Question

Which aspect of this excerpt from Christina Rossetti's poem "Remember" would the imagists have disliked?

Answer 1

Answer:

The correct answer is option b) The abstract idea of the "silent land".

Explanation:

Imagism is a poetry movement that consists in showing an image without veils, and instead indicating exactly what they are referring to, normally trying to make a direct impression of the essence of something. Usually, the perspective is from a first-person singular, but not as a rule, that is why the option c) is not correct.

They contrast with the Romantic Movement trying to resemble the real things, and not to go beyond natural experiences. So, even if the main topic of the poem "Remember" of Christina Rossetti is a sentiment of somebody who has left, as mentioned in option d), it is not expressed with exaggerations and it is not corny. Instead, it is a remark of a prominent reality: that someone is going to die and someone will stay alive, and with that the one that is leaving manifest that the memories of him or her should make the other happy when she or he is gone, but not in a corny way. That makes the option d) not the correct answer.

Finally, as the imagist tried to be as real as they could with the experience, then they would not matter using ordinary language, this is why the option a) is not in contradiction with this movement, for imagist poets would in fact use the precise language even if it is ordinary to refer the experience they are talking about, but they would not like to use symbolized references.

Christina Rossetti uses in most of the poem ordinary language that goes direct to what she is talking about, but in one part she uses a symbol and not the direct word: when she alludes to the after-life, by the words of "Silent Land", as mentioned in option b). This is the main part that imagists would have disliked as they tried to emphasize reality and not fiction or figures, and that makes it the correct answer.

Answer 2

The correct answer is B) the abstract idea of the “Silent Land”.

The aspect of the excerpt of Christina Rossetti’s poem “Remember” that the imagists have disliked is the abstract idea of the “Silent Land”.

The poem “Remeber” written by Christina Rossetti refers to a self-portrait of the main character contemplating his death. An Imaginist had disliked the abstract idea of a “Silent Land” because imaginists were American writers and poets in the 20th century that supported precision the description of moments and concepts, based on clear and correct language.  

The other options of the question were, a) the ordinary language as in remember and gone. c) the first-person singular perspective, and d) the sentiment in remembering of someone who has left.