Even though the word "death" never shows up in this poem, "Remember" is definitely a "death" poem if there ever was one. It might as well have been called "Remember me… after I'm good and dead," because that's the basic idea, concern, and preoccupation of Rossetti's sonnet. The speaker does her best to suggest that death is totally permanent—no more touching, talking, or any of that. In the end, this poem isn't really about that, but rather about different ways in which death isn't always the end.
Questions About Death
- How does the speaker feel about death? Scared? Hopeful? Unconcerned? What parts of the poem give you your idea?
- What does the speaker think happens after death? How do you know?
- Does "Remember" seem like a death-bed poem at all?
- What do you make of the fact that the word "death" never appears in this poem? What effect does this have?
- Is the speaker more obsessed with death and dying, or with being remembered? How do you know?
Chew on This
In the end, death really can't win. Those "vestiges" the speaker describes are an example of how life finds a way to cheat death. (Face, death. Face.)
Pack your bags, gang. Death is nothing more than a journey to a new land, a transition from one place to another.