Comparing Christina Rosetti's Approach to the Subject of Death in After Death, Remember, Song and Dream Death was a favourite theme of the Victorian writers. Before antibiotics and a National Health Service it was common to die early in life from common illnesses such as tuberculosis and during childbirth. 50% of children died before the age of six in Hanworth, the Bronte sisters' village. The Victorians held expensive funerals that were showy and intrigued by the processes of decay, change and growth. Themes such as these are explored in novels such as 'Dracula' and 'Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'. Many Victorians believed in life after death and also hoped for this. In 1851 a religious census found out that half the population attended Church regularly especially the middle classes. The Victorians believed that a good life on Earth would lead to happiness in heaven. However, all this changed as scientific knowledge was progressing. This made many people begin to take a less literal view on religion, pinning their faith on what they could see and prove. Victorian writers were fascinated by the idea of an ideal woman, especially the men. She was described as a very desirable person being innocent yet sensual, passive but alert and always obedient to men. Her aim in life was to be patient and an attentive wife. Also a loving and affectionate mother as family meant everything to her. However, in reality, women's lives at the beginning of the Victorian period were very limited as they could not own money and they were treated as though they was property of their husbands. If they had no male relatives to support them then they were destitute. T... ... middle of paper ... ...ey or quest. The afterlife can be seen as an ideal place or a reward of enduring life. Death is the final resting place in preparation for ultimate joy and peace. Religious imagery appears in so many of her poems with the implication of fulfilment by resurrection with Christ. Sometimes Christina frequently juxtaposes the inadequacies, pain and struggles of the world with imagined pleasure and ecstasy of paradise. In 'Remember', 'After Death' and 'Song' the theme of death is related to loss of relationships. In the poem 'After Death' Christina Rossetti write that the woman in the poem is talking about the man not to him. Whereas in 'Remember' and 'Song' they are speaking to their loved one about a time when they will be dead. 'Remember' and 'After Death' both link as they talk about the end of a physical relationship.
Through persuading the audience to believe that death is a wonderful and relaxing thing, she takes on a very difficult task. A common thought of the end of life is that it is a ceasing of all things good.
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 parallel and opposing views on death.
Death and Reality in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" by Joyce Carol Oates
also omits characterization in line six when she writes, “there were things the man did near you,”
because he felt she did not share his love for her. This poem is in
Ross, Elisabeth. Questions and Answers on Death and Dying. New York : Macmillan Publishing Company, 1974. Print.
This follows Rossetti’s value of acceptance of human mortality, as she understands “how long ago” their “love” was in the past but still desires them in her “dreams”. The use of personal language such as “my love” and imagery of “Speak low, lean low” give a feeling of intimacy that is missed by the narrator that endorsed Rossetti’s desire of a psychological need for love but also that the emotional nature of the poem is influenced by romanticism. The rhythmic imagery of the wording “pulse for pulse, breath for breath” is symbolic of a heartbeat showing the focus on the living memories rather than the bodily “death” of her lover. Rossetti uses the ideal of reliving her memories through her “dreams” as a Band-Aid approach as she has come to terms with the physical death of her lover but not the “death” of her “dream”. Christina portrays this attitude, as this could be seen as her coping mechanism for the deaths that occur in her life such as her father 's death which occurred the year she wrote the poem or could be seen symbolically as the death of her past
Although death seems to be a theme for many literary poems, it also appears to be the most difficult to express clearly. Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “death” as, “A permanent cessation of all vital function: end of life.” While this definition sounds simple enough, a writer’s definition goes way beyond the literal meaning. Edwin Arlington Robinson and Robert Frost are just two examples of poetic writers who have used death successfully as the main theme of their works. Robinson, in the poem “Richard Cory,” and Frost in his poem, “Home Burial,” present death in different ways in order to invoke different feelings and emotions from their readers.
Author Christine Mitchell’s “When Living is a Fate Worse Than Death” told the story of a girl Haitian named Charlotte. Charlotte was born with her brain partially positioned outside of her cranium which had to be removed or she would have not survived. Her skull had to be concealed by a wrap in order not to cause further damage. Charlotte was born with less brain cells which allowed her only to breath and not feel much of the pain. Charlotte’s parents thought that the doctor’s in Haiti did not know what was best for their daughter. The doctors in Haiti thought Charlotte should not be resuscitated, undergo anymore horrible treatments and die peacefully. Charlotte’s parents were not happy with the doctor’s guidelines and thought the United States medical care would have better technology and could save their daughter. Charlotte’s parents bought her a doll which
I would not say this is a love poem, as the narrator never once says
...o curb the appetite that humans have to know the secrets of life and death. This, then, is the central theme of all her poems: Though she believes strongly in idea of an afterlife, even she understands that nothing is certain, but that a bit of logic and a large amount of faith will guide her through the chaotic journey towards her final resting place—wherever or whatever it may be.
How does the poet 's love for the young man differ from his love for the Dark Lady?
Furthermore, this couple will get divorced because of their opposite thoughts. Men and women are two different species, and sometimes those differences stand in a way of their relationships. It is obvious that the characters in this poem can not find any equilibrium in their feelings. Every action of these characters showed negativity, which predicted their final separation.
In a time where science and materialism reign, the topic of the soul is rarely mentioned, ostensibly left in the past with the philosophers of old. Nichols, however, candidly broaches this difficult topic and gives new life to the argument that humans do indeed have an immaterial, immortal soul. Nichols summarizes several popular arguments for the existence of the soul as he builds his own argument, which discusses a soul as limited in relation to its environment as well as a soul that is one with the mind and a controller of the body. He discusses both the strengths and challenges to his argument, offering rebuttals to the challenges. Because this soul is the organizing principle of the body it is involved in the Resurrection as well, bridging the gap between the material and spiritual worlds. However, I disagree with Nichols’ assessment, instead choosing the side of materialism where an immaterial soul does not exist.
Death is a natural and inevitable part of life. Everyone will experience death, whether it is of a loved one or oneself. In W.H. Auden’s poem “Funeral Blues” (1003), he describes such a catastrophic event and the drastic effect that it has on his life. It is interesting how people choose to accept this permanent and expected event, death. Similarly, Emily Dickinson has written many poems about death, such as “The last Night that She lived” (843), which describes a family waiting for a woman or girl to die and the dreary and depressed mood that exists within the household. Mourning is considered a perfectly healthy reaction when someone who is deeply loved and cared about passes on, and this is illustrated in “The Memory of Elena” (1070-71) by Carolyn Forche. She writes about the events following a funeral and also flashes back to the actual moment that a wife has watched her husband die. W.H Auden’s “Funeral Blues,” Carolyn Forche’s “The Memory of Elena,” and Emily Dickinson’s “The last Night that She lived” are all poems which share death as their subject matter, but differ in the fact that they discuss death in a unique style with a variety of literary devices to make them more effective.