Influential View Of Death In Thanatopsis By William Cullen Bryant

Ted Kooser’s poem, “Surviving”, can be interpreted in many different ways. At first the poem seems to be about a man who is watching a bug being attentive to its surroundings and the bug having the fear of death. Another way to interpret this poem is that death is unrelenting. Even when the speaker seems to have ceased the image of death, it finds its way back. This is prevalent because the speaker starts talking about the fear of death, then altering the tone by describing this bug he witnesses. The speaker then leaves the reader uncertain at the end of the poem. Ted Kooser reveals the uncertainty of the bugs’ near future in the last line of the poem. A careful analysis of the poem, the poem is truly about a man in his final stages of life being attentive to death and the beauty of the bug he observes.

The “journey back home” that Bryant speaks of may be a representation of God becoming present again in Bryant’s life. Religion can also be in seen in his poem “Consumption”. Bryant speaks of a woman who is on the verge of dying due to the inability to be healed. He speaks of this when he states "The fields for thee have no medicinal leaf and the vexed ore no mineral of power". In this verse Bryant speaks of death in a calming and relaxing voice. Bryant is somewhat fearless when it comes to God and death. In the last two verses of “Consumption” he states "Close thy sweet eyes, calmly, and without pain: And we will trust in God to see thee yet again". These verses prove that Bryant still has faith in heaven and God. It has been said that Bryant’s religious beliefs began to fade overtime, but through his writing one would never be able to tell.

Bryant explains that death, like life, is a part of nature, which was a loved and cherished aspect of the nineteenth century. In the period of Romanticism, nature was an important ideal; it was viewed as the source for everything. In “Thanatopsis”, Bryant uses nature as a comfort zone, saying that when one dies, they will become a part of nature. He says that the bodies will be used to nurture the earth. Bryant also mentions that we once were made as a part of nature and that people will die as a part of it as well. He states: “…and lost each human trace, surrending up thine individual being shalt thou go to mix forever with the elements.” Bryant is saying that bodies will decay and eventually become one with the earth and nature. Along with becoming a part of nature, Bryant explains that the deceased people will be with some of the finest people who walked the earth.

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.

Mary Oliver’s poem, “Sleeping in the Forest,” presents a peaceful and vivid representation of death and its relationship with nature. As the poem begins, the reader is introduced to the earth welcoming the speaker back into the realm of nature. Man was created from the dust of the earth and when we die, our bodies return to the dust. However, this poem presents a more beautiful image of what death is composed of. Death is often portrayed as being frightening and disturbing. When individuals are presented with the thought of death, they often push this thought away out of fear and ignorance. Everyone will die someday whether we ignore the thought of death or not. However, Oliver creates a relaxing and welcoming image for the reader on what death (ideally) is. Obviously, since Oliver is still alive, she doesn’t know what death feels like. However, the way she describes death, I hope that it feels like sleeping in a forest; full of stars and enchantment.

To begin, the speaker of the poem “Thou famished grave” presents a resentful and aggressive attitude towards death. The poem, addressed to a “ famished grave” (1), personifies a grave as a starving beast that can “roar” (2), “gnaw” (3), and has “dismal jaws” (7). This represents death in a negative way because the description of the beast make it seem unpleasant and to be feared. Furthermore, the poem includes words and phrases when addressing the grave that follow the theme of starvation, such as, “famished grave” (1), “Gnaw thine own sides, fast on” (3), and “I cannot starve thee out: I am thy prey” which emphasizes that the beast of death is starving to take someone’s life. This animal-like aggressiveness adds to the already negative image of the beast. This imagery also shows how the speakers thinks of death since it comes from her words which shows that she sees death in a very negative way. Due to this, the speaker is angry and does not want to give death what it wants, which is to take someone’s life. Additionally, although death is something normally feared, the speaker shows that she is not fearful by saying “I have no fear / of thy dark project” (3-4) when speaking to the grave. She expresses that she does not want to die and her “heart is set / On living” (4-5), which explains her resentfulness towards death. She also understands that death is inevitable as she says, “I cannot starve thee out: I am thy prey / And thou shalt have me; but I dare defend / That I can stave thee off” (6-8). This shows that even though she knows that she will one day die, she still doesn’t want to give death what it wants and will fight as long as she can

When people ponder death they wonder about the unknown with trepidation. As a young man, William Cullen Bryant wrote the "Thanatopsis." His thoughts progress from the fear of death to the acceptance of the event. People should not fear death because everyone dies and becomes a part of nature.

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

Socrates once wrote that, “Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.” Life is full of happiness and bliss, but it also contains anguish and woe. To Socrates, death is the ultimate escape. Poets are often captivated by the mysterious nature of death. They wish to explain the inexplicable and find peace in their bewilderment.

In “Thanatopsis,” a poem by William Cullen Bryant, a reader can learn that death is a trivial matter that people should not fear.

How do most people, in general, feel about death? Are they calm, scared, indifferent? In Dylan Thomas’ poem, “Do not go gentle into that good night” and A.E Housman’s poem, “To An Athlete Dying Young” the poets use literary devices to portray their different perspectives on death. In Thomas’ poem, he creates a sense of injustice and anger towards the perceived death of his father. Housman, on the other hand, has a more serene outlook on the event even though it still depicts sadness.

In Thanatopsis William Bryant shows his positive view on death and tries to convince the audience; In death one is not alone and everyone will join us, and don’t struggle when it comes. To start with, Bryant shows his positive views on death by starting with one will not be alone in death. He explains that our body will join

Bryant wants the reader to face their death and have “nature” guide them through the process. Bryant wants the reader to believe everything will be okay, and that they are part of a big

In May Miller’s Poem “Death is not Master” the persona explains that death is not the master that will increase desperation, but it is a way to become eternally calm. Many poems on the topic of death explain how it is as powerful of a thing that fears the existence of human beings, but Miller’s persona death is used in such way to achieve eternal serenity. She explains death as something that can end all the worlds’ tears, desires and tension and transform the human memory into a sculpture which is unaware of tensions. Miller’s persona believes that by blocking death it will be unfair as it will be a barrier to the everlasting happiness and calmness that lies inside the grave. It is an elaboration of Christian beliefs of how death ends all worldly problems as an eternal life starts after the death. The eternal life of a human or corpse after death is same as that of ‘sculpture’ which shines at night and remains in one place free of all tensions and problems. As the life after death is full of calmness and happiness, so it must not be blocked and everyone must welcome it to gain the everlasting lasting life. Thus, conveying Miller’s idea of how the perspective death is not the master; instead, it is the slave of eternal life of serenity and calmness that lies ahead. So, no one should try to become a barrier by blocking the death.

In today?s modern society we have a certain distaste for the subject of death. There are people in society feel uncomfortable with the subject of death. The subject of death is a reality that we need to face everyday. There is nothing any of us can do about