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The theme of death in literature
The portrayal of death in literature throughout the years
The theme of death in literature
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IT was a chilly November afternoon. I had just consummated an unusually hearty dinner, of which the dyspeptic truffe formed not the least important item, and was sitting alone in the dining-room, with my feet upon the fender, and at my elbow a small table which I had rolled up to the fire, and upon which were some apologies for dessert, with some miscellaneous bottles of wine, spirit and liqueur. In the morning I had been reading Glover's "Leonidas," Wilkie's "Epigoniad," Lamartine's "Pilgrimage," Barlow's "Columbiad," Tuckermann's "Sicily," and Griswold's "Curiosities" ; I am willing to confess, therefore, that I now felt a little stupid. I made effort to arouse myself by aid of frequent Lafitte, and, all failing, I betook myself to a stray …show more content…
A London paper mentions the decease of a person from a singular cause. He was playing at 'puff the dart,' which is played with a long needle inserted in some worsted, and blown at a target through a tin tube. He placed the needle at the wrong end of the tube, and drawing his breath strongly to puff the dart forward with force, drew the needle into his throat. It entered the lungs, and in a few days killed him." Upon seeing this I fell into a great rage, without exactly knowing why. "This thing," I exclaimed, "is a contemptible falsehood -- a poor hoax -- the lees of the invention of some pitiable penny-a-liner -- of some wretched concoctor of accidents in Cocaigne. These fellows, knowing the extravagant gullibility of the age, set their wits to work in the imagination of improbable possibilities -- of odd accidents, as they term them; but to a reflecting intellect (like mine," I added, in parenthesis, putting my forefinger unconsciously to the side of my nose,) "to a contemplative understanding such as I myself possess, it seems evident at once that the marvelous increase of late in these 'odd accidents' is by far the oddest accident of all. For my own part, I intend to believe nothing henceforward that has anything of the 'singular' about …show more content…
The very few glasses of Lafitte that I had sipped had the effect of rendering me drowsy, and I felt inclined to take a nap of some fifteen or twenty minutes, as is my custom after dinner. At six I had an appointment of consequence, which it was quite indispensable that I should keep. The policy of insurance for my dwelling house had expired the day before; and, some dispute having arisen, it was agreed that, at six, I should meet the board of directors of the company and settle the terms of a renewal. Glancing upward at the clock on the mantel-piece, (for I felt too drowsy to take out my watch), I had the pleasure to find that I had still twenty-five minutes to spare. It was half past five; I could easily walk to the insurance office in five minutes; and my usual siestas had never been known to exceed five and twenty. I felt sufficiently safe, therefore, and composed myself to my slumbers
Roman emperor Julian the Apostate and Christian leader Antony both exhibited many qualities of character during their existence. Both of them led very distinctive lives although shared several ethical values. Book 25 of “The Later Roman Empire” and the book “Early Christian Lives” show concrete evidence of this. In the following essay, I will argue how both leaders’ lives were devoted to their religious beliefs and their mutual cardinal virtues.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
Barnet, Sylvan, William Burto, and William E. Cain. An Introduction to Literature. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006.
Murphy, B. & Shirley J. The Literary Encyclopedia. [nl], August 31, 2004. Available at: http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2326. Access on: 22 Aug 2010.
----Glaspell, Susan. Trifles. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005. 1044.
Meyer, Michael, ed. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. Print.
Burns, Olive Ann. “Boy howdy, ma'am you have sent us a fine book.” The English Journal. Dec. 1989: 16-20 Web. 14 NCTE Jan. 2014
Nutall, A. D. (1958). Gulliver Among the Horses. The Yearbook of English Studies , 18, 51-67.
The Bedford Introduction to Literature. 5th edition. Boston & New York: Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 1999. http://www.martinspress 1564 - 1612 -.
Events throughout this chapter should leave the reader with a feeling of disbelief and make start to question the philosophy of Leibniz. The irony displayed in the shipwreck was then exaggerated by Pangloss’s explanation for James death in the Lisbon Bay. Voltaire used of descriptive words such as flames and topsy-turvy painted images in the readers, which made them, ask themselves how is this the best possible outcome? The combination of the lack of rational in Pangloss’s sulfur explanation with the sailors grotesque behavior completed the attack on the Enlightenment period and their view of optimism. As all of these examples and literary devices produced a chapter full of satiric examples that left the reader flabbergasted with their
The main characters expressed anger towards the man, knowing nothing of why the death of the man made him feel angry, the character also had different characteristics that elaborate ignorance. The characteristics that the main character has, are thinking he is better than anyone else and being invincible. For example, the primary character quoted in the short story “is a contemptible falsehood -- a poor hoax -- the lees of the invention of some pitiable penny-a-liner -- of some wretched concoctor of accidents in Cocaigne.”. The quotation by the main character talks about the recent death that took place in London and how the new ideas were reckless, which were the main causes of the abnormal accidents.
The writer portraits himself inside a guiltless character who believes, after reading about the freak death of a man, that all situations labeled as something odd are "a contemptible falsehood- a poor hoax- the lees of the invention of some pitiable penny-a-liner." By this sentence, the character claims that the oddest things are those which are told to be odd, and he reveals himself as a person with such a squared mind that it is impossible for him to give credibility an important space.
Abrams, M.H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 1993.