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Difficulty: MediumPoetic Diction and Syntax

Read the following poem, "Remember" by Christina Rossetti (1862):

1 Remember me when I am gone away,
2 Gone far away into the silent land;
3 When you can no more hold me by the hand,
4 Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
5 Remember me when no more day by day
6 You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
7 Only remember me; you understand
8 It will be late then to counsel or to pray.
9 Yet if you should forget me for a while
10 And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
11 For if the darkness and corruption leave
12 A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
13 Better by far you should forget and smile
14 Than that you should remember and be sad.

In lines 11–14 ("For if . . . be sad"), the syntactical structure of the sentence primarily serves to do which of the following?

  1. establish a conditional premise that subordinates the speaker's desire for remembrance to the beloved's peace of mindAnswer
  2. B
    isolate 'darkness and corruption' as a complete thought, treating line 12 as a syntactically independent conclusion to the statement
  3. C
    reveal the historical poet's personal anxiety regarding physical decay and the legacy of her own literary work
  4. D
    highlight the use of personification in 'darkness and corruption' to decorate the verse without altering the poem's logical progression
  5. E
    reiterate the speaker's demands from the first eight lines, maintaining a consistent tone of urgent pleading throughout the poem

Answer

establish a conditional premise that subordinates the speaker's desire for remembrance to the beloved's peace of mind
The correct answer is the option that identifies the conditional premise. In lines 11–14, the speaker uses a conditional construction ('For if... Better by far you should forget...') to resolve the tension of the poem. The syntax subordinates the speaker's own desire to be remembered to the beloved's happiness, concluding that it is better for the beloved to forget and smile than to remember and grieve.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the syntax and punctuation of the targeted lines (lines 11–14).
Identify that the sentence begins with a subordinate conditional clause starting with the conjunction 'For if' (lines 11–12) and concludes with the main clause in lines 13–14.
This establishes the grammatical framework of the sentence, showing that the resolution depends on the condition.
2
Interpret how this conditional syntax shapes the meaning and relates to the speaker's attitude.
Recognize that the main clause ('Better by far...') establishes the consequence: if memory fades (the condition), it is preferable for the beloved to be happy than sad. This grammatically prioritizes the beloved's emotional state over the speaker's memory.
This links the grammatical structure of the sentence directly to the thematic and emotional shift in the poem.

Key Concept

Analyzing Poetic Syntax and Diction in Context
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Topics

Poetic Diction and Syntax

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