Remembrance Essay Questions

How does the form of “Remembrance” inform its themes?

“Remembrance” is written in the form of an elegy. It is a lament for the speaker's lost love, reflective of the turmoil and emptiness she feels in her lover's absence. It takes place fifteen years after his death, giving the speaker the opportunity to reflect on her grief. The poem's elegiac form is important to its central themes of memory and grief, as it deals with how to properly mourn. It is a work that examines the act of remembrance itself, looking at the effect it has on the person left behind.

How does Brontë use seasonal imagery to highlight her major themes?

The loss of the speaker's beloved is situated through imagery that associates death with the coldness of the climate. The setting is winter, when the grave is covered in snow. Death itself is linked to the season with the recurring phrase “cold in the death.” On the other hand, the actual memories of her beloved are framed in much warmer imagery. The snows of years prior “have melted into spring.” Later, recollections of the deceased will identify him with the light of the sun briefly entering and exiting her life once, never to occur again. These natural images serve to underscore the emotional content of the scenes she describes.