How Does Lazarus Overcome Death

790 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The theme of death in literature

Is there anything that can overcome death? There is, according to biblical tales of Christianity, when Jesus, the son of God, comes to resurrect a man named Lazarus. Lazarus, or Lazarus of Bethany, or in the later years after resurrection, Saint Lazarus of Bethany, is a pivotal figure in the Christian religion as well as in art culture and media. In biblical stories, Lazarus starts out as a follower of Jesus Christ and lives a city named Bethany near the city Jerusalem. Lazarus gets deadly ill and is bedridden; therefore, his two sisters, Mary and Martha travels to the next city over to talk to Jesus because of his healing abilities. Jesus knows that Lazarus will die if Jesus will not visit him in time, but he intentionally delays his journey …show more content…

Alfred Prufrock” by T.S Eliot, Lazarus is mentioned and alluded to by the speaker when he talks about making a big decision in his life and “forcing the moment to its crisis”. Lazarus is well-known for his resurrection and coming back from the dead. The speaker makes reference to this fact and uses it to express his thoughts on making a big decision in his life. He compares it to declaring himself a man that went through death and back and then sharing his tale of the after death It is a powerful comparison and represents his emotions and a bit of freight towards what could happen next after making his decision. Perhaps it's this fright that makes him want to look at the situation after the fact, to look at the event and recall the terrors or tales of it instead of being in it. He is already thinking far ahead into the future and viewing it from a perspective when he has already made his decision and has already paid the price. It is, in retrospect, a very pessimistic outlook on what could happen when the speaker makes his decision and “forces the moment to its crisis”. Nonetheless, the speaker may recognize his thoughts as an overreaction as he describes someone else who disagrees with his thoughts and says that whatever he is thinking is not what she intended or meant at

Show More
Related

  • The Greasy Lake Theme

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout T. C. Boyle’s work, “Greasy Lake”, a young man’s intrepid night leads him to discover how close death is to life. This realization causes a sombre awakening for the narrator as he falls in the midst of fatality; and practically becomes a casualty himself. Following each traumatic event, the narrator’s innocence disappears and morality is called into question. When death fast approaches, and the grim reaper is breathing down his neck, the narrator subsequently realizes his mistakes, but not before it’s almost too late.

    Read More

  • report on letters from a father

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    Overall, dwell on this process of changing throughout the poem, it can be understood that the poet is demonstrating a particular attitude towards life. Everyone declines and dies eventually, but it would be better to embrace an optimistic, opened mind than a pessimistic, giving-up attitude; face the approach of death unflinchingly, calmly.

    Read More

  • Tomorrow When The War Began Essay

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    The presence of death in the novel looms over the characters, making each of them reflect on the

    Read More

  • The Agony Of Dying Lewis Thomas Analysis

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lewis Thomas reaches out to all victims in death’s reach to assuage their fear of dying. Thomas wants his readers to understand that they cannot escape death; it is an “indispensible part of living.”

    Read More

  • Redemption In A Lesson Before Dying

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    Redemption is the act of being saved by from sin, error, or evil. Redemption is a major theme in all writings, short-stories, novels, poems, plays, etc. Many people in their lives look to achieve redemption by the time they kick the bucket, however sometimes redemption is achieved with death. In Christianity I am reminded of the significance of the death of Christ on the cross to relate to the theme of redemption in death. In this paper I hope to accomplish a contrast of the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines and the play of Hamlet by William Shakespeare, by using the theme of redemption in death, and also ultimately explaining

    Read More

  • Emily Dickinson's Because I Could Not Stop For Death

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Young Goodman Brown And The Masque Of The Red Death

    761 Words  | 2 Pages

    The deaths and dangers in the world we face are sometimes made of ourselves and of our fears. In the dark story The Masque of the Red Death the danger being unavoidable death that Prince Prospero shuns away but comes back to kill him. In Young Goodman Brown, the protagonist fears that his faith will be loss and nothing will be good in the world anymore. Both these stories are’ descriptive and use many symbols that connect to fear. While the protagonists in Young Goodman Brown and The Masque of the Red Death are both fearful, Goodman Brown fears of losing his innocence and runs off to find faith but loses it on the way, and the prince in The Masque of Red Death fears losing his riches.

    Read More

  • Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas

    1143 Words  | 3 Pages

    The cycle of life always ends in death, but the frightful aspect of death is not necessarily death itself, but the concept of timing. Mark Twain states that “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die anytime” which means people’s fear of dying stems from their fear of living, and this frightful emotion takes over people’s lives and prevents them from living each day like it is their last. This fear prevents many from taking action on their dreams and ambitions which inevitably is giving one’s life up too quickly. Dylan Thomas, a famous contemporary author, believes existence is taken advantage of and when one’s existence is threatened, most people are too quick to give up. In Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” the speaker of the poem confronts his deceased father about releasing one of the most valuable things in nature: life (Pattern #3).

    Read More

  • Walt Whitman Poem

    544 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme of Time to Come presents the mystery of life after death and calls attention to how vulnerable it’s victims are. Whitman begins his poem with the strong metaphor “ O, Death! a black and pierceless pall” (1). This bold statement allows the reader quickly realize that the work will somehow be connected to death, but in an insightful manner. The alliteration of “pierceless pall” emphasizes death’s ruthless approach. Whitman then describes death as a “mystery of fate” that " No eye may see, no mind may grasp” (3-4). This points out that death lingers in the future, essentially waiting to seize lives and nobody can know when th...

    Read More

  • Death and Emily Dickinson

    1312 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Resurrection of Lazarus in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment

    452 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, Raskalnikov undergoes a period of extreme psychological upheaval. By comparing this death and rebirth of Raskalnikov's psyche to the story of the resurrection of Lazarus, Dostoevsky emphasizes not only the gravity of his crimes, but also the importance of acceptance of guilt.

    Read More

  • Hopelessness and Death in “It was not Death, for I stood up”

    588 Words  | 2 Pages

    In her poem “It was not Death, for I stood up,” Emily Dickinson creates a depressing state of hopelessness felt by the speaker when trying to understand the tormented condition of her psychological state. The poem produces an extended metaphor of death, which resembles the speaker’s life and state of mind, through the use of various literary devices, such as parallel structure, repetition, imagery, personification, and simile, in order to create an overwhelming sense of hopelessness regarding the speaker’s undefined condition.

    Read More

  • Death in Emily Dickenson

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    wrote of death and life after death; yet it is apparent that many have tried to explore

    Read More

  • Different Reactions to Death

    1477 Words  | 3 Pages

    Death can be very scary for the elder and young. One never really knows how they will react to the event of death. Even though inevitable, death can be shocking for some or troubling for others. A shocking and a troubling reality of death are depicted in two short stories, Used to Live Here Once by Jean Rhys and A Father’s Story by Andre Dubus. How characters in a story react to death are often different from one another.

    Read More

  • The concept of existence after death

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    My main reason for my belief of life after death is based on the Christian faith. Jesus was speaking to Martha and stated, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying” . This scripture refers to life after death. People who have died physically in Christ will live in heaven until the day of the Lord. People who are not in Christ when the...

    Read More

More about How Does Lazarus Overcome Death

Open Document