Remember

What is the author's style in Remember by Christina Rossetti?

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Rosetti's "Remember" follows precisely the Petrarchan rhyme scheme for the octave, but offers a slight variation in the sestet, which rhymes c-dd- e-c-e. One cannot be certain why the poet strayed from the usual form, and perhaps it was simply because she liked the sound of it better this way. Some speculation has also suggested that rhyming lines 12 and 14 gives greater emphasis to the poem's ending, in which the speaker's final decision is revealed. As far as the use of the octave and sestet to present typical Petrarchan dilemma and resolution is concerned, this sonnet also runs off course, especially in the sestet. Rather than expanding on the idea of remembrance presented in the octave or bringing a satisfying closure to the speaker's assumed last request, the final lines in "Remember" speak of even grimmer "darkness and corruption" and jump from remembering to forgetting. As such, Rossetti's poem shows mastery of the formal style, but also demonstrates how slight deviations can provide greater impact for the work.