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Analysis of theories of loss and grief
Poetry analysis
Poetry analysis
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In the free verse poem "When death comes" by Mary Oliver, the speaker contemplates what the inevitability of what death means to humans. Structurally, the poem bears no rhyme scheme as it depicts the free thought of the speaker. The voice of the speaker in this poem resonates with curiosity and the idea of life after death. Through the utilization of rhetorical devices such as repetition, alliteration, symbolism, and personification, the reader will come to understand that underlying tone that death is imminent regardless of how one 's life is spent. Within the poem, the source of tension resides in the constant internal struggle to oust the cycle of life and death. In some instances, Oliver’s curiosity and acceptance of death allows her to …show more content…
The conceit in line 8, “like an iceberg between the shoulder blades” (line 8), illustrates the briskness death emanates whilst taking the life from the warmth of your body. This ice and fire comparison coaxes the reader to pursue the unwelcoming thought of death as the adverse path to travel by. By no means does Oliver attempt to romanticize the idea of a brief and painless endeavor. Furthermore, the recurrence of cessation illustrated by the “hungry bear in autumn” (2) simile suggests the seasonal regularity death’s toll takes on the living. The presence of frequency characterizes the shift in forbearance to the acceptance of the inevitable. Oliver is caught up in reminiscent thought as she employs worldly imagery to describe life. For example, in lines 15-16 Oliver writes “and I think of each life as a flower, as common / as a field daisy.” This line stands out in the fact that it represents the first occurrence of communal thought. Describing each life as a “flower” in a “field” suggests that life is supposed to be about the people whom you surround yourself with, and less about the solidarity that stems from the notion of darkness. Oliver’s implication of poetry and down-to-earth imagery captures not only the progression of thought, but also her feelings towards the concepts of life and …show more content…
In the first instance, death is portrayed as a “bear” (2) that reaches out seasonally. This is then followed by a man whom “ comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse / / to buy me…” This ever-changing persona that encapsulates death brings forth a curiosity about death and its presence in the living world. In the second stanza, “measles-pox” (6) is an illness used to portray death’s existence in a distinctive embodiment. This uncertainty creates the illusion of warmth and welcomenesss and is further demonstrated through the reproduction of death as an eminent figure. Further inspection allows the reader to understand death as a swift encounter. The quick imagery brought forth by words such as “snaps” and “shut” provoke a sense of startle in which the audience may dispel any idea of expectedness in death’s coming. This essential idea of apparent arrival transitions to a slower, foreseeable fate where one can imagine the enduring pain experienced “an iceberg between shoulder blades” (line 8). This shift characterizes the constant adaptation in appearance that death acquires. Moreover, the idea of warmth radiating from death’s presence reemerges with the introduction to a “cottage of darkness” (line 10), which to some may bring about a feeling of pleasantry and comfort. It is important to note that line 10 was the sole occurrence of a rhetorical question that the speaker
“Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” Dickinson influences the reader that death is a courteous gentleman instead of a terrifying figure and that sooner or later the gentleman will come to take one’s life. Many people aren’t willing to stop for death, but are taken away. In the poem, the poet puts away concerns of work and leisure. This is a reminder that death is the end of life and energy. The poet rides in a carriage with Death and immortality. During the journey, pleasant scenes of the poet’s past are passed. Once the carriage passed the setting sun suggests the inevitable end of mortal time. Beyond the sun, the dark earth and dew send chills. This is the final transformation of life to death. The carriage becomes a hearse, and the poet is taken to her grave t...
Therefore, Oliver’s incorporation of imagery, setting, and mood to control the perspective of her own poem, as well as to further build the contrast she establishes through the speaker, serves a critical role in creating the lesson of the work. Oliver’s poem essentially gives the poet an ultimatum; either he can go to the “cave behind all that / jubilation” (10-11) produced by a waterfall to “drip with despair” (14) without disturbing the world with his misery, or, instead, he can mimic the thrush who sings its poetry from a “green branch” (15) on which the “passing foil of the water” (16) gently brushes its feathers. The contrast between these two images is quite pronounced, and the intention of such description is to persuade the audience by setting their mood towards the two poets to match that of the speaker. The most apparent difference between these two depictions is the gracelessness of the first versus the gracefulness of the second. Within the poem’s content, the setting has been skillfully intertwined with both imagery and mood to create an understanding of the two poets, whose surroundings characterize them. The poet stands alone in a cave “to cry aloud for [his] / mistakes” while the thrush shares its beautiful and lovely music with the world (1-2). As such, the overall function of these three elements within the poem is to portray the
In Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” she uses the structure of her poem and rhetoric as concrete representation of her abstract beliefs about death to comfort and encourage readers into accepting Death when He comes. The underlying theme that can be extracted from this poem is that death is just a new beginning. Dickinson deftly reassures her readers of this with innovative organization and management, life-like rhyme and rhythm, subtle but meaningful use of symbolism, and ironic metaphors. Dickinson organizes the lines into quatrains—stanzas containing four lines—which are frequently used in religious hymns.
The poems ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ by Dylan Thomas and ‘Because I could not stop for Death’ by Emily Dickinson, give two distinct interpretations of the theme of death and mortality. Thomas laments to his dying father, grieving the inevitability of death while also stressing that death should be fought against rather than quietly accepted, using diction and imagery to build up an intense, persuasive tone. In contrast, Dickinson expresses a peaceful acceptance of death and portrays it as a passage to eternal life, using diction, imagery and personification to create a calm, serene tone.
All things come and go same with people. In the short story “masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe. Tells the reader a greedy prince who is hiding from death but death will happen even when isolate death will eventually come. To enhance his allegory of death in “the Masque of the Red Death,” Poe expresses everyone is equal in the eyes of death through his portrayal of the 7 rooms the hallway and the stranger.
Death is an occurrence that is apart of the human condition which is why it’s often found in literature. The poems that have been analyzed for its use of death are “Thanatopsis” by William Bryant, “Dust In The Wind” by Kansas, and “Don’t Fear The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult. Although each of the poem’s points are different, they have the same topic which is death.
Death can both be a painful and serious topic, but in the hands of the right poet it can be so natural and eloquently put together. This is the case in The Sleeper by Edgar Allan Poe, as tackles the topic of death in an uncanny way. This poem is important, because it may be about the poet’s feelings towards his mother’s death, as well as a person who is coming to terms with a loved ones passing. In the poem, Poe presents a speaker who uses various literary devices such as couplet, end-stopped line, alliteration, image, consonance, and apostrophe to dramatize coming to terms with the death of a loved one.
..., the content and form has self-deconstructed, resulting in a meaningless reduction/manifestation of repetition. The primary focus of the poem on the death and memory of a man has been sacrificed, leaving only the skeletal membrane of any sort of focus in the poem. The “Dirge” which initially was meant to reflect on the life of the individual has been completely abstracted. The “Dirge” the reader is left with at the end of the poem is one meant for anyone and no one. Just as the internal contradictions in Kenneth Fearing’s poem have eliminated the substantial significance of each isolated concern, the reader is left without not only a resolution, but any particular tangible meaning at all. The form and content of this poem have quite effectively established a powerful modernist statement, ironically contingent on the absence and not the presence of meaning in life.
In the story by Mary Oliver, When Death Comes, she is describing death and she is accepting it rather than running from it. At some point in our life’s we will realize we are getting closer to death this poem really explained that it’s meant to happen so rather run, embrace it and live life one step at a
Emily Dickinson’s poem #465 questions the very essence of death, which is the assurance of a life beyond the one we already live. In the speaker’s case, after her own death, she is lost in a world between life and death. Through Dickinson’s allusion, symbolism, and perspective she is able to conclude that life is not so black and white; there is gray and more specifically, in such cases of death, there is no simple
In the beginning of the poem, Death is personified as a kind and carefree man who is manning a carriage. “Because I could not stop for Death - He kindly stopped for me” is how the speaker began his introduction for Death. This allows the speaker to set the mood, but he also lets the readers know this occurrence is one of tranquility with no struggle or suffering. Symbolized by the process of a carriage ride through a small town, the speaker describes death. He does a good job of using imagery and personal opinions throughout the entire poem. This assists the audience in having some insight into what each different object, feeling,
Imagery is a big component to most works of poetry. Authors strive to achieve a certain image for the reader to paint in their mind. Dickinson tries to paint a picture of ?death? in her own words. Thomas A. Johnson, an interpretive author of Dickinson's work, says that ?In 1863 Death came into full statue as a person. ?Because I could not stop for Death? is a superlative achievement wherein Death becomes one of the greatest characters of literature? (Johnson). Dickinson's picture to the audience is created by making ?Death? an actual character in the poem. By her constantly calling death either ?his? or ?he,? she denotes a specific person and gender. Dickinson also compares ?Death? to having the same human qualities as the other character in the poem. She has ?Death? physically arriving and taking the other character in the carriage with him. In the poem, Dickinson shows the reader her interpretation of what this person is going through as they are dying and being taken away by ?Death?. Dickinson gives images such as ?The Dews drew quivering and chill --? and ?A Swelling of the Ground --? (14, 18). In both of these lines, Dickinson has the reader conjure up subtle images of death. The ?quivering an chill? brings to the reader's mind of death being ...
Death is a predominant theme in the collection of poems, all of death portrayed in the poem lead to a similar interpretation of grief, regret and despair. Throughout the essay I will discuss the similarities and differences between the poems. Although the content of the poems are distinct, the views on death stay constant.
In line one, “Death be not proud, though some have called thee” the poem begins with an apostrophe, in this specific instance, Death. In line one the narrator also personifies death by directly addressing it. In line three, “For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow” there is an alliteration sound of “Th”. This repetitive “Th” sound draws the reader’s attention to a certain line and signifies some kind of importance the author is trying to convey. The narrator displays a creative use of imagery in line five “From rest and sleep, which but thy picture be” to help the reader use imagination and picture death as no more than restful sleep. Another strategically used device in line six, “Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,” is the narrator’s use of an ellipsis. The author leaves the interpretation of the rest of the sentence for the reader to fill in at his or her discretion with the words they choose. (Hebron, 37) The narrator uses internal rhyme in line seven and eight to grab the reader’s attention and renew interest in the following lines, “And soonest our best men with thee do go, Rest of their bones, and soul’s delivery.” Lastly the narrator ends the work by reiterating the personification of Death in the last
Its symbolic structure is ambiguous, indeterminate, and multiple,” states Kher. Emily Dickinson interpreted death in a multitude of manners; though the body must follow the set path of decomposition, the spirit is revealed as immortal, as ironic, and as a gentleman. Fantastically, she is able to transform life and death, speaking after death (“Because I could not stop for Death -”), at the moment of its onset (“I heard a Fly buzz-when I died-“), while other times it is numbly indescribable (“After great pain, a formal feeling comes”). Even though Protestant influences find their way in the structure and rhythm of the verses, Dickinson’s attitude towards death is slightly different and idiosyncratic, revealing a new, ironic stance in recognition of the process of death as an important but entirely natural phenomenon. As in “Because I could not stop for Death -” Dickinson goes as far as to suggest a flirtation with mortality, which ultimately loses its frightening and desperate character and gains an air of familiarity and naturalness. This can almost be seen as contempt in the face of death and as a radical irreverence towards the unknown. What happens after death is certainly beyond human grasp and knowledge, but death’s obscurity does not deter the poet from discussing the journey of human impermanence. Dickinson considers death a friend whom she has never seen, but she does