Comparing Poems 'Thanatopsis And Dust In The Wind'

Some of the poems Emily Dickinson wrote, usually offered many different views of death that involve physical and emotional responses of the soul and body’s journey through nothingness, madness and even eternity. The greatness in her poems comes from the use of literary devices to give meaning to death and the different interpretations of the journey through death. Although Dickinson presents contradicting thoughts sometimes, it is clear that she believes that there are many types of deaths in a human being’s life. This paper compares and contrasts the theme of death in Dickinson’s three poems titled “I heard a fly buzz”, "Because I Could Not Stop for Death” and “After great pain a Formal Feeling Comes”.

Chuck Palahniuk once said, “The first step to eternal life, is you have to die.” In William Cullen Bryant’s poem “Thanatopsis”, he does not mention eternal life or anything religious, but speaks about death. He tells his readers that death is a natural thing and they should not worry about it. William Cullen Bryant, in his poem “Thanatopsis”, portrays a comforting view of death. Throughout the poem, Bryant encourages his readers by explaining that in death they are not alone, that death, like life, is a natural process, and that they will be among some of the finest people who walked the earth.

Regardless of race, caste, religion, or age, every human has wondered about the one fact of life that unifies us all: What is death? Both poems, “Death of a Young Son by Drowning” by Margaret Atwood and “Because I could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson share a common subject of death. Using figurative language, both poems illustrate distinct takes on a similar topic.

“Life, no matter how we choose to look at it, is a constant battle. It is the beginning of a struggle that continues until we breathe our last breath” There are many poems representing death affirms individuality and freedom spirit of poets, poems can let many people experience the scream before the death. “Do Not Go Gentle into the Night,” by Dylan Thomas, “Not Waving but Drowning,” by Steve Smith, and “To an Athlete Dying Young” by A.E. Housman all built around the sadness theme----Death

Since the beginning of time, humans have known that death is inevitable and it cannot be stopped. Death can occur in many forms including natural, medical, and suicidal deaths. Because death is so prevalent in everyone’s lives it is very common for an author to touch on the subject. An example of this would be Virginia Woolf, the author of the essay “The Death of the Moth.” In this piece, Virginia Woolf tells a story about a moth that in the end eventually passes away; which connects with the subject of death. Through the use of pathos, imagery and her use of short, specific sentences amidst her long, flowing ones, Woolf shows that death is inevitable.

Death is everywhere. From the insect you killed this morning to the family member you lose recently, there is no force stronger than death. Emily Dickinson, a 19th century writer, indulges that fact but also goes beyond it in her work. Dickinson revisits the theme of death in her poetry. Through her work, she shows readers her fascination with death the emotions associated with it. In “I heard a Fly buzz—when I died” and “I’ve seen a Dying Eye”, Dickinson shows us a very intimate view of a person dying. The poem “Because I could not stop for Death” shows readers the journey to eternity after death and “The Bustle in a House” shows readers what happens to a family after death. These four poems by Emily Dickinson all share a central theme of death and give readers a very personal understanding of it.

The message that comes from the song “Dust in the Wind,” written by the band Kansas, is sad and gloomy, and it hints toward the deaths of all of us and how we cannot slow them. In this song, we are told that our riches cannot stop our deaths. We are also told that one life seems small compared to the vast ocean of people we live in. One major theme is that everything that ever happens, everything that is, will crumble and eventually be gone. Everything will eventually be forgotten. Within most lines of the song, this dark theme is repeated using metaphors and hyperboles.

In what way has the theme of death been depicted in any three poems that you have studied in the anthology, and in another three of your choosing. Comment on weather or not.

This is shown straight from the first line of stanza 3. With the writer defiantly stating “Death, I don’t believe what you say”. The poet addresses “Death” itself and bluntly states no! He does not believe what death says. He does not believe that what was presented in stanzas 1 and 2 is right, he will not become insignificant in death.

It is indeed true that there is no escaping death has it will literally happen no matter what a person might do to avoid or escape it. My aim was to relate the significance of the symbols to the theme and in the paragraphs I have proven this by describing each symbol in details and have shown how all of them show the theme of

Many poets choose to write about death because it is one of the few things that all creatures have in common. Reading about the end of life forces readers to think critically and introspectively about the rest of their own lives and eventual deaths. While many fear dying, poets can illuminate just how valuable time left on Earth is. Both John Keats and Robert Frost take advantage of the structure of the sonnet as well as pensive and powerless moods in “Bright Star” and “The Oven Bird” respectively to demonstrate their frustrations in coming to terms with mortality.

At some time or another, we have all contemplated our own mortality, and asked ourselves one question. What does it mean to be dead, to truly and totally cease to exist? In William Cullen Bryant’s 1821 poem, “Thanatopsis”, or “Meditation on Death”, Bryant utilizes personification, imagery, and the overall form and organization of his verse to establish a shifting tone and explore the interconnectedness of man and nature in life and death.

Since the beginning of time, people have many different ways of going about the idea of death and what the afterlife may hold for them, whether they’ll be reunited with family and friends or if they’ll be reincarnated or, maybe nothing at all. This is true to writers and poets. In William Cullen Bryant’s “Thanatopsis”, Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind” and Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” they all center their idea death, but approach it differently and convey their points differently. One glorifies death, one says life is meaningless and the other glorifies life.

In this essay, we will talk about 3 poems which talk about death. The form and tone in which these poems depict death, however, may be different. The first poem we will talk about is ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ written by Dylan Thomas. The poet says that old men should try to resist death to the best they can. They should not die quietly and should depart from this world shouting and screaming, angry about the fact that they have to face death. When this poem is about to end, we find that the poet is a personal stakeholder in this event as his beloved father is dying. The second poem is ‘To an athlete dying young’ written by A.E. Housman. As the title of this poem depicts, it is about an athlete who dies at a young age. This poem takes a joyous start by remembering the win of the athlete in a big race and celebrations that followed thereafter. But as the poem progresses, it starts talking about the death of the athlete and the concept of mortality. Finally, the poet gives some good arguments in the favour of dying when a person is young. The third poem is ‘The world is too much with us’ by William Wordsworth. Here, the poet complains that this world is really overwhelming for us to be able to appreciate it. We humans are always concerned with collecting things so that there is nothing in nature that we can’t own. This poem stresses on the opinion that we should appreciate the beautiful events that nature gives us a chance to

Together with four classmates in my English class, I created an anthology of five poems on the theme of Death. The authors of these poems are Alan Seeger, Emily Dickinson, Henry Scott Holland, Pablo Neruda, and Sylvia Plath. My favorite poem is Death is nothing at all and my favorite authors are Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath.