Do Not Weep! The Uplifting Poem by Mary Frye Essay

The imagery used in this verse appeals to the sense sight. This helps the reader visualise what the writer is taking about. It also allows the reader to relate and connect more to the poem.

Although this is a short poem, there are so many different meanings that can come from the piece. With different literary poetic devices such as similes, imagery, and symbolism different people take away different things from the poem. One of my classmates saw it as an extended metaphor after searching for a deeper connection with the author. After some research on the author, we came to learn that the

When a reader grasps a theme throughout any piece of literature, he or she never clearly understands the intent without knowing where the theme came from. The theme that is portrayed in the poem is, often times reconnecting with a loved one cannot only bring happiness, but it can also bring sorrow. This theme was emphasized throughout the poem and without knowing the historical context of the poem, one could not necessarily understand where it came from. In the text it

The tone of the poem changes as the poem progresses. The poem begins with energetic language like “full of heroic tales” and “by a mere swing to his shoulder”. The composer also uses hyperboles like “My father began as a god” and “lifted me to heaven”. The use of this positive language indicates to the responder that the composer is longing for those days – he is nostalgic. It also highlights the perspective of a typical child. The language used in the middle of the poem is highly critical of his father: “A foolish small old man”. This highlights the perspective of a typical teenager and signifies that they have generally conflicting views. The language used in the last section of the poem is more loving and emotional than the rest: “...revealing virtues such as honesty, generosity, integrity”. This draws attention to a mature adult’s perspective.

The overall tone of “Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep” is comforting. A few other words that could also be used to describe this poem’s tone is hopefulness, emotional, warmth, and inspiration. All of these words fit under the word comforting because they all have to do with consoling someone who is trying to get through a hard time. The author, Mary Elizabeth Frye, used this tone in the poem to help the reader get a better understanding of what they need to do to gain comfort from her reading. Frye also uses a lot of imagery, metaphors, and most importantly symbolism in her poem.

This poem talks about nature and death. William Cullen Bryant shares that nature can make death less painful. He says that when we start to think about death, we should go outside, and look around and listen to the natural earth sounds. This is supposed to remind us that when we die, we will mix back into the earth. The poem tells us that when we die, we will not be alone. We will be with every other person that has ever been buried, In the ground, which in this poem is called the “great tomb of man”. It also tells us that even those that are still living will soon die and join in the great tomb of man. This poem is meant to comfort those that are afraid of dying and death in general. At the end of the poem, we are told to think of death as

The author uses imagery in the poem to enable the reader to see what the speaker sees. For example, in lines 4-11 the speaker describes to us the

The way the poet used powerful word choices and emotion to show how he felt throughout the poem In the beginning of the poem it starts off sad but by the end of the poem it shows a side of anger. I thought the poem was very strong and powerful because of the personification he used. I think his poem was powerful because it felt personal and something relatable in his life. Throughout the poem the poet seemed like he was talking about someone in his life such as his partner. I think if the poet did not seem like he was talking to a partner then it would not be as straightforward as it was. Since he used personification throughout the poem it made me as a reader to be able to connect with what the poet and it made it feel more personal. I really liked the word choice the poet used throughout the poem. Some of the words stood out to me more than others. One word that really stood out to me when reading this poem was the word “shit.” While most poets do not use profanity, it helped show how he was feeling and the emotions he was using at that time. I think this poet was speaking from his life experience and wanted to show the emotions he was feeling when this was happening. I think people write poetry for an act of self-expression. I believe when a poet writes a poem that they are trying to write about a personal experience in their life. Also, a poem can be emotional and creative with only a

The mood at first when you read this poem it seems mysterious but really it is kind of happy at the beginning and it gets sadder. The reason why it gets sadder is because the seasons are changing from good to worse. The is happy at first but then it gets sad because of the seasons changing. The tone is also serious because the gold/good is going away.

I think these key images all tie in together. All of these memories and past experiences say that he has previously been a very emotional person because of the things he has gone through. In the beginning I was feeling it was dark and mysterious, but as I continued to read it, it became clear of what he was trying to say and express parts of his life. These lines are what define the real meaning of the poem. These lines have real meanings and memories behind them and you can tell that just by simply reading it a few times, and thinking about the thoughts he had expressed in the poem.

These lines, which describe the motion and sound of the storm, are thematically creating conflict between the author and nature. In the follow phrases, “Leaves…hissed/ Blindly struck at my knee…/…sinister in the tone”, gives a negative tone to the metaphorical storm within the poem. Their rhythmic pattern aligns with that of the last lines of the poem starting with “Word”, which are describing his loneliness. “Word I was in the house alone//Word I was in my life alone, /Word I had no one left buy God”, continue this pattern of very metrical lines of three (13, 15-16. Theses two sections of lines are not only metrically similar, but thematically. They are no longer questioning the trials of his loss of love, as he is no longer questioning. The two sections are described through sound, which is a motif throughout the poem. The storm’s description with sound connects with the other passage of same foot pattern as the narrator believes that someone has spread word of his loneliness, could this be the nature? These sections are also following the same end rhyme scheme “hissed/…missed/…tone” and “alone/…alone/…God”(9-11, 13,15-16). The meanings may reflect each other in these passages, the sense of nature being the one acknowledging the narrator’s loneliness with the storm. It is not clear who knows of his loneliness in the poem, but from the similarities in theme and meter it can be assumed that the storm is spreading word of his

The poem's language emphasizes the inevitability and finality of the traveler's confrontation. Alliterated "d" consonant sounds, as in "death", pervade poem's first and second stanzas: "dark", "deer", "dead", "doe", even "stiffened" and "cold". These words evoke feelings of deliberate doom that transcend their literal definitions and thud with terminal authority. Contrastingly, the repetition of the "Ô" vowel sound in the third stanza (warm and born) creates an atmosphere as inviting and secure as a womb.

This is significant because it emphasizes the melancholy and mournfulness that he depicts with imagery in the first stanza. Later on in the second stanza, he author describes the tree the narrator would have planted as a “green sapling rising among the twisted apple boughs”. The author uses visual color imagery of the color green to describe the sapling in order to emphasize just how young the newborn was when he died. Later on in the poem, the narrator speaks of himself and his brothers kneeling in front of the newly plated tree. The fact that they are kneeling represents respect for the deceased. When the narrator mentions that the weather is cold it is a reference back to the first stanza when he says “of an old year coming to an end”. Later on in the third stanza the author writes “all that remains above earth of a first born son” which means that the deceased child has been buried. They also compare the child to the size of “a few stray atoms” to emphasize that he was an infant. All of these symbols and comparisons to are significant because they are tied to the central assertion of remembrance and honoring of the dead with the family and rebirth.

The poem has many different hidden meanings but they are all based around a common theme of faith.

This piece has several “mini” themes given to almost each stanza, emphasizing reminiscing, grief, and isolation. Appearing to be from the point of view of a man (apparently the writer himself) profoundly grieving the departure of a lover who has passed on. He starts by calling for quiet from the ordinary objects of life; the phones, the clocks, the pianos, drums, and creatures close-by. He doesn't simply need calm, but be that as it may; he needs his misfortune well known and projected. Its tone is significantly more dismal than earlier versions, and the themes more all inclusive, despite the fact that it talks about a person. There is almost an entire stanza demonstrating a  bunch of analogies that express what the speaker intended to his lover. The style in the piece readers typically perceive it as a dirge, or a mourning for the dead. It has four stanzas of four lines each with lines in