Mary Oliver's When Death Comes

Death is the most inevitable and unknown aspect of life. It is unescapable, and by most of today’s population, it is feared in the utmost regard. Our materialistic views and constant desertion of religious ideals has forced our society to view death as an ultimate end. Socrates and St. Augustine’s views on death differ from many views on the subject in 2017, however, for their time, these men had the power to influence a plethora of individuals with their theories. For Socrates, death should never be feared and should be considered a blessing if our souls were to ascend to heaven, or death could be an extensive slumber without any dreaming whatsoever. With

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.

Chuck Palahniuk once said, “The first step to eternal life, is you have to die.” In William Cullen Bryant’s poem “Thanatopsis”, he does not mention eternal life or anything religious, but speaks about death. He tells his readers that death is a natural thing and they should not worry about it. William Cullen Bryant, in his poem “Thanatopsis”, portrays a comforting view of death. Throughout the poem, Bryant encourages his readers by explaining that in death they are not alone, that death, like life, is a natural process, and that they will be among some of the finest people who walked the earth.

Death is a controversial and sensitive subject. When discussing death, several questions come to mind about what happens in our afterlife, such as: where do you go and what do you see? Emily Dickinson is a poet who explores her curiosity of death and the afterlife through her creative writing ability. She displays different views on death by writing two contrasting poems: one of a softer side and another of a more ridged and scary side. When looking at dissimilar observations of death it can be seen how private and special it is; it is also understood that death is inevitable so coping with it can be taken in different ways. Emily Dickinson’s poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” and “I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died” show both

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.

Death is one of the most avoided topics because of the finality that comes with it and the fear of the unknown after death. However, there are quite a number of authors such as AtulGawande, Elisabeth Kubler-ross and Ira Byock who have attempted to go ahead and deal with death as a topic and other connected topics.Each of these authors have delved into one of the most revered topics that is death including related topics that come with it such as the dying process itself. Ira Byock’s Dying well: Peace and possibilities at the end of life is a book that looks at the moment prior to death when an individual is terminally sick and is at the point of death. A

Death is something that people must deal with every day in our world, and there are several aspects of death that sometimes the living do not consider. For example, how does one celebrate or remember passed loved ones? What happens to you when you die? How would you like to be remembered? There are multiple ways to answer these questions, and examining differing points of view can be enlightening.

For centuries, humans have struggled with this idea that haunts their existence. The notion that feels like a far off dream that will never reach its destination; death “Death, be not proud,” by John Donne, “Because I could not stop for Death,” and “I heard a Fly buzz when I died,” both written by Emily Dickinson, explore the meaning of leaving this earth for good. The writers excellently depict the feelings that come with the thought of no longer living. They show that dying does not end on this earth but that something greater awaits. The poems “Death, be not proud,” “Because I could not stop for Death,” and “I heard a Fly buzz,” portray the meaning of death with excellence.

Emily Dickinson is one of the most important American poets of the 1800s. Dickinson, who was known to be quite the recluse, lived and died in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, spending the majority of her days alone in her room writing poetry. What few friends she did have would testify that Dickinson was a rather introverted and melancholy person, which shows in a number of her poems where regular themes include death and mortality. One such poem that exemplifies her “dark side” is, “Because I Could Not Stop for Death”. In this piece, Dickinson tells the story of a soul’s transition into the afterlife showing that time and death have outright power over our lives and can make what was once significant become meaningless.

Regardless of race, caste, religion, or age, every human has wondered about the one fact of life that unifies us all: What is death? Both poems, “Death of a Young Son by Drowning” by Margaret Atwood and “Because I could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson share a common subject of death. Using figurative language, both poems illustrate distinct takes on a similar topic.

Live your life to its fullest, if I had to mention one thing I learned from Mary Oliver 's beautiful poem, "When Death Comes", that would be it. Specifically not letting time pass you by, or letting things like anxiety or anger control your life. The comparisons to death also help with understanding the magnitude of our mortality, and the importance of not taking each and every day for granted. With many fitting and unique metaphors I found it easy to be engaged with the poem. This leads also to a lot of relevant and surprising imagery, employing a more detailed vantage point for the reader. In "When Death Comes", Mary Oliver uses persona, metaphor, and imagery to speak not only of death, but more specifically living life to its fullest before death.

Mary Oliver writes her poem "When Death Comes" with the imagination of her death in countless ways; a disease, as a bear, an iceberg, and a man with a coin purse. She explains that when her time to die comes she wants to leave this world full of curiosity. Due to such curiosity, she considers everything to be part of a brotherhood and sisterhood, therefore, questions the traditional beliefs of time. She compares each human life to a flower and its commonness but also, its individuality, I would say like people and their similarities but also differences, and regards each life as precious. She tells us that she doesn't want to have regrets or doubts; she doesn't want to be afraid or angry. When she dies she wants to be able to say that she knew the world intimately, and embraced it, like a bride and bridegroom. She wants to have truly lived in this world, not just be a visitor that came and left. Shouldn’t that be the way we all live our lives? I love this poem because the more you read it, the better of an understanding you get. As I read it multiple times over, I really felt her deep and meaningful message. I was also able to identify and find different techniques from her own book "A Poetry Handbook" that she used in order to really express herself and her perspective on life and death. After reading her book, it was much easier to find the use of different techniques within each line of her poem.

Sylvia Plath, Judith Right and Emily Dickinson all express through their poetry the diverse feelings and beliefs they have in regards to life and death. Throughout Plath’s poems it is evident that she resents life and obsesses over the purity and perfection that she associates with death. Contrastingly, Wright demonstrates through her poems how she accepts the cycle of life, and embraces the gifts and challenges that it holds. Then, unlike Plath and Wright, Dickinson regards death and the afterlife with uncertainty and she portrays through her poetry the curiosity she has for life after death and the secrets it holds. These poets all use the similar technique of imagery to express the intense emotions they associate with both life and death. Furthermore, throughout the poems by Dickinson, Plath and Wright it is evident that each employ language techniques to portray their diverse beliefs and emotions regarding life and death. Finally, all three poets employ structure to illustrate the depth to which they regard life and death and the power each holds.

At some point in everyone’s life we experience thoughts about death, whether they’re positive or negative depends on their outlook on the afterlife. While some view death as only the beginning of their eternal life, others view it as the absolute end. But since this is not scientifically proven, throughout history many authors have been concerned and curious with the uncertainties about the afterlife. Life after death is known mostly through faith, the imagination must make up for what lies beyond. Therefor authors and poets express their beliefs about death through their literary works. Death is something that is very scary to think of, but it will all happen to us at one point or another. This relates to the novel The Five People You Meet in Heaven, the novel follows the protagonist Eddie, throughout his journey through heaven and finds the purpose of the people he meets there. Death plays a prevalent role in the life of Eddie and death made him learn his values and his purpose in life. The

The poem “Because I could not stop for Death (479)” by Emily Dickinson describes author’s concept of the last seconds of a life as well as her concept of the death. The poem follows a comparatively simple “ABCB” rhyme scheme, which indicates that the poetess’s goal is not to exercise her writing skills, but to reflect her opinion. By this poem Emily Dickinson presents a new way of thinking about the death. The speaker of the poem, assumingly a female, does not expect her own death - her life is so active and busy that she does not have time to think about dying. However, the death is inevitable, thus when the time comes, her Death arrives. The death is personified as a man that takes the speaker for a ride across her life. As the speaker enters