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Twain Plato And Lucretius's Perceptions Of Life After Death

Decent Essays

From Twain, Plato, and Lucretius’s perceptions of an afterlife, which one do I favor most?

Lucretius, translated by John Dryden, appeals to me on a higher level in it’s telling of an after life than Twain and Plato’s. Robert Hertz once claimed “each society constructs in its own image” an afterlife for it’s peoples souls to dwell in. The way in which I was raised and the societies I grew up around influenced me to understand the truths about death. It is trivial to spend time thinking of what waits for a human being after death because there is no way of knowing for sure. Lucretius wrote,“Death to us and death’s anxiety is less that nothing, if less cou’d be.” Lucretius points out that death is the one immovable truth in life; constantly worrying about death and prophesying what it will bring takes away from the life you are now currently living. In Twain’s piece, Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven, a man chases comets for thirty years after death and when he finally does reach heaven, he discovers it is vast and more complex beyond measure. Twain uses his story to speak out against the incongruities of popular christian beliefs during his time. How can the living know what the dead are …show more content…

When Stormfield finally does make it to heaven the repeatedly mention of America and Earth that fails to register with the clerk, as well as the multiple versions of heaven based on the culture and planet that resides in that area, exposes Christianity for it’s inclusivity and blatant disregard for the possibility that god honors all communities that follow a noble honor code. Twain can be understood as poking fun at Christianity in this story and whether or not he supports the actual portrayal can be pulled into question. Since the story was meant as more of a mockery, the afterlife is more figurative than functional and not eligible for true

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