...The Inescapable Theme of Death Aria Turner ENG 125: Introduction to Literature Stephanie Miclot May 19, 2014 Dying is part of the cycle of life. We’re born, we live, we grow old, and we die. Where we go after that remains a mystery. Everyone has a fear of dying, since nobody know what happens, people often wonder where your go. Death is a recurring theme in life and in all forms of literature. Since this theme has become so popular, many different works of literature have been created from short stories to poems. As an effort to help society cope with the inevitable event of death, many stories were created showing a softer more serene side to death. The poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickens, and allegory “I Used to Live Here Once”, by Jean Rhys both share an overall theme of death. There are also other themes such as acceptance, and journey. Although the story told by Rhys, ends very intensely, with the character realizing she has died. Both works still have the same theme. These two pieces of literature, share similar themes which are conveyed in different yet unique ways. Both works are told. To understand the work I will briefly describe who the authors are and about their background. Jean Rhys was born in a place in Dominica known as Rousseau, in 1890. Jean Rhys, not her name at birth was actually born Ella Gwendolyn Rees Williams until she changed it around 1924. Her father was from Britain and her mother was...
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...Death is inevitable. We will all die. According to Chapter 39: Day of the Dead in Oaxaca, “Death is…part of a natural, organic exchange; it is an equalizer, a leveler, or imbalances and inequities…” (Norget, 356). Those who fear death still cling to the things of this world. Being conscious of death will help Oaxacans separate themselves from the Earth when their time comes. Those with this belief have to be prepared and think about death always. The afterlife is a beautiful destination after living as “passengers” of this world. It shouldn’t be feared or seen as a tragedy. The memories of the deceased are alive. For example, spreading your loved one ashes in the ocean will create a memory. The memory is invoked or reawakened by ritual (i.e....
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...July 7, 2014 | Death of a Salesman: Abandonment | | | Dr. Haim Ginott, a well-known child psychologist once said “Children are like wet cement. Whatever falls on them makes an impression.” An individual of young age is highly susceptible to their environment, especially to the first agent of socialization: family. Without the natural stimuli one gets at a young age from their parents, that allows growth and understanding of norms, people will have difficulty with many human functions that come normally to others. In particular children who have experienced the loss of a parent undergo such difficulties. They tend to feel abandoned and as a result carries this fear of abandonment throughout their lives; consequently affecting their ability to develop healthy relationships. Arthur Miller explores this theme of abandonment in his play Death of a Salesman through the life of William“Willy”Loman, using father-son relationships. The author demonstrates how an individual like Willy who was abandoned in the past has insecurities caused by such trauma, which can affect their future. At the tender age of 3, Willy and his older brother Ben were abandoned by their father, who had left for Alaska. Willy who was young at that time never had the chance to fully understand what a “father” actually was, as he didn’t know his own. In act 1, when Ben enters the scene the two brothers begin to reminisce about old times and Willy shows his curiosity and lack of knowledge about his...
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...plays a very vital role in a story, not just by their literal content of the story but by their intentions for devising the story and telling it the way they do. One particular short story that shows the importance of the narrator or story teller is The Zebra Storyteller by Stephen Holst. In this novel the reader can view the story through different narrators and choosing a particular point of view which in turn directly coincides with the end meaning you experience. This shows how crucial narrators are to creating the atmosphere of a story. Through each of these we can witness the power of the narrator and what they are responsible for in a story. Furthermore realizing the “function of the storyteller” helps us to also understand the main themes for a second story, A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner. The Zebra Storyteller can have two different narrators. It can be a third person narrative about a cocky Siamese cat trying to be a lion, a story that is told by an outsider to the plot. A fable about pretending to be something you’re not and letting it lead to your demise. The narrator could also be the Zebra Storyteller himself who only appears later in the text. When attributing him the narrator view we can see a time shift in the story. One where we are given a background of a Siamese cat and how one day a zebra storyteller came up with that same story later on. Given this point of view we see that the zebra’s story that he made up that day may have saved himself, or he may...
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...is one of these stories. Although many truths can be pulled out of the story of Gilgamesh, the most important lesson is the one that took him the longest to learn. Gilgamesh, the half god- half man tyrant king,has no fear of death, but rather thinks he is untouchable. What he eventually learns is that man can die in more ways than one and that death is inevitable for everyone. He learns to live in the moment, for one never knows when their story is complete. At the beginning of the story, Gilgamesh has a certain view of death. He's not afraid of what happens after life but instead wants to die in the most glorious way possible. We first see Gilgamesh's this perspective when his best friend Enkidu and himself venture into a forbidden forest to vanquish a monster. Gilgamesh is bored and hungry for an adventure, so what does a...
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...Theme of death in The Importance of Being Earnest It is obvious from the very first conversation in the play (between Algernon and Jack) that the characters are lackadaisical in their actions and views. This theme continues through the play, evident in the ridiculously comical and odd comments they make, their eccentric and aloof mannerisms and their general air. Many might look at The Importance of Being Earnest and see it as a play wrought with frivolities and meaninglessness, including author Oscar Wilde himself, who described it as "A trivial comedy for serious people." However, the play does contain a few serious undertones which are subtle enough that most readers (serious people or not) fail to notice them. One of the most noticeable of these is the trend of death. Death is mentioned several times throughout the play, in the form of flippant comments and offhand jokes. The initial thought one might have when realising the frequency with which death is mentioned in the play is that this was added to give the play dimension and a bit of dark humour. That may be true, but at the same time it highlights and compliments the lighthearted and flippant theme that is so evident throughout. Since the characters in Being Earnest* do not act in a manner that is appropriate or socially acceptable in modern times, it would make sense that their view on death, as a group, is exceedingly callous. The subject is handled with less gravity than most other issues (such as the consumption...
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...Death and Loss Changes us all The death of a loved one is a harsh reality for all of us. In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, the death of Holden’s brother Allie changes how he is. Allie was someone that Holden looked up to. Allie “was two years younger than [Holden] was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent” (38). When Allie died, Holden lost that one connection that he has. And on the night Allie died, Holden lashed out he “broke all the goddam windows with [his] fist… [he] even tried to break all the windows on the station wagon [his family] had that summer”(44). In this instant Holden lashes out in anger and pain, as Holden continues he keeps lashing out angrily, and effectively alienating himself from others. Allie was someone...
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...Theme of death in the poetry of Dylan Thomas W.B. Yeats and T.S. Eliot. All I know about death Can be said in one breath: It‘s tall and it‘s short And it shouldn‘t ought. (Dylan Thomas, 1937, Lycett 169) Death has been and always will be an interesting and compelling topic among poets and authors alike. Death sheds a mysterious vale over life and is often avoided or dreaded within people causing diversity among the reactions of modern poetry and thought. Mortality can be treated as a crisis, a destination, with significance or without, as well as (sadly) by some as a goal. Death provides a wide spectrum of ideas that can be expanded upon with dignity or as a magnanimous ideal. The poets that I have read and pondered deliver an array of insight on the topic; from its grotesqueness to its humbleness. They approach or meditate upon death with disgust as well as with nonchalance. Overall I think that although the poets each dissect and interpret our inevitable encounter in variation they all would agree in its mystery and finality. Death is a prevalent theme in the poetry of W.B. Yeats, T. S. Eliot and Dylan Thomas’s poetry. Each of them has examined death from varied angles. One’s perception doesn’t resemble with others. Eliot views death as a...
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...How is the theme of Broken Dreams And Hopelessness presented In Of Mice And Men and Death Of A Salesman? By: Sara The themes of broken dreams and hopelessness are explored in the novel Of Mice and Men published in 1934 by Steinbeck, and also in the play Death of The Salesman written in 1949 by Miller. The desire to achieve the American dream which is to own land and be self-sufficient by being one's own boss is made evident in both texts as the protagonists Willy, George and Lennie aim to elevate their status and be successful. However, they face many obstacles and difficulties along the way. Miller and Steinbeck both criticize the American value of commercialism, as the dream to be successful is just a delusion; if you cannot sell or earn money to provide for your family then you are seen as weak and incapable of success. In both texts men are, therefore, marginalized and don't know where they belong. The tragic endings in both texts show the hopelessness of characters not achieving their goals and desires. The essay will explore how the writers portray the theme of hopelessness and the desire to achieve a dream that is ultimately unachievable. One of the ways Steinbeck shows how eagerly the protagonists are trying to achieve their dream is when George and Lennie find it difficult to get a job. This is shown when George tells Lennie to stay away from "bad things" like he did in "Weed". Steinbeck also reveals how Lennie acts as a barrier for George, as he prevents him from...
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...peaceful? One can argue that it is not death that is scary; it is the fact that it is unknown. Emily Dickinson is known for her poems on death. The poem Because I could not stop for Death argues on this topic. According to Dickinson, death is a peaceful experience. She emphasises this theme with the use of style, characters, and imagery. Emily Dickinson uses tender diction, and repetition to emphasise the theme of death being a peaceful experience. In the poem, the reader is continuously bombarded with the peaceful vocabulary. Words such as “kindly,” “slowly,” “civility,” “setting sun” and others are used to make the tone quite mild and smooth. These words provide encouragement to the previously established image in the readers mind. This is significant because it helps emphasize the theme even more. Next, Emily Dickinson uses repetition in her work to help support the theme. She constantly repeats the word “We,” that symbolises the fact that she1 and death are together, with no pain. If there were some sort of tension between the personified death, and the speaker, Emily Dickinson would have used a word that shows separation between the two distinct characters. By using the style of diction and repetition Emily Dickinson supports her theme. There are two (and a minor one)2 major characters in the poem that all share the show the element of peace. The kind characteristics of the speaker, death and the horses’ highlight the theme. From the line “I had put away My labour...
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...Although the poets Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman were alive around the same time, they had different interpretations of death in their poems. Both of the poems, “I heard a fly buzz- when I died” from Emily Dickins and “Song of Myself” from Walt Whitman, express their disparate perspective about the theme of death. In the two poems, the poets also have diverse approaches of conveying their conception of death. Which is either optimistically or depressingly. Consequently, it accentuates the differences of the mood in both poem and style of the authors. Emily Dickinson is most famous for her gloomy poems that illustrate the concept of death. For example, her poem “I heard a fly buzz- when I died” and “After Great Pain, A Formal Feeling Comes”....
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... Its major themes were death, compassion, sacrifice and how these themes link todays society. Green Mile was a term referring to death row in Louisiana State Penintiary, where prisoners were held as they waited for their execution to take place. The movie illustrates the true nature of death penalty, showing how cruel and barbaric it was. One of the main themes in The Green Mile is death; it is a major theme throughout the whole film. This then leaves the viewers to think deeply about their own fate. It is an obvious theme, considering the film takes place on death row. However, further analysis reveals a deeper meaning than men dying in an electric chair for their crimes. And I think about all of us. Walking our own green mile, each in our own time. Paul said. The viewer discovers that The Green Mile itself is a metaphor for death. Paul compared life on the Green Mile to life for a free citizen, because both lifestyles will end in the same way. Death is unavoidable. For the prisoner as they have a set number of days until their execution, so their Green Mile is relatively short. A free citizen is uncertain about the time of their death, some people never even think about it, like they are going to live forever, but when the day of reckoning comes, both the prisoner and the free citizen face the same fate. Life is uncertain and anything can happen in but death is however not. Hence this is a very powerful theme that is constant throughout the film. The theme of compassion...
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...Comparison of the poems “The Flea” and “If we must die” Many authors use images to convey a message from their theme in their work, as well, to enhance the meaning behind their theme. In the poems “The Flea” by John Donne, and “If we must die” by Claude McKay, both authors use images of animals to convey the theme of death, but each poem uses a different approach to death, one being symbolized by two lovers being united through a flea using a metaphor, and the other being introduced by the brutality of a hog’s life by using a persona. John Donne’s “The Flea” is a poem illustrating the metaphor of a flea to represent the sexual act and relations between a man and a woman. Portrayed through the image of the flea, which is made to seem insignificant throughout the poem, the flea goes through a “sex” journey without even knowing it. The poem maintains one speaker until the end, but has two significant characters: the speaker and his lover. While he is trying to convince his female lover to see that her virginity isn’t all that it’s hyped to be, he compares a flea to sex in the process, “It suck'd me first, and now sucks thee, And in this flea our two bloods mingled be” (line 3), this quote suggests that the flea has united the two into one. Ultimately by comparing the flea to the bond between his lover and himself, the bond that “is you and I, and this Our marriage bed, and marriage temple is” (line 12), he tries to persuade his lover that if she kills this flea, she will not only...
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...Moby-Dick is one of the most controversial and entertaining books known. Along with the book the themes are also extremely entertaining. Herman Melville is the outstanding mind behind this masterpiece. Herman Melville included the powerful theme of defiance, the worshipping theme of duty, and sorrowful theme of death. This book showed both respect for nature along with respect-less people. Throughout Mr. Melville showed his great mind along with his writing skills. Defiance is one of the numerous major themes of this book. One of the most defiant of all of the characters is Ahab. Ahab want to be so much more of a person than what he really and truly is (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). This fact that he can not be drives him crazy throughout the...
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...love. These themes can make people in love reach high, however sometimes they can also lead to their ruin. The actions which come from fate, chance, and free will can be drastic when it comes to love, and because of this the outcome can vary from happily ever after to tragedy. In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare fate, chance, and free will play a major role throughout the tragic love story. Not only are these themes seen all through the play but they are particularly seen in their deaths. Fate was a main theme in the play including their deaths. There are multiple examples of fate having a hand in their deaths. One example of fate leading to their deaths is that they were fated to meet and fall in love, however due to their families feud their love was fated to not work out. This means that from the beginning their love was doomed to fail, since they loved each other more than anything else the only way for it to fail would be for them to die. Another example would be that once Juliet took the sleepy potion...
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