Death in poems essay

Many authors and poets have expressed their fascination when it comes to death often coming up with ideas that most of their readers find quite peculiar. In all the possible explanations and opinions that have been expressed concerning death, only one major point has been a common feature out of all of them. Death spares no man and at one particular point it will catch up to everyone. Many people have openly expressed their intolerance and pain that they have concerning issues to do with death but for some, death is nothing but a phase in life. These sentiments can be reflected in the poem ‘Thanatopsis’ by William Cullen Bryant, ‘Because I could not stop for death’ by Emily Dickinson and ‘To think of time’ by Walt Whitman.

This form of symbolism helps to neutralize the pain that death is normally associated with since the poet views it as mere sleep. When it comes to the aspect of imagery the poet’s choice of words greatly bring out a different visual description about earth. Normally, earth is viewed as a place designed to sustain life but the writer also describes it as, “the great tomb of man” (Bryant 1821-1940) Bryant’s perspective on death is optimistic and through his choice of words he is able to leave the readers with numerous thoughts about the existence of the afterlife. Emily Dickinson’s poem, “Because I could not stop for death” shares a similar point of view to that of Bryant.

From the first stanzas of her poem it is evident that Dickinson assumes the role of someone who is already dead and the whole poem is a description of her experience with death (St Armand). A lifeless body is normally cold in nature having no sense of warmth inside. This statement gives the impression that as the narrator was on her journey with death, she began to fade away slowly by slowly until she became lifeless thus explaining the unusual temperatures. This comes shortly after they got passed the sunset which also signifies the entrance of the poet to the non-living world that is full of darkness. Walt Whitman has also been identified as one of the poets that are intrigued by the aspect of death.

This can clearly be seen in his poem ‘To think of time’ The calmness and the casual manner in which the poet describes death creates an impression that contrary to the thoughts of many, death is not bad as people perceive it to be. There is no evidence in the poem of ill feelings portrayed by the poet in terms of pain or anger and sadness when it comes to the death of a fellow human being, All of the poets mentioned seem to have an optimistic opinion and view about death. None seems to feel that death is a taboo or a curse to humankind. They all believe that an afterlife truly exists and there is no need to be sad or keep mourning the loss of a loved one because in due time everyone will suffer a similar fate as them.