Death Is So Common?

In “Field of Autumn”, Laurie Lee uses personification, metaphor, and diction related to death to convey that death is an inevitable part of life.

Death is a topic that unites all of humanity. While it can be uncomfortable to think about, confronting death in unavoidable. “Dying” addresses that discomfort and universal unwillingness to consider the inevitability of death. Pinsky’s use of imagery, symbolism, and tone create a poetic experience that is like death, something every reader can relate to. In “Dying,” Pinsky describes how people are oblivious and almost uncaring when it comes to the thought of death. Pinsky is trying to convince the reader that they shouldn’t ignore the concept of death because life is shorter than it seems.

Each individual has a unique way of coping with death, and this is evident throughout Christina Rossetti’s, “Remember” and W. H. Auden’s “Stop all of the Clocks”.

The theme death has always played a crucial role in literature. Death surrounds us and our everyday life, something that we must adapt and accept. Whether its on television or newpaper, you'll probobly hear about the death of an individual or even a group. Most people have their own ideas and attitude towards it, but many consider this to be a tragic event due to many reasons. For those who suffered greatly from despair, living their life miserably and hopelessly, it could actually be a relief to them. Death effects not only you, but also those around you, while some people may stay unaffected depending on how they perceive it.

In the short story “ Comfort me with Apples” by Tracy Daugherty the theme of death transpires throughout the story. Daugherty developed a constant theme of sorrow and unfortunateness through the characters, places and events, which all were ultimately affected by death. Although, countless readers of “ Comfort me with Apples” would suggest that the story is centralized by another theme, many would agree that the theme of death in the story showcases how different characters cope with death and the effects it has on the human condition, by examining how George coped with the death of his wife, how death affected the Zamora family and how the bayou represented death in every aspect when portrayed.

In “As I Lay Dying”, the story explores how, through the death and transport of Addie Bundren, characters with varying situations, personalities, and backgrounds deal with her loss. William Faulkner, the author of the novel, depicts each character with terrifyingly human coping mechanisms in the face of death. Some of the methods illustrated are: denial, existential thinking, depression, anxiety, denouncing of a higher power, and irrational thought and action. The reality is, this book will open up a discussion that is needed in high schools, and show young adults just how death can affect a person, “Because so many youth are impacted by loss, the need for both understanding and support from helping professionals is critical.” (Palmer).

Death is a unique part of life, and loss is an unavoidable result of death. In Alice Walker’s 1973 short story “The Flowers”, childhood loss of innocence and death are illuminated through the experience of a child and her encounter with a dead man in post-slavery America. Louise Erdrich’s 1984 short story “The Red Convertible” is a story of loss in the face of death, set in Vietnam era America. Walker and Erdrich both use strong imagery and symbolism to effectively portray the impact of the common themes of loss and death in both short stories, albeit in different ways.

Death is perhaps humans greatest enigma. It is inevitable, shrouded in mystery, and yet troublesomely peaceful. Greek philosopher Epicurus described humans greatest flaw to be that of the fear of death: “Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not”. Two notable novels, Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood and Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, both similarly analyze the complexities and consequences of death. Death and loss cause the collapse of human rationality and moral integrity thereby leading to the downfall of Agnes Magnusdottir and Grace Marks. Firstly, The traumatizing events of death of loved ones experienced by both protagonists early in their adolescence invoke the prolonged destruction of security and morality even later into their adulthood. Secondly, The alleged murders committed by Agnes and Grace result in deeply scarring events

Humanity craves the control over almost anything that can harm or act as a disadvantage. As predominant as the sun that burns in the sky, mortality has been a constant factor that dictates human condition. That is because the concept of mortality is arguably one of the most pivotal aspects that literature has unceasingly toyed with to influence the reader’s perspective of death. However, why is it age-old classics or even modern-contemporary works provoke readers to accept the ultimate end? To what extent can literature force us to accept or own mortality? Literature holds thin stabbing fingers to the face of readers through creating characters with various mindsets that force us to accept the harsh reality

Death is very frequent in real life and in literature. Mainly when it comes to diseases like cancer. Diseases are a way to drive a plot, link in a theme and draw in symbolism. In The Fault in Our Stars, one of the main characters ,Augustus Waters, lost his leg to a bone type cancer. Even with successful treatment, his cancer still manages to get worse and unfortunately leading him to his death. His death is reflective of the principles governing disease in literature because his treatments was working perfectly fine. Nobody expected for his cancer to come back and attack him harder than before. Also the

The idea of death is one that has been thoroughly analyzed throughout literary history; its powerful presence in the lives of all humans is addressed with both fear and anxiety, yet it is still venerated as the greatest mystery mankind has ever faced. Great American author Joseph Heller invokes that very fear of death throughout his literary works, and focuses on man’s undeniable mortality, as well as his attempt to avoid the inevitable end. Heller draws upon both personal experience and his own overly-logical mentality towards the modern world while writing his novels, thus instilling his sarcastic and occasionally caustic tone through the voices of his characters. However, the overall theme of death is still prevalent throughout his novels, and its haunting presence reminds the reader of the tragic end to human life.

World War Two left people calloused and experience when it came to see through the eyes of death. This event changed culture, storytelling, as well as literature. Trough these shifts in culture, imagination grew with the thought of what humanity is capable of. Humans learned that they are capable of destroying the Earth. This was a radical shift of thinking for humanity. The short non-fiction piece, “ Three Fragments,” helps capture curiosity through this short essay. The essay is structured to tease the imagination to fill in the gaps of the essay. The language is simple, clear, soft, dry and quick. The simplicity of the language helps the reader creature clear mental pictures as they read the essay. The image of death is behind all of the imagery in this essay.

Death: How does it affect others? When reading the book Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, I have learned that death of loved ones can be heartbreaking, which can lead to a life of loneliness, despair, freedom, and feeling like all hope is lost. Death could occur at any time, any place, anywhere. It is something that will happen to all of us one day, and can change the lives of our loved ones in the blink of an eye. “Death is the wish of some, the relief of many, and the end of all” (Seneca).

Although a scene of a funeral home might come to mind when a reader first hears a short story aptly named “The Dead,” the tale actually takes place in the festive setting of a winter dance at the home of the two aunts of the main character, Gabriel Conroy. James Joyce’s short story “The Dead” has a literal title, because its main concept is death – both physical death and spiritual death.

Death as a theme in literature is as old as the concept of literature itself. Experiencing someone important to oneself dying is something most human beings can connect to. The difference is how one perceives death and how one deals with it on an emotional level. There are countless examples of books with different, unique interpretations of death but this essay will focus on just two: Katherine Mansfield’s The Garden Party and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Both of these stories have main characters that must come to terms with death but the ways they go about it and the conclusions they come to are vastly different. Death is used as a literary device to show the benefits of letting go and acceptance of things that people can not change in both The Garden Party and Frankenstein by showing opposite ways one can handle death and the results of those choices.