There is no rhyme scheme but the rather unique device of brackets is incorporated into the poem. These brackets relay the persona's personal wishes and inner desires. Thoughts and dreams are inside them and reality is on the outside.
"Remember" is a sonnet and has an octave and a sestet, both with different messages being conveyed. In the octave, the persona asks her partner to remember her and to understand that love lasts past death. The sestet is in contrast to the octave in that she asks him to only remember her if he can be happy. This is less selfish in a way.
This sonnet has a full rhyme scheme and shows happiness within their relationship. This suggests their relationship is strong and that they have been together for awhile if the persona feels her death will have such a large impact on him. This is also written in the future tense as she is advising him on how to deal with her death when it occurs. Also the wording of the sonnet shows there is a certain degree of friendship between them and not just lust or infatuation.
There are many poetic devices used within these two poems and the poet's choice of language expresses their feelings clearly.
The first stanza in "The Thickness Of Ice" shows the persona and the man will be friends on the surface but underneath she'll want to be more than that. The repetition of "hoping" in both stanza 1 and 6, shows it is what the persona wants to happen in the future. In stanza 2, a similie is used, "At first we'll be like skaters / Testing the thickness of ice" shows they will test each other to see if they want to become more than friends. The fact the couple have to test suggests uncertainty and that they will be too subtle in their actions if their intentions are not obvious.
In the bracket, "(With each meeting / We'll skate nearer the centre of the lake)." implies that the more the couple see each other, the riskier it will get. They will begin to connect and eventually fall in love. The "centre of the lake" is less secure and will break more easily. There is more chance you will fall and the water in the centre is much deeper than at around the edges. At this stage, both partners know they will destroy their friendship if they begin a relationship and fall in love.
Stanza 3 implies the couple will soon be comfortable together but this will result in one partner not making a big effort to impress the other. In most relationships, feeling comfortable with your partner and not feeling the need to hide your flaws is a positive feat. It allows you to be yourself around your partner and you will be happy with the knowledge that they
love you for who you are. In this case however, the persona reckons both of them will lose interest in one another and will forget what they each loved about their partner when the first began their relationship. The repetition of "less" suggests this situation will arise eventually and "old routine" shows boredom will set in. At this point in their relationship. the persona feels reality will set in and they both will realise they aren't truly in love and that it was only infatuation.
Stanza 4 explains how both partners will simulate that the atmosphere between them is happy and contented although they will both know in their hearts that their relationship is not working. "The creeping cracks will be ignored" gives an image that every disagreement, cruel word or lack of respect will allow this relationship to fall apart. The fact that neither partner will try to prevent these "cracks" from spreading shows that the fire which was once the reason for them to stay together has finally burnt out.
"We will scramble to save ourselves / And not each other)" shows the persona thinks they will not wish to be hurt in their breakup but will not give a second thought to their former partner. They will want to save their pride and sanity, regardless of the other person's feelings.
Stanza 5 explains how she thinks they will not ignore each other after their breakup but they will not be friends again. "We'll meet as acquaintances / (Though secretly we'll be enemies," Perhaps the persona feels they will act like enemies because they are angry at each other for not preventing the breakup. "Hurt by missing out on a medal" also shows this. This will just be the couple's way of coping. The "medal" is symbolic for marriage and therefore a long lasting relationship.
"Jealous of new partners" shows both people will move on with their life physically but not emotionally. The fact they will be jealous proves the persona thinks they will still have feelings for each other despite having a new partner. I feel one of the worst things to see is the one you love with the one they love.
In the last stanza, the persona uses a second similie, "we'll be like children". She uses this to state that, like young children in the early years of their life, the couple will learn through their experience and through their mistakes within the relationship. This stanza shows the persona will want to start again at some point in the future. First as friends then perhaps as a romantic couple again. But this time both people will know how risky love can be and will have learnt through their past.
This experience of parting is presented in a modern way with the theme of ice carried throughout. Although the events in this poem have not actually happened, the persona describes them as if she knows how they would feel. Perhaps this was the order of events between another partner in the past and she thinks all relationships will follow this pattern.
"Remember" is very different to the previous poem in that its main theme is the death of a loved one. The title indicates the theme of the sonnet and is repeated throughout as an emphasis of the message being conveyed.
The persona tells her partner that when she is gone, there will be no physical contact between them, "no more hold me by the hand". She then tries to reassure him that she will not want to leave, but will have no choice, "I half turn to go yet turning stay"
She wishes her partner remember the activities they used to do and their conversations even though they will not be able to live together in the future, "Remember me when no more day by day / You tell me of our future that you plann'd"
The persona then states when she is dead, it will be too late to advise or give each other emotional support which is probably the main reason she is capturing her requests in this sonnet, "It will be late to counsel then or pray"
She then goes on to say that if he forgets her in order to recover, then remembers about her and the good times they had together later, not to be upset.
"For if the darkness and corruption leave / A vestige of the thoughts that once I had." says that if her death leaves an impact on her partner's life then their time together was worthwhile. The "darkness" and "corruption" signify how the partner will feel once she is gone.
"Better by far you should forget and smile / Than that you should remember and be sad." ends the sonnet and is the final message from the persona to her lover. They are very strong lines and convey a clear message. She tells him that if he has to forget her in order to move on with life and love, then to do so because she doesn't want him to be unhappy.
This is opposite to the previous lines where she wanted to be remembered forever. I feel this shows true love as the persona doesn't want her partner to remember her at all if it causes him to grieve. Most people want to leave memories in the world and not be forgotten, but she is more concerned with her partner's feelings.
I enjoyed "The Thickness Of Ice" as I could relate it to my past relationships and experiences. I definitely learnt through my mistakes and will always have regrets. I felt the theme expressed the poet's points clearly. This poem was different to the sonnet as it focused on infatuation and a breakup whereas the sonnet focused on eternal love, even after the death of one of the partners. I enjoyed "Remember" as I felt it stated what I wish for my loved ones when I am gone. It was well written and Rossetti's thoughts were expressed beautifully.
Love is considered eternal and memories will never fade, but life has to go on, whether you have discontinued a relationship or a partner has passed on. You shouldn't fall in love with someone you can live with, you should fall in love with someone you can't live without.
And as the Italians say, "L'amore e un viaggio dentro noi" which translated means "Love is a journey inside ourselves".
Beckiy Webber 11-4
