Compare and contrast how Rossetti shows her views on death and the after-life in the poems ‘Song’ and ‘Remember’?

Christina Rossetti was born in 1830 during the Victorian period where they didn’t discuss feelings and kept their emotions to themselves but death was a prominent feature in society and they were all fascinated by it possibly influencing Rossetti’s writing further. Rossetti was heavily inspired by the earlier romantic poet John Keats who wrote about nature, feeling, sensations and death.  The romantic period saw the development of passionate literature filled with feeling, the natural world and death – all theses a prominent within both Keats’ and Rossetti’s writing. In ‘Remember’ Rossetti uses the persona to explore the way she will be remembered after death and for people to remain positive about the life she lived. ‘Song’ also discusses the way people should be remember after death but due to the fact they are at peace and there is no need to be sad as she no longer will be. These poems deal with the concept of death and the transition between life and death.

Firstly, the two poems both view death as an escape, it frees them from a society where they are constantly controlled and male power is exerted over them. Death finally allows them to be at peace.  This is conveyed in song through the change is the way the stanzas are written, to start with they are talking to their lover “Be the green grass above me” but in the second stanza this changes and the persona talks about themselves and the freedom they have in death” I shall not feel the rain”.

It suggests that the persona has broken away, death as has freed them and given them a new empowerment.

Both poems heavily focus on the way people should be remembered after they’ve died. As this is a prominent feature it is clear Rossetti found this particularly important and disagreed with they way people thought of their loved ones that had passed. In ‘Song’ the persona is talking about life after they have died and they way their death should be treated. “Sing no sad songs for me” implies they don’t want to be pitied but their funeral should be a celebration of their life. The persona wants to be remembered as they were when they were alive, they don’t want to have their death as what everyone focuses on. In ‘Remember’ the entire poem focuses on their remembrance hence the title. “..if you should forget me for a while/And afterwards, do not grieve”. This denotes the way they want to be remembered in a positive light, nothing about their death should cause a negative impact on their loved ones.