Death in Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant When people ponder death they wonder about the unknown with trepidation. As a young man, William Cullen Bryant wrote the "Thanatopsis." His thoughts progress from the fear of death to the acceptance of the event. People should not fear death because everyone dies and becomes a part of nature. A person should live life without fearing death and think of death as a pleasant rest. In the poem Bryant says, "When thoughts/Of the last bitter hour come like a blight/Over thy spirit,"(8-15). This quote implies when a person fears death he should listen to nature. He also states, "So live, that when the thy summons come to join/The innumerable caravans, …Thou go not, like a quarry-slave at night, /Scourged to his dungeon."(73-78). He explains here that a person should live life without fearing death. In the following lines the poet states, "approach thy grave, /Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch/About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams."(79-81). By this quote the author is saying a person should think of death as a plea...
Dickinson gives us a joyous and happy view of death, which is like a kind gentleman that takes her on a journey. He is so civil, therefore. she willingly gives him her “labor” and “leisure”. She is not afraid of death, she instead receives it calmly. Whitman’s view is the contrary.
Although death reigns supreme in the universal fears of man, Thanatopsis reassures the reader that death comes naturally to everyone. William Cullen Bryant uses emotion to reinforce this point. For example, it seems as if fear should be instilled by Bryant’s description, stating “When thoughts / Of the last bitter hour come like a blight / Over thy spirit” (8-10), this fear vanishes quickly when Bryant continues “Go forth under the open sky, and list / To Nature’s teaching” (14-15). Although this paralyzing thought of death washes over many, Bryant argues Nature soothes and calms this fear. Despite these emotions of terror and pain,
American Romantics believe that life and death are both a part of nature, as well as the natural process. Both should be celebrated, not feared. This point is especially driven home in “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant. Bryant states, “...where each shall take/His chamber in the silent halls of death/Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night/Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed/By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave/Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch/About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams (Bryant, 75-81).” The phrase “where each shall take his chamber in the silent halls of death” means that each and every person will eventually die. So, we should not go as if we are a “quarry slave at night.” Instead,
The cycle of life always ends in death, but the frightful aspect of death is not necessarily death itself, but the concept of timing. Mark Twain states that “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die anytime” which means people’s fear of dying stems from their fear of living, and this frightful emotion takes over people’s lives and prevents them from living each day like it is their last. This fear prevents many from taking action on their dreams and ambitions which inevitably is giving one’s life up too quickly. Dylan Thomas, a famous contemporary author, believes existence is taken advantage of and when one’s existence is threatened, most people are too quick to give up. In Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” the speaker of the poem confronts his deceased father about releasing one of the most valuable things in nature: life (Pattern #3).
Many people seem to fear death, but philosophers such as Socrates and Epicurus would argue that one has no reason to fear it. Socrates sees death as a blessing to be wished for if death is either nothingness or a relocation of the soul, whereas Epicurus argues that one shouldn't worry themselves about death since, once we are gone, death is annihilation which is neither good nor bad. Epicurus believes that death itself is a total lack of perception, wherein there is no pleasure or pain. I agree with Epicurus because Socrates doesn't give a sound argument for death as a blessing, whereas Epicurus' argument is cogent. I would also argue personally that death is not something to be feared because, like Epicurus, I see no sufficient evidence showing we even exist after death.
The two poems, “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”, by Dylan Thomas and, “Because I Could Not Wait for Death”, by Emily Dickinson, we find two distinct treatments on the same theme, death. Although they both represent death, they also represent it as something other than death. Death brings about a variety of different feelings, because no two people feel the same way or believe the same thing. The fact that our faith is unknown makes the notion of death a common topic, as writers can make sense of their own feelings and emotions and in the process hope to make readers make sense of theirs too. Both Dickinson and Thomas are two well known and revered poets for their eloquent capture of these emotions. The poems both explore death and the
I do not live my life in fear of dying now. I live my life to the fullest. My grandfather?s unconditional love and his strength is what has helped me overcome my fear of death. There is no use in wasting time, worrying about death in which no one knows when will occur. I have a new outlook on death. Even though I am still apprehensive about it, I no longer worry about what will happen to me after I die for I know who awaits me on the other side, my hero.
Death is a common topic of speculation and frequently anxiety. Death is terrifying to people for many reasons: they do not know what to anticipate from death, they fear the penalty of gods, they dread not achieving certain goals or things in life, etc. Epicurus argues that when we die we no longer exist. When it comes to death many different factors come to play, whether the person himself believes in life after death, if the person believes in a certain religion or whether a person is a nonbeliever. All these leads to different perceptions of death, many beliefs stem from what they are told as kids or what they learn later on in life, therefore depending on what certain people believe there are many people who fear death and there are those who do not. A global 2012 poll reports that 59 per cent of the worlds population is religious meaning that a large majority of the world have a view of what happens after death.
Death is perceived as a bad thing to most people in the world, though it is natural and inevitable. Every person who has ever lived has also died and so will everyone who ever lives. So why are people so afraid of it? Is it because death entails an endless blackness and lack of anything or anyone? Or as others believe, is it because death is a permanent end to life? It must be that people fear death because it deprives us of the good things life brings such as feeling, emotion, and perception among other things. Thomas Nagel raised three problems with this irrational fear of death:
Intro : Introduce the concept of death, and how the concept of death is shown to be something to be feared
Many people find it hard to imagine their death as there are so many questions to be answered-how will it happen, when, where and what comes next. The fact that our last days on Earth is unknown makes the topic of death a popular one for most poets who looks to seek out their own emotions. By them doing that it helps the reader make sense of their own emotions as well. In the two poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson and “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, the poets are both capturing their emotion about death and the way that they accepted it. In Dickenson’s poem her feelings towards death are more passionate whereas in Dylan’s poem the feelings
...ording to Heidegger, become fearful of the prospect of death. He argues the correct response to death in one’s life is a form of ‘brave anxiety’ (Heidegger, pge 310, 1978). There is a distinction between this anxiety and outright fear towards death, where fear is attached to some object, person or idea (in this case the prospect of death). Anxiety involves what Heidegger describes as an ‘impassioned freedom towards death’ (Heidegger, pge 310, 1978) due to the fact anxiety is concerned with human freedom or lack thereof regarding choices we cannot make. As pointed out earlier death is out of our control and therefore should be regarded with anxiety rather than outright fear of something we cannot control. Heidegger seeks to explain death in these ways because he wishes to explore how the anxiety of death is related to being, not due to some kind of morbid curiosity.
Dickinson illustrates that death is not something to be feared or desired, but something that is natural. In Dickinson’s poetry, her speakers are unafraid of death and find it gentlemanly or peaceful. Death is portrayed as sometimes menacing, sometimes gentle, and sometimes merely inevitable. Once one human is taken from the world, shortly another will be born into the world; it’s a continuation of the natural cycle of nature (Moorhead).
Are you afraid of death? ¨If you are don't worry, over 68% of people in the United States are. Scientist have even made it a phobia. They have called it Necrophobia. ¨ (Seth) Many people have different beliefs on how they will die. ¨About 40% of people would like it to happen peacefully when sleeping, while 30% want it to end in a tragedy.¨ (Fear of Death) Edgar Allen Poe and Geoffrey Chaucerś, two popular english literature writers, have written about fearing death with a twist to their endings. People may think they can conquer or outsmart death, but it will always win in the end.
No one wants to think about dying or death in general. However it is important to face reality and plan for the inevitable future.