Ecclesiastes And Harper's Song Comparison Essay

This English class was the best English class I have ever had. There were no tests, vocabulary quizzes, or in class essays, which made the class less stressful. Before this English class, I was afraid that I would not enjoy writing many essays or writing so many words in one paper. Afterwards, essays have become something that is not so much my favorite task in the world, but it has become more enjoyable to an extent. Professor Sullivan’s class has taught me to formally write a research paper, to analyze a book through responding to different quotes from the story or novel, to understand magical realism, and to understand my own passion for school and how much effort I will be willing to put out in years to come.

The song of songs it is a well-known but not so well understood book of the Bible, it’s 8 chapters of love poetry and while there are an introduction and a conclusion, the book doesn’t have any kind of rigid literary design and that’s because it is a collection of poems. They are not meant to be dissected or taken apart. They are meant to be read as a flowing whole and simply enjoyed. The first line of the book tells us that it is “the song of songs” which is a Hebrew idiom like, “the holy of holies” or “the king of kings” it is a Hebrew way of saying, “the greatest thing,” this is the greatest song of all songs. We are told in the first line that this “song of songs” is of Solomon, which could mean that he is the author, his name does begin the book after all. But as I read the poems, I discover that the main voice of a woman, called “the beloved.” And while there is also a male voice, it does not seem to be Solomon. Solomon is mentioned a couple times in the poem, but he’s never a speaker, and you do have to admit Solomon is a very strange candidate as the author of this book, given the facts that he seven hundred wines. The “of Solomon” likely means “in the wisdom tradition of Solomon,” he was known for his wisdom, his poetry, his love of learning about every part of life. Also, Solomon became the father of wisdom literature in Israel, his legacy is here carried on, through a collection of love poems that explore the human experience of love and sexual desire. The opening

Edwards’ use of “the mere pleasure of God” is to restate his point throughout the poem that everything is done under God (Edwards). Edwards use of this phrase not only restates God’s power but also show the reader that have life because of God. God could easily take their life away if they anger him and continue their sinful actions. This would terrify readers into behaving as God would like, so they do not continue to anger him. Repetition helps to escalate the text and create a bigger impact on the

Robert Frost and William Shakespeare have been celebrated by many people because of their ability to express themselves through the written word. Here we are years after their deaths analyzing these fascinating poems about life and death. It’s clear they had similar thoughts about this subject at the time of these writings, even though their characters could not have been more opposite. For both poets, life is too

Two poems that can be compared to each other are “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” and “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night.” These poems both seem to share the theme of life coming to a close. In the poem “To the Virgins”, there is a line that reads “The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, the higher he’s a-getting, The sooner will his race be run, And nearer he’s to setting”; this creates an image of a soul ascending to heaven. “Do Not Go Gentle” conveys a similar image in the fourth stanza; as the souls go to heaven, they are welcomed by the sun’s rays. However, the poems also seem to share different meanings. The overall message of “To the Virgins” is that people should make the most of life because it will not last long. This is evidenced

In William Shakespeare’s “Titus Andronicus,” Titus is a soldier and a father who, with the love of his country, served ten years of his life fighting the Goths along with his sons. As the General of Rome, he is a very popular and heroic man for his service and is given a reward upon his return: the seat of Emperor of Rome. This position would have been very fitting for him if he had taken it; however, he gives his seat up to the previous emperor’s oldest son. This begs the question, why would he do such a thing? Would he not rather relax in a throne and rule of the beloved nation he spent over a decade protecting? The answer is that Titus is a very religious and traditional man who will not go any other way in terms of morals and actions; no

Moving past the very literal early parts of the poem, Brooks shows hints of playfulness, as he asks "But who walks with Him?" (9) and "[to] Buy him a Coca-Cola or a beer" (11). When I read the poem for the first time, I immediately wrote off the image of someone buying God a drink as completely ludicrous. Indeed, by simply laughing away the thought, I immediately prove Brooks' intended message: One does not buy God a Coca-Cola or a beer; he is above such trifles, and this is a sad thing. The imagery in this stanza is deceptively simple as although it seems to be very straightforward language, it causes the reader to stop and reconsider the force of what has been written. Furthermore, it causes the reader to realize just what sorts of things God is unable to experience: friendship, companionship, and petty amusements. It was at this point in the poem that I fully understood what Brooks was getting at—the simple statement that life can be lonely at the top. Also, earlier

Additionally, Qoheleth’s message in the book of Ecclesiastes can be simply summarized as life is hard and humankind will never understand the fulfillment of life regardless of where they chose to seek happiness whether it is in work, pleasure, wisdom, wealth, and status (Longman, 2009). Moreover, the author is portraying humankind does not have a chance to understand the vanities of life before their death (Longman, 2009). Next, as we continue to understand the word vanity within the book of Ecclesiastes, many Christians interpret Qoheleth’s emphasis on vanity or meaninglessness as a conclusion about a life without a God (Ortlund, 2013). Thus, Qoheleth’s usage of the word vanity is synonymous with how he portrays life as under the sun and human accomplishment; therefore, no matter how hard we work the impact of lives dies with us in our grave (Ortlund,

Church and Religion in the Songs of Innocence and Experience Throughout “Innocence” and “Experience,” many poems incorporate religious views and imagery. Blake presents many contradicting views on the Church and religion, the contrast being particularly clear between “Innocence” and “Experience.” Within the “Songs of Innocence” a child-like portrayal of Church and religion is portrayed.

Ecclesiastes means “the preacher”, “the teacher”, or “assembler.” While the author is not identified by name he does identify himself as “the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem”(1:1); “I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.”(1:12) It is a widely held belief that Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes as well as other wisdom literature in the bible. Scholars assume it was written during the reign of King Solomon a little before Solomons death from 970-935 BC.

The last chapter in Ecclesiastes 12 concludes, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Similarly Proverbs 1 begins with this admonition “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Italicized mine) These two certainties are bookends or sorts, serving as a contrast between each of the books perspectives on how life actually happens under the sun. Ecclesiastes can serve as a rebuttal to the elements of retribution theology presented in Proverbs and also exploits the acquisition of wisdom as penultimate and fearing Yahweh,

     Great works of literature have been written throughout history. However, The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost have the inept ability to stir the soul and cause a person to examine and re-examine their life. The brilliant descriptions, use of imagery, metaphor and simile give a person a vivid picture of the creation of man and the possibilities for life in the hereafter. This is done, as a person is able to see, full circle, from the beginning of time to the end of time, the consequences of turning away from God. The ability to see a life full circle is apparent through the examination of both of these poems. Although written many years ago, the morals and principles that

Also as a symbol for retribution in the poem is the appearance of Life in Death. In Christianity, in order to experience everlasting life in heaven, humans must succumb to death first. Coleridge uses supernatural events to show real life situations in his poem. The real life situation of life in death in Christianity is symbolized as a

Is death a slave to fate or is it a dreaded reality? People differ on the opinion of death, some people view death as a new beginning which should not be feared, while many people perceive death as an atrocious monster. Death be not proud, by John Donne is a poem that challenges death and the idea of its ferocity. Donne’s work is greatly influenced by the death of his countless family members, friends and spouse. Donne was not only a poet, but he was also a priest in the Church of England, so his interest in religion and his belief in eternal life after death, also contributed greatly to his work. The poem Death be not proud, is a metaphysical poem about death, in which John Donne undermines, ridicules, and determines the meaning of death, according to his perspective.

Eternal life thus defeats death and throughout the poem, John’s strong background of Christianity allows him to associate death with temporary entities as he refers to death as a state of “much pleasure” (7). Death is conceptualized as a phase rather than an element which represents finality. Death is personified and therefore has no greater power over human beings. Death losses its fearful connotation and achieves a new meaning that makes it less intimidating and less powerful.