In Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," the speaker is a son talking to his aging father and pleading with him to fight against death. The son knows that death is the inevitable end to every life, but feels one should not give up to death too easily. By using metaphor, imagery, and repetition, Thomas reinforces the son's message that aging men see their lives with sudden clarity and realize how they might have lived happier, more productive lives. These men rail against fate, fighting for more time to set things right.
Human beings revolve around time and base their lives off of it. Although a person has the capability to use time as little or a lot to plan out their life, time’s presence can have a different impact for everyone. In sonnet “73” when talking about someone coming to the end of their life Shakespeare says, “In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire that on the ashes of his youth doth die”
An unknown author once wrote “Never take life too seriously; after all, no one gets out of it alive”. When reading this quote, there can almost be an immediate connection between two very good works of writing: Macbeth’s “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” speech from Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, and the poem “Out, Out --” by Robert Frost. Both allude to the idea that a single life, in its totality, denotes nothing, and eventually, everyone’s candle of life is blown out. However, each poet approaches this idea from opposite perspectives. Frost writes of a young, innocent boy whose life ends suddenly and unexpectedly. His poem is dry and lacks emotion from anyone
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button written by Eric Roth and based on a short novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a story of an interesting man who lives his life backwards. The movie takes place in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina and is told in a flashback perspective from the love of Benjamin’s life, Daisy and their daughter, Caroline. I have heard many times throughout my life and nursing career, including from myself, “If I could only go back and know what I know now.” Benjamin Button lived this theory, a theory that seems very similar to the Gerotranscedence theory. Scheidt (2017) states in regards to his own aging “I am dealing with the messages of friends and strangers who make me aware almost daily – most often in a
“Contents of a Dead Man’s Pockets” by Jack Finney is about a man, Tom Benecke, who is torn between two loves. Tom, the protagonist, is faced with a choice in the basic situation: work or family. He is put through many hardships that show him that he needs to prioritize his work and family life. This story, “Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket”, shows its readers that if one does not prioritize their life, then they could lose everything. Life is a universal theme found in many different genres of writing. In the song “Glorious” Macklemore talks about how he is back and he takes all the chances that he can in life. The poem “Loveliest of Trees” talks about how the author does not have much time left, so he will take more chances and enjoy more things in life. The poem “George Gray” tells readers that he wishes that he had taken more chances in life. People are given many chances in life; therefore, they should take as many as they can get.
Getting old and aging are things that have become difficult points for many and despite
Late Adulthood: Ego Integrity vs. Despair – During this phase, older adults reflect back on the life they have lived. Those who feel fulfilled by their lives are able to face death and aging proudly, while those who feel disappointment may fall
When directors choose to adapt a novel or short story to fit the silverscreen, they often face the arduous task of keeping the author’s original plot in tow as well as, putting forth a believable product. In the case of Scotts Fitzgerald’s short story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, director, David Fincher and screenwriter, Eric Roth chose to scrap the original framework of the story and start anew. Although Fincher and Roth keeps the basic idea of Benjamin Button’s existence the same, their screen adaption tells a more sincere version of how it would feel to live life in reverse. However, both the director and screenwriter acknowledge that Benjamin’s tale cannot be told without giving the audience an explanation for why he is born
Taking pleasure in every minute of life is crucial. Despite their age, citizens can have young spontaneous spirits if they choose to do so. Life is so precious and so valuable. Many people are so worried and concerned with their present. They forget to spend life like a child who is “two years old,” which is important. Living life like a toddler does not mean a person should be immature. It only means that they should flow through the waves of where fate is meant to take them. A two year old child wants to be nurtured and loved. Human beings want to be cared for and felt affection towards. Individuals who live youthfully and make the most of their journeys tend to be the most content. They flee from their qualms. Existence in the world does have pain and sorrow, but it is important to use the organ that all of mankind was given to love, live, laugh, enjoy, and most of all relax. Doyle mentions that “Every creature on earth has approximately two billion heartbeats to spend in a lifetime.” These two billion heartbeats fragile, and each beat should be cherished. Most importantly, each beat should be spent doing something important in life, but with
William James, an American philosopher and psychologist once said “believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” Life, regardless of how close it lies to death, is worth keeping. The poem “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”, by Dylan Thomas is a son’s appeal to a fading father. He shows his father that men from all walks of life confront death, however, they still war against it. Thomas uses figurative language to classify men into four different categories to persuade his father to realize that a life, regardless of how it was lived, should be fought for.
"Out, Out," by Robert Frost is a gruesomely graphic and emotional poem about the tragic end of a young boy's life. It is a powerful expression about the fragility of life and the fact that death can come at any time. Death is always devastating, but it is even more so when the victim is just a young boy. The fact that the boy's death came right before he could " Call it a day" (750) leads one to think the tragedy might have been avoided and there by forces the reader to think, "What if." This poem brings the question of mortality to the reader's attention and shows that death has no age limit.
“Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?” This quote from the play “Our Town” points out that many people do not potentially live life to the fullest. People always say “don’t wish your life away” because before you know it, it’s already gone. In the play “Our Town” there are many little life lessons that can be learned.
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” written by Eric Roth and based on a short novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a story of an interesting man who lives his life backwards. The movie takes place in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and is told in a flashback perspective from the love of Benjamin’s life, Daisy and their daughter, Caroline. I heard many times throughout my life and nursing career, including from myself, “If I could only go back and know what I know now.” Benjamin Button lived this theory, a theory that seems very similar to the Gerotranscedence theory (Touhy & Jett, 2016, p. 37). Scheidt (2017) states in regards to his own aging “I am dealing with
As I researched life and death in his works, I assumed that he was fascinated with it. This belief is reflected in The Span of Life, a two-line poem that contains a whole lot of symbolism. It is the story of a dog that is too old to get up. The narrator is reminiscing of when the dog was a pup. This poem reminded me of an old man looking back on his life, wondering where all the years went. I translated these two short lines into a person's submission to life and death, accepting the fact that one must die sometime.
Set apart from the parameters of normal human society, Benjamin Button, a man who was born to age backwards, falls in love with a young girl, Daisy, who ages forwards. Benjamin’s story is read aloud to Daisy by Caroline, her daughter, as she lay on her deathbed. In scenes set with peculiar curiosity and subtle fantasy, Benjamin embarks on an unusual journey to grasp the meaning of life and find his own sense of identity. Benjamin and Daisy’s paths cross many times before their unorthodox romance reaches fate and picks up in the middle. As he grows younger and Daisy slows with age, Benjamin discovers the rich futility of love as time causes the two to fall out of sync once again. Although its final plot ends like any other love story, David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is arguably the next great cinematic breakthrough with its unique emotional paradoxes, ingenuitive digital effects, and complex subplots. This movie was challenging to evaluate because never before has a film combined subplot ingenuity so seamlessly with the delicate techniques of innovative film making and traditional cinematic endings.