Symbol Analysis
We certainly expect a poem called "Remember" to have something to do with memory, no doubt about that. The speaker of this poem tells her beloved no less than three times to remember her, and for good reason. In a poem where death is pretty much a total separation, remembrance becomes a way of keeping somebody metaphorically alive. Hey—at least it's something.
- Lines 1-2: "Remember me" is juxtaposed with "gone away," which suggests that remembrance may be a metaphor for life.
- Lines 5-6: The speaker repeats the same command as line 1 ("remember me"), and memory again appears to be a metaphor for life. It comes across as an antidote or compensation for the fact that she and her beloved can no longer hold hands and discuss a future together.
- Lines 7-8: How about one more time for good measure? Yep, the speaker says "remember me" again, and by now we know this is a metaphor for life. A small ambiguity is worth noting. The "only" in "only remember" me could mean either "I only ask that you remember me" or "the only thing you should do is remember me." Hmm.