Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Bryant went through many hard times throughout his life; from losing family members to being socially isolated. He lost many family members and close friends. The one death that hurt him the most was his father’s. Bryant’s father was a very important part of his life; his father taught him many things throughout his lifetime. His father submitted five of his poems into the North American Review, one of those were the first version of “Thanatopsis”. It is said that Bryant mourned his father’s death and that his death is what gave him the emotional passion to write with.

In order to make his readers feel ultimately comfortable, Bryant also says that when everyone dies, they will be with some of the finest people who walked the earth. By the expression “finest people”, Bryant means all the important figures and contributors in history. He says that people will be resting in the same place as these figures are: in the earth. He uses this to comfort his readers by saying that by dying, they

But, when taking a closer look it is easy to see the beauty that Bryant associates with it. Under no circumstances can a person live forever because death is an inevitable occurrence. There is no need to try to avoid it or dread it. One example of the beauty of death would be “The globe are but a handful to the tribes. That slumber in its bosom. Take thy wings of morning and the Barcan desert pierce, or lose thyself in the continuous woods where rolls the Oregan” (Bryant 50-53). This quote is an explanation of all the places a person can be after death. The very end of the poem switches to an optimistic, upbeat tone. The ending sends the message that people should “live”(74) and not be a “quarry-slave”(78) to death (Budick). It gives an ironic feel because of how depressing the poem sounds, and yet it is telling us to live a full happy

Atwood’s “Death of a Young Son by Drowning” perfectly grasps the life-altering heartbreak that occurs after the loss of a child by utilizing literary devices such as imagery, personification, simile, and metaphor. In the poem, an image of a voyage is used to characterize a child’s journey from life to death. “The dangerous river”, is used as a metaphor to describe the birth canal which the child victoriously navigates, but after embarking upon the outside world, the child goes into a “voyage of discovery” (4) that results in his death in the river. “On a landscape stranger than Uranus” (14) emphasizes the estrangement felt by the mother without having any knowledge of the environment. Comparing it to Uranus she describes it to be just as strange as a another planet. In the ninth stanza, the mother reminisces the death of her child as she says, “My foot hit rock” (26) which is a representation that she has hit rock bottom and her life will now never be the same. The final simile of the poem, “I planted him in his country / like a flag” (28-29) identifies the relationship between the dead child and the land. It ties the mother to the land in a way that had not been thought of, a way that is fraught with grief. An extended metaphor is developed throughout the poem, comparing the experience of giving birth that the character had, to a river and its contents. It helps to understand the different stages of birth by expressing the hurricane of emotions, and incidents that occurred with the use of waves expressing times of difficulty and pain.

Another technique that Bryant uses in “Thanatopsis” is setting. This entire poem takes place somewhere in nature. However, when both aspects of the poem are looked into, the poem may also take place in the speakers mind. The speaker is using nature as a way to think about death. In a way, it seems as though nature will help make death more understandable. Bryant’s “Thanatopsis” contains specific details: Go forth under the open sky, and list/ To Nature’s teachings, while from all around--/ … /--Comes a still voice”(14-17) There are many key words in this single thought. “Go forth under the open sky” means when one dies and ascends upon heaven. Another key phrase is “Nature’s teachings.” It is what nature has to teach about death to help the speaker understand the concept of death. Also, it sets the theme for the entire poem. In lines 16 and 17 when

Thanatopsis, a word comprised of two greek words meaning death and seeing, which is perfect for the poem, as it provides a new perspective on exactly that. Something that appealed to me about Thanatopsis is how Bryant described death and the afterlife. When Bryant states “... Thou shalt lie down / With patriarchs of the infant world -- with kings,” (33-34) it seems to mean that all men are equal in

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas explores death and how those facing it should fight for their lives because death is a heartbreaking subject to him. The writer is addressing his father and pleads him to resist the power of death as it would be devastating if the father was to die from the writers perspective. Throughout the poem, Thomas writes about different traits of men. Some aspects include wise, wild, good and grave which helps create a poem that covers all aspects of a person.

Through the work of literary devices, Bryant used personification and metaphors to convey that death is more pleasant and calming. With a fascinating biography and a successful writing career, Bryant managed to live a long profound life with a career in law and having a loving family. During the Romantics time period, William Cullen Bryant grew up with a cultured childhood and a love of nature then created “Thanatopsis”; a poem that shows death is a natural occurrence

William Cullen Bryant’s poem “Thanatopsis” clearly and convincingly says that death is not a thing that should bring sadness and despair but rather joy. The first and perhaps the best argument is that a person will be among the best that humanity has to offer.In lines thirty two through thirty seven, Bryant says “ Nor couldst thou wish Couch more magnificent… With patriarchs of the infant world-with kings, The powerful of the earth… All in one might sepulcher”(Bryant,171). It is saying that the dead will be with the best and will be one of them. It is also saying that in death, it will not be a lonely experience , something that may make people fearful of death and what it brings. The second point that is

“Thanatopsis” The main point of William Cullen Bryant’s poem, “Thanatopsis” is to state that people are not alone in death, nature is always prevalent in the lives of humans, and that everyone is equal in death. When a person dies it is suspected that people are alone in the ground, or alone in their urn, but everyone is the same when returned into nature. Death is only the beginning for every human, and nature is always there for every person, especially in death. Therefore, former kings are the same as their servants in death, and everyone’s soul will become one with each others and with the soul of nature itself.

demonstrating Bryant is trying to tell everybody that death is not that bad. This is important because its shows that his motives aren’t religious for writing this. Consequently leading one to believe that he has a strange fondness for death. In Thanatopsis Bryant shows his positive view on death, and that he thinks we’ll be with cool people when we die.

William Cullen Bryant’s response to death in “Thanatopsis” is not a biblical one. Although he states “Thine individual being, shalt thou go to mix for ever with the elements” (pg 85) in reference to the biblical view of returning to dust in death, he is instead focusing on returning to earth. He starts out the poem telling of a conversation Nature has with the one who communes with her. Her voice is happy when he is happy, and when he begins to think of death, she reminds him of what he has to look forward to. All men die; wise men, patriarchs, and kings: all are buried in the one sepulcher of earth. Should no one cry at your funeral, Nature continues, they will share in the destiny of returning to earth, so there is no reason to be upset.

Many people have both feared and questioned death throughout the ages but when it’s time to die, two kinds of people emerge: those who accept it and wait to die, and those who keep fighting. Dylan Thomas describe the importance of continuing to fight in his poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”, which he wrote for his dying father. Firstly, there is lots of symbolism in the poem, which helps to develop the theme of never giving up. Secondly, the author uses many literary devices, which help to develop the main theme of the text, which is to never stop fighting. Lastly, there is lots of imagery used to help develop the theme of persevering until the end even more. Death is all around us but it is important to persevere and keep fighting

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.