Rememberance Analysis
Summary
‘Remembrance’ by Maya Angelou is a sexual and powerfully emotional poem that details the
interaction between lovers.
In the first lines of this poem, the poet begins by describing a lover’s touch and creating an
atmosphere of warmth and affection. As the poem progresses and the lover departs, the speaker
is left with a memory of their presence and a lingering scent. This allows the narrator and the
reader to fully immerse themselves and the reader in the memory of love.
The act of consuming another person’s essence is one of the stand-out images in this piece. The
poet alludes to this feeling when she uses the word “rapes” in the first stanza and when she
describes trying to soak in as much of her lover’s scent as possible in stanza two.
Structure and Form
‘Remembrance’ by Maya Angelou is a two-stanza poem that is written in free verse. This means
that the poet chose not to use a specific rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. Despite this, there
are a number of half-rhymes throughout the poem. For example, “easy” and “bees” are in lines
one and two, and “withdrawn” and “when” are in lines one and two of stanza two.
The poet also uses exact rhymes with the repetition of the same words at the ends of lines, like
“the” in lines three and four of stanza one.
Literary Devices
Imagery: This is seen when the poet uses especially interesting descriptions that evoke images.
For example, “our smile at the / slope of my cheek.”
Metaphor: This occurs when the poet compares two things without using “like” or “as.” For
example, “teasing the bees / hived in my hair.”
Caesura: This is seen when the poet inserts a pause into the middle of a line of verse. For
example, “slope of my cheek. On the / occasion, you press.”
Enjambment: This literary device is very common and is seen when the poet cuts off a line
before its natural stopping point. For example, the transition between lines four and five of
stanza one.
Detailed Analysis
Stanza One
" Your hands easy
weight, teasing the bees
(…)
readiness, mystery rapes
my reason"
In the first stanza of the poem, the poet begins by describing the feeling of a lover’s hands on
their skin. The hands are “easy / weight.” They’re notably there but aren’t heavy enough to feel
oppressive.
The poet compares her hair to a beehive in the next lines, describing a playful interaction with
the lover’s hands and her hair. She’s also implying in these lines, by extension, that there is
sweetness in their interaction (like the honey from a beehive).
The poet goes on, describing “your smile / at the slope of my cheek.” Here, she appears to be
describing the feeling of her lover’s smile as he presses his face against hers. This highlights
their physical contact and the emotional connection between the two.
The following lines appear to be describing a sexual experience between the two. This is an
intense sexual moment, one that’s worthy of being remembered in the lines of this poem. There
is an interesting choice at the end of this stanza when the poet uses the word “rapes.” This seems
to contradict the exerting that’s come before it and feels jarring.
The poet could’ve chosen this word in order to convey the overwhelming nature of the
experience, as if his body is consuming hers and the emotions their sharing are “raping” her
“reason.”
Stanza Two
"When you have withdrawn
(…)
your presence"
In the next lines, the poet describes what it’s like after their love making is over. The lover has
“withdrawn” himself and the “magic” of the love they shared. What’s left is only the “small of
your / love,” which lingers “between / my breasts.” It’s from this place of centrality and
sensuality that the speaker can “greedily consume / your presence.”
Even after their time together has ended, the scent of this person she loves remains, and she’s
able to enjoy it on her skin.
This is a thoughtful and beautiful conclusion to the poem that indicates how emotionally
important each encounter is between the speaker and her lover.