corruption leave

The word, 'corruption' refers to the dreadful physical effects

of illness; it also refers to the decay of the body after death.
She is worried that her lover will remember her final
moments (ill), which will distort his memories of her. Once he
grieves and moves past this image, he will be able to
remember her happily.
 A trace/leftover. Memories of her.
The rhyme of
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had, had/sad
Better by far you should forget and smile reinforces the
contrast
Than that you should remember and be sad. between
remembering
Alliteration creates a and forgetting
soothing sound. “forget” and “smile” are
contrasted with “remember”
and “sad”. How does this
reinforce the tone of
What is the poet saying here? acceptance?

How might the final line be seen as an act of true love or self-sacrifice?
A reconciliatory, consoling and comforting tone is used. The speaker is at peace
with her impending death and separation from the physical world.
 “Remember”
The word ‘remember’ runs like a refrain throughout the sonnet. Its power seems
to decrease as the sonnet goes on, almost like the speaker is fading or her grip on
the idea of memory decreases.

• Lines 1 and 5: the imperative ‘remember’ is placed at the start of the

line
• Line 7: the word appears in the middle of the line, modified by ‘only’
• Line 10: the middle of the line, ‘and afterwards…’, preceded by
‘forget’ on line 9
• Line 14: towards the end of the line, ‘better you forget’ (line 13) ‘than
that you should remember’ – it here loses its association with ‘me’
 Structure
• Petrarchan/Italian Sonnet
• Octave
• Mournful tone; focus on remembrance; memories and
remembering
• Sestet
• Break from octave
• Forgetting and moving forward.
• There is a mood of positive acceptance despite the negative
words.
• Rhyme scheme: abba abba cddece
• Line 1 and 2: juxtaposition – “remember” vs “gone
away”

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Italian sonnet

Octave Sestet
• Focus = memories & • Focus = forgetting &
remembering moving forward
• Worried lover will forget • Changes attitude:
her ❖All right to forget
• Repeatedly tells him to ❖Actually better (less
remember painful) if he forgets
• Tone = insistent, wistful • Tone = empathetic,
• Mood = sombre, contemplative, tolerant
melancholic, nostalgic • Mood = peaceful,
resigned

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Change of argument in sestet
• Keeps appealing to her lover to remember her.
• Uses the word “forget” in line 9.
• Softening stance.
• She assures him that is alright for him to sometimes
forget her.

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Imagery
• Euphemisms:
• “gone far away” (line 2); “am gone” (line 1); “the silent land”
(line 2)
• Metaphor for death
• Using euphemisms makes death seem less permanent.
• Also implies no communication with her beloved
• Evokes loneliness and isolation

• “hold me by the hand” (line 3) – symbolic of physical

presence and life. Death eliminates this physical presence.
• Also represents the strong connection between speaker and her
beloved
• Hand = represents physical realm
• Worried that once connection is broken, she will be forgotten
• Also alliteration – soft sound is less sharp and demanding
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• “half turned to go yet turning stay” (line 4) –
metaphor for the speaker’s feelings about death/
uncertainty/ reluctant

• Line 5: remembrance and instruction to remember =

keeping someone metaphorically alive

• Line 7: “only remember me” – ambiguity

• I only ask that you remember me
• The only thing you should remember is me.

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• Line 9: “forgot” – metaphor for death

• Line 11: “Darkness and corruption” – lack of light/life;

no longer growing but decaying”
• Death will destroy her – including her memories

• Line 13 and 14: Irony – poet renounces the need to be

remembered, yet the poem titled, “Remember”.

• “Better by far you should forget and smile”

• Consoling sounds – soothing - alliteration
• The speaker has a change of heart. Remembering her
causes too much pain. She would rather sacrifice her
memory – she metaphorically kills herself than ask him to
endure more pain.

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Diction
• “Remember” – connotations of life
• “Silent land”/ “gone” – death
• “Half turn” – reluctant
• “vestige” – remnant; piece; fragment; trace
• Anything that defies death/leftover after the speaker has gone
away
• “forget” – death
• “darkness” – death
• “corruption” – sickness
• “grieve” – extreme sadness

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 Tone/Mood
• Imperative/Commanding tone which become
consoling

• Octave
• Tone: acceptance; contemplative; reconciliatory regarding
death; insistent; determined; wistful
• Mood: sombre; melancholy; nostalgic

• Sestet
– Tone: acceptance; selflessness; consoling; gentle;
empathetic; tolerant
• Mood: peaceful; resigned
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Rosetti’s view about death – links
up with themes
• Death is a separation

• To be forgotten is much worse than death

• Death is “darkness and corruption”

• Death is something which must be accepted

• The idea of death is worse than death itself

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Theme
• Physical body subject to decay and death
vs
how it relates to your eternal soul.

• Death
• Forgiveness
• Selflessness

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Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

Can you identify the rhyme scheme?

 A Remember me when I am gone away,
B Gone far away into the silent land;
B When you can no more hold me by the hand,
A Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
A Remember me when no more day by day
B You tell me of our future that you planned:
B Only remember me; you understand
A It will be late to counsel then or pray.
C Yet if you should forget me for a while
D And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
D For if the darkness and corruption leave
E A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
C Better by far you should forget and smile
E Than that you should remember and be sad.

The cyclical nature of this rhyme scheme reflects the The regularity of the iambic
cyclical nature of the poem: things always come back to pentameter reinforces the
where they started. Life –> death –> life after death (in sense of control the speaker
the form of memory). attempts to establish.
 The octave is contemplative
A Remember me when I am gone away, and reconciled to the idea
B Gone far away into the silent land;
of death: she is content to
B When you can no more hold me by the hand,
A Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. exist in her beloved’s
B Remember me when no more day by day memory. She has not yet,
B You tell me of our future that you planned: however, made peace with
B Only remember me; you understand the idea of being forgotten.
A It will be late to counsel then or pray.
C Yet if you should forget me for a while The volta sees the speaker’s
D And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
tone change: she gives up
D For if the darkness and corruption leave
E A vestige of the thoughts that once I had, the need to be
C Better by far you should forget and smile remembered. The sestet
E Than that you should remember and be sad. sees her wish her beloved
happiness, even if that
Note the internal rhyme of yet/forget drawing means she is forgotten.
attention to the shift of the volta.

The form of a Petrarchan sonnet shows how the speaker sacrifices her
personal desires in an expression of true love. This fits with the philosophy
of acceptance of death and material troubles fading when compared with
the struggles of the mind.
Examine the view that Christina Rossetti presents
the speaker in this poem as having a selfless
attitude to love.

Think about:
• The characteristics of love
• The representation of the people involved
• The feelings of the speaker
• Any imagery or language used
• The way the structure and form reflects this