“I Have a Rendezvous with Death” written by Alan Seeger works primarily as an expression of differentiating between the conventional view of death, versus the author’s intake. All elements of this poem- rhyme scheme, personification, diction and imagery - work to this effect. With the aid of these elements, the author is able to enlighten his readers that even though foreseeable and capricious, death is not something that we should feared; rather we should come to terms that it is an inevitable part of life and perhaps even anticipate it.
To begin analyzing this poem and its nature, we first must understand the context and time period in which it was written. Alan Seeger was twenty-six when World War One broke out in Europe. Due to the fact that he was French but had an American citizenship, he could not join the American army, which had no involvement in war so he decided to join the French Foreign legion; only two to die as a war martyr two years later.
The poem is composed of three stanzas that have six, eight and ten lines, each of which have an irregular and unconventional rhyme scheme. The rhyme scheme used in this poem is abbcac ddaeaeff ghgafahfi. This scheme illuminates and does a brilliant job in reflecting the theme of the poem, and the tone that was conveyed through the rhyme scheme Seeger employed. The irregularity in the rhyme scheme aids in illuminating the contrast between what death usually entails and what death meant for the author. Therefore the irregular rhyme scheme evokes feelings that death whereas normally deemed undesirable, some may welcome death if it means dying for your country.
In this poem, death is evidently personified. Death is referred to as “take[ing] my[his] hand, and leading me[him] int...
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...each of the men will be considered heroic martyrs.
The poem is concluded by exclaiming the compassion he has for his country. We are then presented by contrasting images as he enhances by adding in that indeed, “ ‘twere better to be deep pillowed in silk around scented down/ where love throbs out in blissful sleep” (15-17); but that some of us are willing and ready to sacrifice and fight for their land- fighting to keep citizens safe and able to sleep peacefully at night.
Works Cited
Rusche, Harry G. "First World War.com - Prose & Poetry - Alan
Seeger." First World War.com - A Multimedia History of World War One. 22 Aug. 2009. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. .
"Alan Seeger." Emory University---English Department "Where Courageous Inquiry Leads" Web. 16 Oct. 2011. .
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