Discussion of Rossetti's Poetry: 'Remember', 'A Birthday', and 'Amor Mundi' Anonymous 12th Grade

Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘Remember’ is a 14-line sonnet that explores the ideas of loss, grief, and separation. As often observed in her poetry, strong visual imagery alluding to the concepts of life, death, beginning and end, is elicited through her use of linguistic and structural devices. A strong sense of voice is established in the first line, “Remember me when I am gone away”, as if the narrator of the poem, presumably a representation of Rossetti herself, is speaking directly to the reader and addressing herself in first person. The concept of loss is introduced in this line as a proposition that generates a sombre, melancholy tone. This is immediately followed and reinforced by the next line in which an isolated, deserted atmosphere is created by the use of the motif “silent land” and the repetition of the phrase “gone far away”. The following line strongly alludes to intimacy and affection – “When you can no more hold me by the hand”, intensifying the yearning, mournful tone of the narrator’s voice. Here, she refers to a distinctly tactile memory of her loved one, longing for their touch and warmth. This further portrays her desire and request to be remembered by her beloved with whom she shared a profoundly intimate...