christina rossetti
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Presented by: Nurzyinat Rustam kyzy
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who was Christina rossetti?
Christina Georgina Rossetti was an English writer of romantic, devotional, and children’s poems, very well-known all over the world. She was born on December 5, 1830, in London to Gabriele Rossetti, a poet and a political exile from Vasto, Italy, and Frances Polidori, the sister of John William Polidori. She had two brothers and a sister: Dante Gabriel became an influential artist and poet, and William Michael and Maria both became writers. Christina, the youngest and a lively child, dictated her first story to her mother before she had learned to write. Rossetti was educated at home by her mother and father through religious works, classics, fairy tales, and novels. She was influenced by many various Italian writers and poets.
In the 1840s, her family faced financial difficulties due to her father’s deteriorating physical and mental health. He was diagnosed with persistent bronchitis and was at risk of losing his sight. He had to give up his teaching post at King’s College, and though he lived another 11 years, he suffered from depression and was never physically well again. To support the family, Rossetti’s mother began teaching, and her sister Maria became a live-in governess, a prospect that Christina Rossetti dreaded.
Her writing career
Rossetti began her writing career by imitating her favorite poets and experimenting with various verse forms. Her work, which includes narratives from the Bible, folk tales, and the lives of saints, is marked by symbolism and intense feelings.
Her best-known work, “Goblin Market and Other Poems,” was published in 1862 and established her as a significant voice in Victorian poetry. Despite her illness in the 1880s, Rossetti continued to write and produce works such as “A Pageant and Other Poems” in 1881. She also wrote religious prose works, such as “Seek and Find” in 1879, “Called To Be Saints” in 1881, and “The Face of the Deep” in 1892.
Her writing style, influenced by the works of Keats and Dante Alighieri, displays precision in diction, form, and tone. She is recognized as a talented lyricist and is known for her works of fantasy, poems for children, and religious poetry. Her work is often considered less political and intellectual than that of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, but she is recognized as the more talented lyricist. In addition to her poetry, Rossetti also wrote children’s stories and Christian-themed prose, including “Sing-Song: A Nursery Rhyme Book” (1872) and “Called to be Saints” (1876).
“remember” by ROssetti
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 plann'd:
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.
‘Remember’ by Christina Rossetti addresses a couple’s future and the speaker’s desire to be remembered, but not if it causes her lover sadness. In ‘Remember’ by Christina Rossetti, the poetic persona encourages the unseen reader to remember her after her death, and it is only near the end of the poem that the narrator changes her mind and allows him to forget her. However, in the first lines of this poem, the speaker begins by asking the listener, who is presumably her lover, to remember her when she dies. This is something that she repeats several times, always hoping that he won’t forget her when she’s gone. Their love will remain a light in the darkness. But, there is an interesting transition at the end of the poem. The speaker tells her lover that she wants him to remember her but not if it means they’re going to be sad.
“remember’ by rossetti
Metrical analysis
“Remember” is a Petrarchan sonnet, a form that is divided into an octave and a sestet.
The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABBA ABBA CDD ECE.
The first eight lines of the poem, the octave, expresses her desire for her beloved to remember her even when she’s “gone far away into the silent land.”
The last six lines, the sestet, present a shift in tone.
The speaker tells her lover that she wants him to remember her but not if it means they will be sad.
Re˘mem˘ber˘ me˘ when˘ I˘ am˘ gone˘ a˘way˘,
' ˘ ' ˘ ' ˘ ' ˘ '
Gone˘ far˘ away˘ in˘to˘ the˘ si˘lent˘ land˘;
˘ ' ˘ ' ˘ ' ˘ ' ˘
When˘ you˘ can˘ no˘ more˘ hold˘ me˘ by˘ the˘ hand˘,
' ˘ ' ˘ ' ˘ ' ˘ '
Nor˘ I˘ half˘ turn˘ to˘ go˘ yet˘ turn˘ ing˘ stay˘.
˘ ' ˘ ' ˘ ' ˘ ' ˘
literary and poetic devices
Metaphor: The metaphor of the "silent land" refers to death or an afterlife, portraying it as a quiet and unknown place.
Symbolism: The central theme
of remembrance and the act of forgetting is symbolized by the speaker's request to be remembered after death. The words "remember me" become symbolic of the desire for enduring love and memory.
Repetition: The repetition of the phrase "Remember me" serves both as a refrain and emphasizes the significance of the speaker's request, reinforcing the thematic focus of memory.
Imagery: The poem employs vivid and evocative imagery to create a sensory experience for the reader. Phrases such as "silent land," "hold me by the hand," and "turning stay" contribute to the visual and tactile elements of the poem.
literary and poetic devices
Personification: The speaker personifies the future in the line "When you can no more hold me by the hand," giving human qualities to an abstract concept.
Irony: The poem contains an ironic twist in the speaker's request to be remembered but also to forget. This paradoxical desire adds complexity to the emotional landscape
of the poem.
Assonance: The poem also includes assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words, as seen in "day by day" and "safe to" which contributes to the poem's musicality.
Enjambment: This technique contributes to the fluidity of the poem, emphasizing the interconnectedness of thoughts and feelings. This can be seen in the
lines "Remember me when I am gone away, / Gone far away into the silent land;"
themes
Tone and Mood
Tone: The tone is contemplative, melancholic, and resigned. There is a sense of acceptance of an inevitable separation, as indicated by the speaker's acknowledgment of a future when they will no longer be present. The tone is tender and intimate, conveying a deep emotional connection between the speaker and the addressed person.
Mood: The mood is somber and reflective. There is an underlying sense of sorrow and loss, as well as a subdued acceptance of the transient nature of life. The mood becomes contemplative and introspective as the speaker encourages the addressee to recall the shared experiences and emotions.
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