Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Literature · specification 4ET1 · Component 1 | Section B: Anthology Poetry · Free · no account needed
Remember — Christina Rossetti (4ET1 specification)
A dying woman asks to be remembered — and then, in the sestet, takes the request back.
Specification coverage
Component 1, Section B — Anthology Poetry (Part 3 of the Pearson Edexcel International GCSE English Anthology)
Assessment objectives: AO2, AO3. Suggested learning time: 60 minutes.
Required knowledge
- Written 1849, published 1862; Rossetti was in her teens when she wrote it
- The octave asks to be remembered; the sestet says forgetting is better than sorrow
- The 'silent land' is a euphemism sustained rather than explained
Required skills
- Analyse how language, form and structure create meanings and effects (AO2)
- Compare this poem with another from Part 3, including language, structure and form (AO3)
- Use appropriate literary terminology accurately
- Select relevant, short examples from the poem — it is printed in the paper, so precision is expected
How it is examined
- One 30-mark comparative essay, from a choice of two, comparing this poem with one other from Part 3
Common mistakes
- Treating it as a straightforwardly sad poem. It is generous — the turn is an act of love.
- Missing the volta. On a Petrarchan sonnet, that is the single most costly omission available.
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