According to Google, death is the action or fact of dying or being killed. This definition is too vague in the literature world and needs to be broken down and explained. Death is a topic in literature that is used more often than none. Writers use the theme of “Death” to add imagery and symbolism to their work. Death can be personified by an eerie black figure, or by a “holy” regular person. People have different interpretations of death; some think of it in a pleasant way, and others think it’s a gruesome event that occurs in a dark manner. Both writers, Emily Dickinson and John Donne, made it clear that they look at death differently. “Because I could not stop for Death” and “Death be not proud” both talk about death, but both portray death
During that time, he had experienced a lot of death in his life. During the 1600s James I was king of England after Queen Elizabeth I died. He was a follower of King Henry VIII who had broken up the Catholic Church. People stopped believing in the Catholic church, and John Donne published “Pseudo-Martyr” renouncing his faith (Biography). This had people not believing in what Catholics thought or had to say, it caused a lot of people to convert to Protestant. Death was thought as the end of mortal life, but the soul could live to eternity. John Donne wife died in 1617 which made him write “Holy Sonnet XVII.” The Sonnet was made in memory of his wife, during the sonnet he describes death differently than any other work. He sees death as being powerful and even loses faith in “God” because it “took away his happiness.” Death in this Sonnet has a different meaning to Donne due to the events that occurred during that period. In “Death be not proud” he shows death of being just an ordinary deep sleep. This depiction of death made death look easy and normal, but in Holy Sonnet XVII he made death seem brutal. His emotion led him to change his overall look on death, which made him question a lot about himself. Death is something that seems to be very big in Donne’s life, he seems to be familiar with the perception of death and that leads him to disclose his fear of death. His works of literature are all written to what
During that time Emily, would write about the Civil War that was going on in the United States. When Dickinson was writing her poems during this time, it was the most intense period of productivity since the Civil War was in action but it was hard to tell what poems were about if they had anything to do about the war. The different poems that Dickinson wrote ranged, in the different possibilities, to how difficult it was to write these poems." It feels a shame to be alive-"(Fr524), Emily referred that phase due to she didn 't know how to express her feelings when these events were going on. Emily would go on to write so much more poems in this time frame but, nothing would compare to her experience writing about the different events that she was facing during this period. She would never write a poem that was explicit in its patriotic favor like other writers that were following the war. 1860s was a period of fighting for the freedom of slaves causing a lot of deaths in our country. Fights like: The Civil War, The Battle of Gettysburg, and the Battle of Antietam (People History) caused a lot of death and causalities across our nation. This period was arguably the bloodiest period in American history, and a lot was going on. America was getting used to living a new lifestyle that they weren’t accustomed to. Emily had friends and family that were killed because of those
John uses many examples of figurative language in his sonnet. To begin with, when Mr. Donne first commences his poem, he uses the personification “Death, be not proud” (1). The author is giving death the human characteristics of being “not proud.” The rest of the line continues as “though some have called you thee. ” Death should not be prideful even if people think it is. John displays through this first line how he feels about death: he is too prideful for his own good. Furthermore, Donne uses another personification when he states “Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so” (2). Again, he is giving death, a concept not a human, real characteristics. He believes death is not “mighty” or “dreadful” but something else. It gives his opinion that death is not “dreadful” to people in their lives but possibly beneficial. Later, the poet says “Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men” (9). Death is merely being controlled by things like fate which is the only way he can act. He has no way to move on his own without these other forces. Like with war, death is the result not the cause: death cannot physically make people fight. This comparison devalues death in its importance and therefore its necessity. John Donne’s use of metaphors and personifications in his poem to emphasize his belief that death is not as bad as people or death thinks it really is but can actually be advantageous.
To sum up, in different times in history when it comes to art the idea of death is always present. Whether it is from the time in history in which they are talking about religion or just moral meanings of life. The first painting The Crucifixion showed the idea of death religious wise but didn’t have a precise anatomical feature of the human body. The second painting the Death and the Maiden illustrated the advancement of the human body. The modern painting Someday Soon emphasized how in time how far artists have come in figuring out the human body and how it was taken even further to an abstract. All in all, the idea of death is always present when it comes to the human body.
When it comes to death, everyone has a different perspective about it. One might think death is just a beginning, a key to open the door to the afterlife. A release, a way out to a different world. Others might think that death is simply a lesson of life. It teaches one not to waste his or her time but live to enjoy it, while it still last. Live and do whatever one desire before time runs out. Surely, death has many different purposes and meanings. In the short story “Bullet in the Brain” by Tobias Wolff. He uses death as a flashback and a final thought to show the reader the character’s life in the story. In the “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, he uses death to teach the reader that one should stand up and protect the
There are many reasons why authors of young adult fiction write character deaths in their novels. In their article “Death and Dying in Young Adult Fiction” Carolyn Harvey and Frances Dowd state, “Reading about the death of a fictional character can help adolescents develop a personal code of values, appreciate life more fully, and release feelings of grief or anger that result from the loss of someone close to them” (141). It is not only the readers who benefit in these ways, but also the characters in the novel. In The Outsiders, Johnny’s death helps Ponyboy and the gang clean up their acts and appreciate the fleeting nature of life. Johnny’s death was a catalyst for change in the gang and helped Ponyboy craft his essay and write about the importance of the life of boys like him and Johnny. Ponyboy says, “But it still hurt anyway. You know a guy a long time, and I mean really know him, you don't get used to the idea that he's dead just overnight. Johnny was something more than a buddy to all of us. I guess he had listened to more beefs and more problems from more people than any of us. A guy that'll really listen to you, listen and care about what you're saying, is something rare” (Hinton 151). Johnny’s death was heartbreaking, but necessary. Dally’s death, on the other hand, was excessive. Overcome by grief, he puts himself purposefully in harms way. S.E Hinton did not have to kill Dally off, because Johnny’s death already accomplished her original intentions of personal growth for the Greasers. Adding Dally’s death did not add to the narrative, nor did it achieve anything new for the novel or the characters. Johnny’s death completed the narrative, while Dally’s was simply added for shock value.
Recognized for experimenting with poetry, Emily Dickinson is said to be one of the greatest American poets. Her work was an amazing success even after being published four years after her death in 1890. Eleven editions of Dickinson’s work were published in less than two years. Emily Dickenson’s personal life, literary influences and romantic sufferings were the main inspirations for her poetry.
Emily Dickinson, who achieved more fame after her death, is said to be one of the greatest American poets of all time. Dickinson communicated through letters and notes and according to Amy Paulson Herstek, author of “Emily Dickinson: Solitary and Celebrated Poet,” “Writing was the way she kept in touch with the world” (15). Dickinson’s style is unique and although unconventional, it led to extraordinary works of literature. Dickinson lived her life in solitude, but in her solitude she was free to read, write and think which led to her nonconformity and strong sense of individualism. Suzanne Juhasz, a biographer of Dickinson, sums up most critics’ idea of Dickinson ideally: “Emily Dickinson is at once the most intimate of poets, and the most guarded. The most self-sufficient, and the neediest. The proudest, and the most vulnerable. These contradictions, which we as her readers encounter repeatedly in her poems, are understandable, not paradoxical, for they result from the tension between the life to which she was born and the one to which she aspired” (1). Dickinson poured her heart and soul into over 1,700
John Donne's "The Funeral" and "Holy Sonnet 3" are undeniably similar in their discussions of the separation of the body and soul. Each poem deals directly with the idea of death and afterlife. However, the topic of death is referred to not as an ending but more of as a beginning to a new life, exclusively for the soul. Each poem reflects the soul being released from the body as a way of cleansing the spirit while allowing the mind to rid itself of things that might have troubled the speaker while living. Through death the soul is given a second life, free of previous concerns and with new virginity to the blessings of the afterlife.
Throughout the novel the idea of death seems to show up when the characters are either doing something that is not really who they are or it seems to be used as a way to describe the narrator’s subconscious knowledge or self. Also,
Both "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "Death Be Not Proud" see death as an opponent; however, one sees it as an adversary that is already defeated while the other sees it as an enemy that must be defeated. In "Death Be Not Proud" Donne says "those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow / Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me"(lines 3-4). This passage shows Donne's belief that people will always overcome death. In Thomas' poem, he writes "Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright / Their frail deeds might have danced in the green bay, / Rage, rage against the dying of the light" (7-9). Even the "good men" are in the end defeated by death according to Thomas.
Now that I know what death is, I can define it from my perspective. I think death is an aspect of life that everyone will experience. It is the last phase of a person’s life but there is an after death life as some people believe. No one knows when death will knock his door because death does not ask a person’s permission to take his life. It is the time you lose everything you have worked so hard and earned in your life. In addition, many of your beloved people will lose you and miss you.
Dickinson's poetry is both thought provoking and shocking. This poem communicates many things about Dickinson, such as her cynical outlook on God, and her obsession with death. It is puzzling to me why a young lady such as Emily Dickinson would be so melancholy, since she seemed to have such a good life. Perhaps she just revealed in her poetry that dark side that most people try to keep hidden.
In John Donne’s sonnet “Death, Be Not Proud” death is closely examined and Donne writes about his views on death and his belief that people should not live in fear of death, but embrace it. “Death, Be Not Proud” is a Shakespearean sonnet that consists of three quatrains and one concluding couplet, of which I individually analyzed each quatrain and the couplet to elucidate Donne’s arguments with death. Donne converses with death, and argues that death is not the universal destroyer of life. He elaborates on the conflict with death in each quatrain through the use of imagery, figurative language, and structure. These elements not only increase the power of Donne’s message, but also symbolize the meaning of hope of eternal life as the ultimate escape to death.
By making many references to the Bible, John Donne's Holy Sonnets reveal his want to be accepted and forgiven by God. A fear of death without God's forgiveness of sins is conveyed in these sonnets. Donne expresses extreme anxiety and fright that Satan has taken over his soul and God won't forgive him for it or his sins. A central theme of healing and forgiveness imply that John Donne, however much he wrote about God and being holy, wasn't such a holy man all of the time and tried to make up for it in his writing.
Death is something that causes fear in many peoples lives. People will typically try to avoid the conversation of death at all cost. The word itself tends to freak people out. The thought of death is far beyond any living person’s grasp. When people that are living think about the concept of death, their minds go to many different places. Death is a thing that causes pain in peoples lives, but can also be a blessing.
A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning is also talking about death however it does not affect the uplifting nature of the poem because Donne is saying that even in death true love never dies.