Remember - Poem Analysis
Summary
TLDRIn this video, the poem 'Remember' by Christina Rossetti is explored, highlighting its themes of remembrance and the poet's struggle with mortality. Rossetti, influenced by her own health issues, commands her beloved to remember her after her death, yet paradoxically suggests it may be better to forget her to avoid sadness. The analysis delves into the poem's structure, the Italian sonnet form, and the volta that shifts the tone from assertive to reflective and forgiving. The video concludes by discussing the irony of the poem's theme and the significance of how one is remembered.
Takeaways
- 📜 Christina Rossetti was an English poet with Italian heritage, known for her inspiration from and to other poets.
- 🗝️ The poem 'Remember' is centered around the theme of remembrance, with a focus on the speaker's impending death.
- 📖 The poem is structured as a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet, divided into an octave and a sestet, with a significant shift or 'volta' in meaning.
- 💔 The speaker begins with a commanding tone, urging her beloved to remember her even after she has passed away.
- 🌌 The use of 'silent land' as a euphemism for death adds a layer of poignancy and reflects on the finality of the speaker's fate.
- 🤝 The poem emphasizes the physicality of love through the repeated phrase 'hold me by the hand', symbolizing the intimacy and connection that will be lost.
- 🔄 The repetition of 'remember me' throughout the octave serves to underscore the speaker's plea for remembrance despite her absence.
- 🌑 The volta introduces a contrasting idea, suggesting that it might be better for the beloved to forget the speaker to avoid sadness and grief.
- 😢 The speaker expresses a desire not to be remembered in a negative light due to death or the remnants of her illness.
- 😊 The final lines propose that it is better to forget and smile than to remember and be sad, highlighting the speaker's selfless love and concern for her beloved's happiness.
- 🎨 The poem's mood shifts from assertive to reflective and melancholic, reflecting the complexity of emotions associated with loss and remembrance.
Q & A
Who is Christina Rossetti and what is her background?
-Christina Rossetti was an English poet born in 1830 and died in 1894. She had an Italian father and was influenced by many poets before her. She developed a thyroid disorder and eventually died of cancer.
What is the main theme of the poem 'Remember' by Christina Rossetti?
-The main theme of the poem 'Remember' is remembrance, with a focus on the speaker's desire to be remembered after death.
What is the structure of the poem 'Remember'?
-The poem 'Remember' is structured as a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet, which is divided into an octave and a sestet, with a significant shift or 'volta' in the message or tone between the two parts.
How does the poem 'Remember' begin and what is the significance of the opening line?
-The poem begins with the imperative verb 'Remember,' which is a command and sets a personal and authentic tone for the conversation between the speaker and her beloved.
What is the significance of the phrase 'gone far away into the silent land' in the poem?
-The phrase 'gone far away into the silent land' is a euphemism for death, emphasizing the finality of the speaker's death and the impossibility of physical presence after it.
What does the speaker request in the octave of the poem?
-In the octave, the speaker pleads to be remembered by her beloved after she is gone, emphasizing the importance of her memory in their relationship.
What is the volta in the poem and how does it change the message?
-The volta, or the turning point, in the poem occurs at the beginning of the sestet with the word 'yet,' where the speaker contradicts her earlier plea and suggests that it might be better for her beloved to forget her if the remembrance brings sadness.
What does the speaker mean by 'the darkness and corruption' in the sestet?
-In the sestet, 'the darkness and corruption' refer to death and the physical decay caused by illness, respectively. The speaker does not want to be remembered through the lens of these negative aspects.
What is the final message of the poem 'Remember'?
-The final message of the poem is that it is better for the beloved to forget the speaker and smile, enjoying life, rather than remember her and be sad, showing the speaker's selfless love and willingness to sacrifice her own desire to be remembered for the happiness of her beloved.
How does the poem explore the idea of memory and legacy?
-The poem explores the idea of memory and legacy by initially asking to be remembered and then suggesting that it might be better to be forgotten if the remembrance is tied to sadness or negative aspects of the speaker's life and death.
What are the key themes in the poem 'Remember'?
-The key themes in the poem are remembrance, mourning, dealing with grief or loss, the pain of remembrance, and the significance of how one is remembered.
Outlines
📜 Poetic Remembrance and the Art of Euphemism
The first paragraph delves into the analysis of Christina Rossetti's poem 'Remember,' highlighting the poet's background and the thematic focus on remembrance. Rossetti, an English poet with Italian roots, is known to have drawn inspiration from her predecessors and to have influenced future poets. The poem's title, 'Remember,' is a direct command to its reader, emphasizing the personal and intimate nature of the conversation it portrays. The poem is structured as a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet, divided into an octave and a sestet. The octave begins with a plea for remembrance after the speaker's death, using the motif of the 'silent land' as a euphemism for death. The speaker's direct address to her beloved, the use of imperative verbs, and the repetition of 'remember' underscore the depth of the relationship and the speaker's desire to be remembered despite her impending absence. The paragraph also touches on the poem's use of alliteration and the significance of physical gestures like 'holding by the hand' as symbols of love and connection.
🌟 The Paradox of Forgetting and the Power of Positivity
The second paragraph continues the analysis by examining the volta, or the turning point, in the poem where the speaker's tone shifts from commanding to more forgiving and reflective. The volta introduces the idea that it might be better for the beloved to forget the speaker if the remembrance brings sadness or grief. The speaker contemplates the natural process of forgetting and the potential consequences of being remembered through the lens of death and decay. She expresses a preference for her beloved to smile and enjoy life rather than to be consumed by sorrowful memories. The sestet concludes with the paradoxical notion that it is better to be forgotten with a smile than to be remembered with sadness. The paragraph also discusses the poem's structure, rhyme scheme, and the evolution of its tone from assertive to melancholic. The themes of legacy, mourning, and the pain of remembrance are explored, with the speaker ultimately realizing the importance of how one is remembered and the selfless love that is willing to let go for the sake of the beloved's happiness.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Christina Rossetti
💡Petrarchan Sonnet
💡Remembrance
💡Euphemism
💡Imperative Verb
💡Volta
💡Alliteration
💡Contemplative
💡Melancholic
💡Legacy
💡Mourning
Highlights
Christina Rossetti was an English poet with Italian heritage, known for her influence on subsequent poets.
Rossetti's life was marked by a thyroid disorder and her death from cancer.
The poem 'Remember' by Rossetti emphasizes the theme of remembrance.
The poem is structured as a Petrarchan or Italian sonnet, divided into an octave and a sestet.
The poem begins with a commanding tone, using the imperative verb 'remember'.
The use of repetition in 'Remember Me When I'm Gone Away' highlights the finality of death.
The poem uses euphemism to soften the tone and focus on memory rather than the tragedy of death.
The phrase 'hold me by the hand' symbolizes love and physical presence, emphasizing the speaker's impending absence.
The line 'no I have turned to go yet turning stay' reflects the speaker's awareness of impending death.
The volta in the sestet introduces a shift in the poem's message and tone.
The speaker acknowledges the possibility of being forgotten and the natural process of grief.
The poem contrasts the idea of being remembered with the darkness and corruption of death.
The speaker prefers her beloved to forget and smile rather than remember and be sad.
The poem concludes with the speaker's self-sacrifice, prioritizing her beloved's happiness over her own remembrance.
The structure of the sonnet is appropriate for the poem's argument and conclusion.
The tone of the poem transitions from commanding to reflective, forgiving, and melancholic.
The theme of the poem is ironic, as it initially demands remembrance but later suggests forgetting.
The poem explores the themes of death, legacy, mourning, and the pain of remembrance.
The speaker's realization about how she should be remembered is a significant aspect of the poem's message.
Transcripts
hello and welcome to another try
teachers video in today's video we're
going to be analyzing the poem Remember
by Christina Rossetti
some background on the poet Christina
Rossetti was born in 1830 and she died
in 1894. she was an English poet but her
father was Italian she developed a
thyroid disorder and she died of cancer
her writing was inspired by many poets
who came before her and her poetry
inspired and continues to inspire poets
who have come after her
if we look at the title of the poem it
is remember which it's a nice simple
title and it encompasses the main
message or the theme of the poem which
is Remembrance
this poem is in patrakan or Italian
sonnet which we'll discuss more when we
get into a detailed analysis structure
but it is split into an octave and
assist it so let's analyze the octave
first
Remember Me When I'm Gone Away gone far
away into the side and land when you can
no longer no more hold me by the hand
nor I have turned to go yet Turning Stay
remember me when no more day by day you
tell me about future that you planned
only remember me do you understand it
will be later to cancel then or pray
so we start off and it's a really
demanding way to start off because she
starts with an imperative verb she says
remember she starts with a command Me
shows that this is a personal poem this
is an authentic conversation that she's
having with her lover or with her
beloved
she says Remember Me When I'm Gone Away
gone far away into the silent land the
repetition of God emphasizes to her
lover that she will die soon there is
this finality to her death which is also
seen through far away into the side of
land this is a euphemism and we see this
euphemism used throughout the poem
um so euphemism for death it makes the
tone less depressing and allows the
focus of the poem to be on the memory
and not of the tragedy of her death
when you can no long can no more hold me
by the hand so when you she's speaking
directly to the Beloved it's almost like
we've interrupted this conversation that
they've had you can no more the use of
no really emphasize with the fact that
she's no longer going to be there hold
me by the hand notice the alliteration
there it's quite a soft sound holding
someone by the hand is a romantic
gesture it's a symbol of love but it's
also something physical and she is
trying to impart this to The Listener
that she will not be physically present
but she still wants to be remembered
no I have turned to go yet turning stay
so this line may seem confusing at first
but what she's saying here is that she
knows she's about to die so she sort of
half turned towards death but she knows
that she cannot stay she knows that she
cannot stay with her beloved she doesn't
have a choice she has to go she has to
um accept death
and this makes us think that perhaps
this is quite a personal poem because of
Rosetti's own
um trouble with illness
um that maybe she is trying to warn her
beloved in this poem on a very personal
level
we have the repeated remember here
remember me when no more day by day this
really emphasizes her pleads for him to
remember her
no more day by day this is also repeated
and emphasizes that she will not be
there any longer
day by day this can show that they spend
every day together she wants to be
remembered day to day but also perhaps
that they've been spending every day
together
you tell me of our future that you
planned and so here she is emphasizing
the deepness of this relationship that
is long lasting notice the use of the
pronoun hour this is a long lasting
serious relationship and they have a
future that they have developed together
um their future is planned for them to
share and she is now remarking how she's
not going to be able to experience that
future that he's planned
notice the colon here to show now
there's going to be an explanation or
elaboration
um on the previous point
only remember me this is her only
request she uses the word only to
emphasize that the semicolon emphasizes
what has just been said stop take it in
before continuing you understand it will
be later to counsel then I'll pray she
says it will be too late to advise me or
to pray for me when I'm dead the only
thing you can do now is remember me
so keep that in mind the message of the
octave and now we're going to move on to
the cestit which is a remarkable shift
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
this is such a beautiful and
authentically written poem The yet is
called the Volta in this particular type
of sonnet which is a shift in the
message and the tone so the yet is a
really important word there
and now she's going to completely
counteract and contradict what she's
just said she says if you forget me for
a while she realizes that he might not
remember her at every moment so now
she's becoming a little bit more
realistic as opposed to this imperative
demanding tone that she carried
throughout the octave
and afterwards remember do not grieve
she says so if you forget me because
it's natural to forget someone for a
little bit of time and then after do you
remember she says don't feel bad don't
feel guilty about it and then we have
the colon which is going to show she's
going to explore this idea further
for if the darkness and Corruption leave
and so now she's going to reference her
death once again using this sort of
euphemistic language but darkness is
representing her death she has gone at
the darkness the unknown perhaps this
alludes to her fear of death in some way
but also in the sense that we don't know
what happens to people after they die
and the corruption she's referring to
here is that her body has been corrupted
by illness and she's going to remark
here how she doesn't want to be
remembered as just because she's she's
died or also she doesn't want to be
remembered as the person that she was
after her body has been corrupted and so
she says this darkness and Corruption if
they're going to leave a Vestige of the
thoughts once I had if they're going to
leave a Remnant or a trace of what I
once used to be
the speaker does not want to be
remembered in the sense of her death or
of the remnants of what she was due to
her illness these are negative ways to
be remembered and she realizes she
doesn't want her beloved to be consumed
by thoughts of her in this way
and so then we're going to have this
little conclusion and the last two lines
where she's going to go back and what
she said in the octave and come to this
understanding that maybe it's better for
him to forget about her if it's going to
be a remembrance in a negative way
better by far you should forget and
smile than that you should remember and
be sad
she says it's rather better if you
forget about me and you smile you enjoy
life then if you remember you are sad
about it there's a complete shift a
complete change and I think this really
emphasizes the extent of the speaker's
love for her beloved how she's willing
to self-sacrifice how she's willing to
say you can't forget me as long as
you're going to be happy even though we
can see she does at the beginning we're
desperately want to be remembered
um as the speaker comes to the
realization that remembering her for
eternity might cause her beloved
additional pain after he has already
mourned her death after her passing she
realizes that she must let go of this of
this desire
as they spoke about earlier the
structure of this poem is that a
pachakan or Italian sonnet and a sonnet
typically is 14 lines it usually
presents an argument of sorts and it
follows the speaker's thinking until a
conclusion is reached and so in this way
the structure is really appropriate to
the message or to the tone and even the
entire intention of this poem The octave
is eight lines successed into six lines
the Volta shows the change or the shift
and it is in line 9. there is an a b b a
rhyme scheme the tone of the poem starts
off really commanding and assertive and
then it morphs into being coming
reflective forgiving and melancholic the
mood is contemplative and melancholic
the theme of the message it's quite
ironic because she goes back on herself
she contradicts herself so from the
title we anticipate we expect that this
is going to be the message about
remembering someone off their death but
then
um later on she contradicts that and she
says rather you should forget so it's an
ironic themal message
the death of a physical person versus
the death of a person's Legacy so this
idea that a person can keep on living
through memory
memory remembrance and Legacy are also
key themes another key theme is mourning
and dealing with grief or loss the pain
of remembrance and it's also not just
about remembrance but it's about how we
are remembered which is significant and
that's what the speaker comes with the
realization of in this poem
thank you so much for watching I hope
that you found this video helpful please
do like and subscribe and I'll see you
in the next video
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