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Death in literature
The introduction to spoon river anthology
The introduction to spoon river anthology
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Recommended: Death in literature
Do not seek saftey, but meaning; this is the message understood when reading two parturcular works of Edgar Lee Masters, author of the Spoon River Anthology. In his two works Lucinda Matlock and George Gray he warnnes against the wasting of life by comparing and contrasting two ways of life told by two characters from their own points of view from their graves. By understanging the contrast in their stories depth is added to the masage they both give.
The first imapressions gotten from Geroges text would most probably be its melancholy tone, Georges overall attitude is one of regret, and the absance of details about his life in his short story indicate that his life was also short and unnoteworthy. His direct message being that in death
With the coming of the new century America under goes a change led by many different events. The collection of poems written in Lee Masters book Spoon River Anthology portrays the typical small town at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. Show the different social, economical, and political trend and influences throughout the United States.
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.
In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis,” Hurst’s use of somber diction and regretful imagery conveys a solemn tone and reveals that there are limits to everything in life that should not be pushed too far.
The events, especially the end, of "The River” do not seem representative of grace; however, on a more thorough examination, God’s grace is evident, shown in the symbolism of the pig earlier in the story and in Harry’s non-Christian family. If Harry had not drowned himself that day in the river, there would have been a substantial chance that his family would have led him away from the faith. O’Connor also portrays the pig/Mr. Paradise as the devil when Mr. Paradise attempts to save Harry. Should Mr. Paradise have succeeded in saving Harry, Harry would not have been spiritually saved.
Analyzing, a verb meaning to examine critically, so as to bring out the essential elements or give the essence of writing. This great work, Occurrence at Owl Creek by Ambrose Bierce, is about a young adult called Peyton Farquhar. Garnet story takes place during the civil war; therefore Farquhar was a white land owner with slaves. As one digs deeper and cracks the shell of this story, the attention to detail, realism, and capital punishment play a big role.
Edgar Lee Masters was a poet and novelist born in the late 1800s. He is most known for his famous 1915 publication of Spoon River Anthology, a compilation of 244 free-verse epitaphs told from the grave by the former residents, both real and imaginary, of Spoon River, a fictitious small town. All 244 dead residents of Spoon River have a story to tell about their victories, hardships, and their secrets. Masters became famous by revealing the secret lives and loves of a small town’s residents, told in their own voices from beyond the grave into American poetry. This was a sensitive subject matter and an innovative method.
In literature, themes shape and characterize an author’s writing making each work unique as different points of view are expressed within a writing’s words and sentences. This is the case, for example, of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” and Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death.” Both poems focus on the same theme of death, but while Poe’s poem reflects that death is an atrocious event because of the suffering and struggle that it provokes, Dickinson’s poem reflects that death is humane and that it should not be feared as it is inevitable. The two poems have both similarities and differences, and the themes and characteristics of each poem can be explained by the author’s influences and lives.
“The Blue People of Troublesome Creek,” was spread and caused by many different factors. It was a blood defect that was passed down throughout generations of inbreeding and close relations of several families. The remoteness of the “colony” of blue people had an effect on why this spread to so many people, and not just a few. The actually deficiency itself was called methemoglobinemia, and was an enzyme defect. Doctor Cawein was the one to actually discover and treat the defect, and make the people of troublesome creek no longer blue but pink.
Belonging is a fluid concept that adapts and shifts within a person’s lifetime. It is subjective and can encourage feelings of security, happiness and acceptance or conversely alienation and dislocation. One's perception of belonging, and therefore identity, is significantly influenced by place and relationships established within one's environment. This is evident in Steven Herrick's free verse novel “The Simple Gift” and the short story “The River that wasn’t ours” by Ashley Reynolds.
When reflecting and writing on Eiseley’s essay and the “magical element”, I balk. I think to myself, “What magic?”, and then put pen to page. I dubiously choose a kiddie pool to draw inspiration from, and unexpectedly, inspiration flows into me. As I sit here in this little 10x30 foot backyard, the sky is filled with the flowing gaseous form of water, dark patches of moist earth speckle the yard, the plants soak up their scattered watering, and the leaves of bushes and trees imbue the space with a sense of dampness from their foliage. As my senses tune into the moisture that surrounds me, I fill Braedon’s artificial pond with water. I stare at the shimmering surface, contemplating Eiseley’s narrative, and the little bit of life’s wellspring caught in Brae’s pool. I see why Eiseley thought the most abundant compound on the earth’s surface is mystical.
["What I have written is not a work of beauty, created that someone may spend an hour pleasantly; not a symphony to lift up the spirit, to release it from the dreariness of reality. It is a story of a life, written in desperation, in unhappiness. I write of the earth on which we all, by some strange circumstance, happen to be living. I write of the joys and sorrows of the lowly. Of loneliness. Of pain. And of love." Smedley 7).]
...Bendemann's life abruptly changes with the death of his mother. However, along with this change, Georg has to deal with the many torments of the relationship with his father as well as the relationship with himself. Eventually, Georg loses the struggle with his father and allows himself to succumb to his subservient side by committing suicide. As a result, the emotional impact of this dramatic and complex story on the reader is a profound one.
While other writers use their poetry to decipher the meaning of life, Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea was busy writing about how to live it. Five of her poems, “Jupiter and the Farmer,” “The Tree,” “The Shepherd Piping to the Fishes,” “Love, Death, and Reputation,” and “There’s No To-Morrow,” convey strong messages to the reader about how to live their lives. In her poetry, Anne Finch uses anecdotes to help illustrate the validity of her statements, thereby providing the reader with a strong, meaningful, and important message about how life should be lived.
The speaker started the poem by desiring the privilege of death through the use of similes, metaphors, and several other forms of language. As the events progress, the speaker gradually changes their mind because of the many complications that death evokes. The speaker is discontent because of human nature; the searching for something better, although there is none. The use of language throughout this poem emphasized these emotions, and allowed the reader the opportunity to understand what the speaker felt.
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.