Remember by Christina Rossetti - Form and Context
You'll immediately notice this poem follows the Petrarchan sonnet structure with its distinctive ABBAABBA CDDECE rhyme scheme and volta (turn) that shifts the poem's direction. Rossetti maintains consistent iambic pentameter throughout, creating a rhythmic flow that mirrors natural speech patterns.
The Victorian context is crucial here. Death dominated Victorian lives due to high mortality rates, making poems about mortality incredibly relevant to contemporary readers. Rossetti's Anglo-Catholic beliefs influence the poem's perspective - death separates lovers physically but isn't seen as a complete end.
Watch how Rossetti uses refrains (repeated phrases) to reinforce key ideas. 'When you can no more' and 'when no more' create echoes throughout the poem, whilst 'Remember me' and 'remember' become the emotional heartbeat of the piece.
Key insight: The repetitive structure mirrors how memory itself works - returning to the same moments and phrases again and again.
Notice the soft sounds in phrases like 'hold me by the hand' and 'far away into the silent land' - these create a sense of acceptance and peace rather than fear. Some critics suggest these sounds resemble panting or pleading, adding vulnerability to the speaker's voice.