‘Remember’ (Edexcel IGCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Written by: Nadia Ambreen
Reviewed by: Kate Lee
‘Remember’
This revision guide to the poem ‘Remember’ by Christina Rossetti from the Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology (part 3: unit 1, section B) includes:
Overview: a line-by-line breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations
Form, structure and language: an exploration of the techniques and poetic choice that Rossetti has used
Themes: an exploration of the themes and ideas in the poem
Comparing poems: suggestions on which poems to compare ‘Remember’ to
Overview
To answer an essay question on a poem, you must understand what it is about. The overview section includes:
A summary of the poem
A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section
A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Rossetti’s intention and message
A summary of the poem ‘Remember’
Written by Christina Rossetti at the age of 19 in 1849, ‘Remember’ is a sonnet in which the speaker is preparing a lover for their death, with instructions about how they wish to be remembered after death. The poem deals with death, love and memory after loss and is unusual as it is written from the perspective of a speaker who is dying. The speaker is assumed to be female.
‘Remember’ analysis
Lines 1–4
“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.”
Translation
The speaker begins the sonnet by asking her lover to remember her after she has died
Rossetti’s intention
The poem starts with the speaker’s sorrowful plea to be remembered after she dies:
Death is described using a euphemistic and poetic phrase “gone away” to imply that she is taking a journey
The speaker uses anadiplosis by repeating the words “gone away” at the start of the second sentence:
The repetition of “gone” emphasises their separation and the choice of the word “far” increases the sense of distance between them
A metaphor, “the silent land”, represents the journey of death
The poem is an example of a poetic apostrophe as it directly addresses someone who is not responding:
The phrase “no more hold me by the hand” suggests their intimacy and their close physical connection or proximity to each other, contrasting with the anticipated distance between them after death
The alliteration in “hold me by the hand” connects the words, like hands
There is a tender poignancy and sadness that reminds the reader of the speaker’s imminent death and her desire to cling to life: “half turn to go yet turning stay”
The rhyme scheme of this quatrain is typical of a Petrarchan sonnet with a rhyme scheme of ABBA:
The disconnect between the A rhymes could reflect the distance the speaker and her beloved will experience once she has died
Lines 5–8
“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.”
Translation
The speaker urges her beloved to remember her even though they can no longer plan their life together
Rossetti’s intention
In lines five and six, the speaker shifts their focus to what will be missing in the future:
The phrase “day by day” reminds us of her imminent death
The repetition of the words “you” and “me” creates both an intimacy and a sense of distance between the speaker and her beloved:
He will be moving forward, with a future, but she will not
The speaker then repeats the insistent plea to “remember me” to direct her lover:
Memories, rather than “prayer” or “counsel” will provide solace when she has died and journeyed to the “silent land”
This quatrain follows the same rhyme scheme as the previous quatrain (ABBA):
This reflects the insistent nature of the message to remember her
Lines 9–12
“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,”
Translation
The speaker reassures her beloved that he should not be upset if he forgets her for a while
Rossetti’s intention
The sonnet reaches the volta in these lines as the speaker changes focus slightly and introduces a new idea with words associated with time:
The turning point is evident with the word “yet” which reflects how the speaker’s message changes slightly from the first octave of the poem
The speaker raises the possibility that her lover may forget her “for a while” but a trace or “vestige” will still be present
Lines 13–14
“Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.”
Translation
The speaker reveals a deep love and tenderness for her beloved, hoping for future happiness rather than sadness in grief
Rossetti’s intention
The word “remember” is repeated for the final time at the end of the poem but without the same strength or intensity:
It is almost as if the speaker is beginning to fade away
It also reflects the speaker’s realisation that she cannot force her lover to remember her with the same intensity as she did at the beginning of the poem
The rhyme scheme for the final six lines, or sestet, of the poem changes and breaks away from the tight and predictable rhyme scheme present in the first octave (eight lines) of the poem:
The rhyme scheme is CDDECE for the sestet or final six lines of the poem
This unorganised, lower rhyme scheme could reflect the speaker’s inner turmoil as they wrestle with (or accept) the idea of being forgotten after death
Form, structure and language
Consider how Rossetti uses form, structure and language to present her ideas in ‘Remember’ and why she has made these choices.
You will gain more marks in the exam if you focus on the poet’s themes than on individual poetic techniques. Therefore, the analysis in the following sections is arranged by theme, and examines the intentions behind the poet’s decisions.
Form
This type of poem is called a Petrarchan sonnet and it contains 14 lines. As the poem is a sonnet, it uses iambic pentameter and a traditional rhyme scheme for a Petrarchan sonnet.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Love and life | The sonnet uses iambic pentameter, a traditional meter for a sonnet:
| This meter mimics the sound of a beating heart, and is often used in a love sonnet:
|
Memory, death and grief | The poem follows the traditional rhyme scheme of a Petrarchan sonnet:
| The rhyme scheme mirrors the speaker’s inner thoughts and angst:
|
Structure
As the poem is a sonnet, the first eight lines are called an octave in which the speaker’s thoughts and questions are presented. This is followed by a sestet, which begins with a volta, connected to the octave.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Memory, death and grief | The poet uses the traditional structure of a Petrarchan sonnet to explore the speaker’s changing feelings about death and memory |
|
The use of the titular word “remember” is repeated at different points throughout the sonnet |
|
Language
Christina Rossetti uses a range of language techniques to emphasise the speaker’s inner thoughts and feelings in ‘Remember’.
Theme | Evidence | Poet’s intention |
Memory, death and grief | The speaker uses an extended metaphor of a journey | Death is metaphorically “a silent land”, where one must travel “far away”, to an afterlife:
|
Love and life | Alliteration is used in the sonnet:
|
|
Themes
Understanding the two central themes and the context of this poem will help you to write an informed, personal response in the exam. Here is a summary:
Memory, death and grief
Christina Rossetti wrote ‘Remember’ at the young age of 19 in 1849 but it was published in 1862:
The poem fits into a Victorian tradition of poems of mourning, but is celebrated for its intimacy and for the tenderness of tone and the simplicity of style
The poem is unusually written from the perspective of a speaker who is dying
The pronouns “me” and “I” have both been used in every line of the poem:
This reflects the speaker’s strong desire to be heard
The repetition of the word “remember” conveys the speaker’s strong desire to be remembered and a part of her beloved’s life, even when she has died:
However, the emphasis and intensity of the word “remember” decreases as the poem goes progresses
The poet uses caesura in the poem for impact:
The semicolon after “only remember me;” separates and isolates the statement and strengthens the speaker’s desperate desire to be remembered
The caesura after “do not grieve:” has a similar effect and adds impact and gravitas to the message
The rhyme scheme of the final six lines of the poem is different to the tight rhyme scheme in the octave:
The rhyme scheme of CDDECE could reflect the speaker’s own grief
Love and life
An apostrophe is used in ‘Remember’ and the reader can only assume that the individual listening to this sonnet is her loved one
The speaker describes her love and connection with her beloved through the intimate tone, frequent use of pronoun (“you” and “me”) and sensory references:
The speaker uses touch when stating that their loved one will no longer be able to hold her “by the hand”
After the volta in the poem, the speaker declares that they accept that their loved one may end up forgetting them “for a while”:
This demonstrates that the speaker’s love for her partner is greater than her desire to be continually remembered
The iambic pentameter of the sonnet contains ten syllables, which contain five unstressed syllables and five stressed syllables:
The use of iambic pentameter mimics the sound of a beating heart which one cannot only associate with life but also with the theme of love
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In your exam, the last thing you want to do is use subject terminology for the sake of it. Your marks will not automatically increase just by naming language techniques. Instead, you have to write about the techniques that are relevant question key words.
For example, if a question is asking you about the theme of love in the poem ‘Remember’, you want to write something like the following:
“The poet’s use iambic pentameter, with a regular beat of unstressed and stressed syllables, could signify the beating of a heart, to reflect the constancy of the speaker’s love for their beloved.”
Comparing poems
In your exam, you will be required to compare two poems from the anthology.
You must be able to explore links and connections between texts, which includes looking at the poets’ use of language, form and structure. In ‘Remember’, Rossetti’s main ideas are centred around love, memory and grief, so the following comparisons would be a good starting point:
‘Remember’ and ‘Sonnet 116’
‘Remember’ and ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’
For each pair of poems, you will find:
Comparison summary
Similarities and differences between the ideas presented in each poem
Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences
‘Remember’ and ‘Sonnet 116’
Comparison summary:
In Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘Remember’, the speaker is dying and fears that her loved one will not remember her after she dies. However, in ‘Sonnet 116’, Shakespeare presents love as a force that can withstand the test of time and can overcome all barriers as it does not age or wither away.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems are powerful and celebrated poems about the nature of love. | |
Evidence and analysis | ‘Remember’ | ‘Sonnet 116’ |
The speaker of the poem is someone who is dying and wants their lover/partner to remember them when they have died | The speaker in ‘Sonnet 116’ is an individual who is in love and may be talking to their love interest or generally stating their views on true love | |
‘Remember’ is written as a Petrarchan sonnet and love is a popular sonnet theme and uses iambic pentameter to reflect the beat of a heart | The poem is written in Shakespearean sonnet form, which Shakespeare traditionally used for love poetry and also uses iambic pentameter to reflect the beat of a heart | |
The speaker in this poem uses a metaphor of the “silent land” to refer to death:
| The speaker claims that love endures “even to the edge of doom”:
| |
Differences:
Topic sentence | Although both poems are about love, it is presented as constant and enduring in ‘Sonnet 116’ but more ephemeral in ‘Remember’. | |
Evidence and analysis | ‘Remember’ | ‘Sonnet 116’ |
The speaker uses repetition of the word “remember”:
| The speaker also uses a type of repetition called polyptoton to reinforce the idea that love does not “alter” when “alteration finds” or “bends with the remover to remove”:
| |
The rhyme scheme is typical of a Petrarchan sonnet:
| The rhyme scheme breaks away from a traditional Shakespearean sonnet as the rhyme scheme of the final two lines goes back to the rhymes of lines two and four:
| |
In Rossetti’s poem, the speaker acknowledges that their beloved may “forget me for a while” and only retain a “vestige of the thoughts that I once had”:
| However, the speaker in ‘Sonnet 116’ believes that love is constant: “ever-fixèd mark”:
| |
‘Remember’ and ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’
Comparison summary:
Both poems deal with the inevitability of death. However, ‘Remember’ is written from the perspective of someone who is dying and speaking to their loved one before they die, whereas, ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ is written from the perspective of someone who is witnessing a loved one dying.
Similarities:
Topic sentence | Both poems deal with individuals preparing for death. | |
Evidence and analysis | ‘Remember’ | ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ |
The poem is written from the perspective of someone who is dying and speaking to their loved one | The poem is written from the perspective of someone who is offering advice to someone who is dying | |
The poem is written in iambic pentameter, which is appropriate for a poem about death and love as it mimics the sound of a heart beat | The poem is largely written in iambic pentameter, which could also mirror the beating of a heart signifying life:
| |
The speaker uses a metaphor to describe death as a “silent land” | The speaker also uses metaphors to describe death, as a “good night” and “good light” | |
The speaker uses the phrase “when I am gone away” to suggest that the speaker will be undertaking a journey into “the silent land” | Similarly, in Thomas’ poem, the speaker begins the poem by speaking directly to their listener and demanding that they “do not go gentle” | |
Differences:
Topic sentence | While both poems deal with death, they offer different perspectives on death. | |
Evidence and analysis | ‘Remember’ | ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ |
The speaker is the person who is dying:
| However, in Thomas’s poem, the speaker wants the dying individual to “rage” and fight against death:
| |
It is clear that in Rossetti’s poem, the speaker is not afraid of dying:
| However, in Thomas’s poem, the speaker is clearly afraid of losing their father:
| |
‘Remember’ is a Petrarchan sonnet, which is a popular sonnet form:
| In contrast, the poem is a villanelle which is a fixed and rigid poetic form that has a set rhyme scheme:
| |
The final stanza of the poem reflects the speaker’s acceptance and how it is “Better by far you should forget and smile” | The final line of the stanza reemphasises the speaker’s desperation and passionate desire to see his father fight death:
| |
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