Perhaps of the greatest fears possessed by humanity is the fear of death. There is no real idea of what happens when one dies, and that terrifying uncertainty leads most to avoid even the thought of it at all costs. With an invisible clock ticking human existence away, there remains the question of what is the meaning of life? Ray Bradbury’s short story The Last Night of the World not only forces its audience to reflect on the hypothetical of today being the last day, it offers an idea of what is important about the time people have on Earth. Through clever ambiguity, subtle mood building, and reflective dialogue, Bradbury suggests that it isn’t from the world on the grand scale that the answer is found, nor is it in personal grandeur or fast …show more content…
It is made apparent to the audience that the world will soon cease to exist, but there is no closure as to why that is. The wife inquiries about that mystery, asking is it “a war?” “The hydrogen or atom bomb?” “Or germ warfare?” (Bradbury 2) in which the husband confirms it isn’t any of these things and that instead it should be viewed as “just the closing of a book” (Bradbury 2). It is interesting that a story about the end of the world, one whose writing is focused on small details, has the actual threat missing from the text. This is intentional, because it is a detail that simply doesn’t matter. It is not end that is a concern, but rather the realization of what matters when faced with it that is …show more content…
The story begins with a rather heavy premise of the world’s impending demise, yet, this premise is immediately juxtaposed by descriptions of children playing together in “the light of the green hurricane lamps” and the “easy, clean aroma of brewed coffee in the evening air” (Bradbury 1). There is a serenity to be found that simply doesn’t match up with how somber the topic should be, and the calm nature of that introductory scene never really fades away as the plot progresses. Despite this being the last night of the world, the couple takes time to wash and stack dishes with a “special neatness”, and they sit “together by the fireplace watching the charcoal embers” as time passes by (Bradbury 3-4). There is no fear, despair, or panic found within the atmosphere, only peace, and this was intentional. The atmosphere suggests that when faced with the totality of existence what really matters are the subtle things that bring about personal peace. When all is said and done, life is found in the smell of coffee while watching the fireplace. Continuing with the concept of the meaning in little things, emphasis is found not only in the setting of mood, but it is directly within the characters and their dialogue. In conversing with her husband, the wife sheds light on what, is essentially, the essence of the piece in its
While thinking of death, thoughts of grief, despair and worry arise. Perhaps this is a product of the darkness often times portrayed of death from contemporary literature, movies, and music. Movies such as “Schindler’s List” and music such as Neil Young’s “Tonight’s the Night” are just a few examples of entertainment that show the darkness and finality of death. These forms of medium only present the idea, as no one who wrote them actually experienced death and therefore the dark thoughts associated with it are ambiguous. In “712 (Because I Could not Stop for Death)”, poet Emily Dickinson also shows the darkness associated but she has a different view of death. She writes from the standpoint of a narrator
In Nevil Shute’s On the Beach, the story of the last days of the lives of the last humans on Earth is told. Victims of Global-Thermonuclear war, which they took no part in, they are aware of the massive radiation cloud drifting south towards Australia. The main focus of the novel is not the plot, but the characters, who they become and what they do in their last days. Two such characters are John Osborne, a scientist studying the effects of the radiation, and Mary Holmes, a Navy-wife and recent mother. Through the course of the novel, though there is little interaction between the two, it becomes apparent that they are foils for each other, portraying near opposite reactions to the impending end.
What do the following words or phrases have in common: “the last departure,”, “final curtain,” “the end,” “darkness,” “eternal sleep”, “sweet release,” “afterlife,” and “passing over”? All, whether grim or optimistic, are synonymous with death. Death is a shared human experience. Regardless of age, gender, race, religion, health, wealth, or nationality, it is both an idea and an experience that every individual eventually must confront in the loss of others and finally face the reality of our own. Whether you first encounter it in the loss of a pet, a friend, a family member, a neighbor, a pop culture icon, or a valued community member, it can leave you feeling numb, empty, and shattered inside. But, the world keeps turning and life continues. The late Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers and of Pixar Animation Studios, in his 2005 speech to the graduating class at Stanford, acknowledged death’s great power by calling it “the single best invention of Life” and “Life’s great change agent.” How, in all its finality and accompanying sadness, can death be good? As a destination, what does it have to teach us about the journey?
Humanity, Holocaust and Night & nbsp; Wiesel's Night is about what the Holocaust did, not just to the Jews, but by extension, to humanity. People all over the world were devastated by this atrocious act, and there are still people today who haven't overcome the effects. One example of the heinous acts of the Germans that stands out occurs at the end of the war, when Elie and the rest of the camp of Buna is being forced to transfer to Gleiwitz. This transfer is a long, arduous, and tiring journey for all involved. The weather is painfully cold, and snow fell heavily; the distance is greater than most people today will even dream of walking.
The relationship between life and death is explored in Woolf’s piece, “The Death of a Moth.” Woolf’s own epiphany is presented in her piece; she invites her reader, through her stylistic devices, to experience the way in which she realized what the meaning of life and death meant to her. Woolf’s techniques allow her audience to further their own understanding of death and encourages them consider their own existence.
...ld such dangers have any significance to life? Jim Carroll tells the real story of his fear of the end and the mixed feelings of what matters, what doesn't. His fear is accompanied by confusion of how to live, today, with the possibility of being killed tomorrow.
In the contract of life, there are numerous requirements. Every living being must be able to reproduce, practice homeostasis, consume energy, and adapt. However, there is one component of life that facilitators don’t include in their lesson plans: death. While all living organisms must have the ability to perform certain tasks in order to be considered living, all life must come to an end. Death is not a matter of if, but when. Many humans share a common fear of losing a loved one, yet authors utilize death to convey a profound meaning within their novel. In the first paragraph Bill Barich’s novel, Laughing in the Hills, he uses the inevitability of death to supply the reader with insight on the theme of his writing.
In There Will Come Soft Rains, Bradbury discusses about an exceptionally high technology, virtual house that maintains to perform its each day routine even though its occupants are dead and gone. The account clearly tells of the technological revolution, as well as the atomic warfare, and its outcome on society. The irony of this story bases on the fact that the human beings have been victims of destruction rather than beneficiaries of their own technological inventions. The atomic bombings that occurred in Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan are some of the recent memories in 1951. Many readers and critics consider Bradbury’s images of the desolate planet to be haunting and cautionary. The story mentions that machinery has prevailed over humans and in one way or another, it provides an overview that the humankind might have fallen under the authoritative nuclear bomb (Hedin 53). The story proves that Bradbury was a man that was well ahead of...
The thought of that night being the last night simply started by a dream, a dream that multiple people were having. The dream included the husband, wife, the people at the husband’s office job and people on the block they lived on. Yet, the people throughout the town were not talking about it, nor was it published in the newspaper, indicating that the people of the town were not surprised nor did they seem to care. The married couple in confusion, continued to talk about the fact that the world was coming to an end as they both sipped their coffee. It was clear that the husband had mixed feelings towards the situation and the idea of the world was coming to an end, “Sometimes it frightens me; sometimes I’m not frightened at all but at peace” (1). Although the people understood that the world was coming to an end at some point throughout the night and throughout the universe, they remained calm not “screaming in the streets”
“Death, the end of life: the time when someone or something dies” (Merriam-Webster, 2014). The definition of death is quite simple, the end of life is inescapable. I chose to write about death and impermanence because it is something we all must inevitably face. People often deal with death in a number of different ways. Although it is something that we must eventually face, it can be hard to come to terms with because the idea can be hard to grasp. Some of us fear it, others are able to accept it, either way we all must eventually face it. In this essay I will look at two different literary works about death and impermanence and compare and contrast the different elements of the point of view, theme, setting, and symbolism. The comparison of these particular works will offer a deeper look into words written by the authors and the feelings that they experiencing at that particular time.
One thing that we often hear is that “death is just a part of life.” So often in our day and age do we hear people utter these words. However, death is far more significant and impactful than some would allege. True death is not merely a time when we cease to exist; it is an entombment, a mindset in which we are dead to this world. Throughout our lives, it is true that we can all be dead in one way or another, but it does not have to be that way. When we have our eyes opened to what death actually is, it is far easier to grasp what the true meaning of life is, and to embrace it. Often, we will come across individuals who are enveloped in death and others who are immersed in true life. The shadow of death and entombment lies upon some, encompassing
In the play “everyman” death is depicted as something that is terribly feared as no one seemed ready for it, death is perceived as something that takes one away from the pleasures of this world.
Many, including I, have heard this statement a thousand times, “I have so much to do and so little time.” This statement explains what two poets were trying to say through their poems. In the poems, Death Be Not Proud by John Donne, and Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson, the power that death has over one’s life and the power that one has over death becomes a race for time. Both poems explained death in two different perspectives but both still showed the underlying current that death cannot be stopped. With the use of symbolizations and metaphors, both authors show the power of death.
The search for immortality is not an uncommon one in literature. Many authors and poets find contentment within the ideals of faith and divinity; others, such as Whitman and Stevens, achieve satisfaction with the concept of the immortality of mortality. This understanding of the cycle of death and rebirth dominates both Walt Whitman's "On the Beach at Night" and Wallace Stevens' "Sunday Morning" and demonstrates the poets' philosophies of worldly immortality.
Death is a natural and inevitable part of life. Everyone will experience death, whether it is of a loved one or oneself. In W.H. Auden’s poem “Funeral Blues” (1003), he describes such a catastrophic event and the drastic effect that it has on his life. It is interesting how people choose to accept this permanent and expected event, death. Similarly, Emily Dickinson has written many poems about death, such as “The last Night that She lived” (843), which describes a family waiting for a woman or girl to die and the dreary and depressed mood that exists within the household. Mourning is considered a perfectly healthy reaction when someone who is deeply loved and cared about passes on, and this is illustrated in “The Memory of Elena” (1070-71) by Carolyn Forche. She writes about the events following a funeral and also flashes back to the actual moment that a wife has watched her husband die. W.H Auden’s “Funeral Blues,” Carolyn Forche’s “The Memory of Elena,” and Emily Dickinson’s “The last Night that She lived” are all poems which share death as their subject matter, but differ in the fact that they discuss death in a unique style with a variety of literary devices to make them more effective.