There are diseases in the world that we can touch and see and there are those which we cannot feel or see. Depression and suicide are one of the few that are not physical diseases but mental. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of deaths in America, and 20-25% of Americans eighteen and older have depression. The two poems ‘Summer Solstice, New York City’ by Sharon Olds, and ‘The Mill’ by Edwin Arlington Robinson are both discussing the different ways that suicide and depression can affect an individual. The first poem by Sharon Olds goes into details of suicide prevention whereas the poem by Edwin Arlington Robinson goes into the details of how suicide and death affect the loved ones of the deceased.
The title of Sharon Olds poem is ironic and
sets up her poem. The summer solstice is one of the longest days of summer it is a natural organic event, yet her story takes place in one of the least natural places, New York City where skyscrapers, subways, and cars fill the peninsula. The city is only organic by the people that inhabit it and the few parks that are left in the massive metal grid of buildings and roads. Her poem starts out with the words “By the end of the longest day of the year he could not stand it” it leaves much to the imagination, why could he no longer stand it? Where was he coming from? What were the circumstances that led up to his lone climb to the top of building?” There is a quote by James De La Vega that I believe helps to describe the pressure the victim was feeling “The pressure of survival in the big city will make you lose sight of your dreams” living in a big city is perhaps not the easiest thing to do and this man felt it. Her poem deliberately doesn’t focus on the circumstances on why he was on the top of the building, instead Sharon Olds focuses on how he was saved. She blends organic and manmade together poetically to show how on a day when the world is long and feels never ending there is hope for the man. “Then the huge machinery of the earth began to work for his life, then the cops came in their suits blue-grey as the sky on a cloudy even” this is the first instance we see of someone coming to this man’s rescue to try and prevent him from taking his life. The poem doesn’t go into details of what was said to the man to prevent him from jumping it is very vague only saying “the tallest cop approached him directly, softly, slowly, talking to him, talking, talking” in a few lines of the poem the cops have him safely on the roof and are consoling him “they took him by the arms and held him up” they do not berate him but celebrate his courage the author beautifully describes the scene “the tall cop lit a cigarette in his own mouth, and gave it to him, and then they all lit cigarettes, and the red, glowing ends burned like the tiny campfires we lit at night back at the beginning of the world.” She brings the poem to a close by reminding the reader that at the beginning of the world we lit the sky with fires, and that is how we should celebrate.
“September Elegies” is a poem written by an American poet Randall Mann in memory of Seth Walsh, Justin Aaberg, Billy Lucas, and Tyler Clementi. It articulates a gloomy story about four young boys who took their own lives by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. The memorialization is a reminder of how cruel our world can be and how bigotry and indifference destroy people’s lives. The poet reveres their memory by making use of various literary devices in order to transmit the pain the boys experienced.
As Edgar Allan Poe once stated, “I would define, in brief the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of beauty.” The two poems, “Birthday,” and “The Secret Life of Books” use different diction, theme, and perspective to give them a unique identity. Each author uses different literary devices to portray a different meaning.
In literature, themes shape and characterize an author’s writing making each work unique as different points of view are expressed within a writing’s words and sentences. This is the case, for example, of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “Annabel Lee” and Emily Dickinson’s poem “Because I could not stop for Death.” Both poems focus on the same theme of death, but while Poe’s poem reflects that death is an atrocious event because of the suffering and struggle that it provokes, Dickinson’s poem reflects that death is humane and that it should not be feared as it is inevitable. The two poems have both similarities and differences, and the themes and characteristics of each poem can be explained by the author’s influences and lives.
Suicide AwarenessVoices of Education (SAVE) proclaims, “When a person faces his grief, allows his feelings to come, speaks of his grief...it is then that the focus is to move from death and dying and to promote...
In 1987, Janice Mirikitani wrote and published a poem titled Suicide Note. The speaker of the poem, a female, Asian American college student who commits suicide after receiving slightly-less-than-perfect grades, gives repeated apologies to her parents and tells them exactly how she feels in a suicide note - one most probably addressed to them. In the poem, Mirikitani conveys a sad and somber mood while implementing an extended metaphor to compare the speaker to a bird.
A mother finds her 17 year old teenage son hanging from the rafters of their basement. To hear of this occurrence is not rare in society today. Every 90 minutes a teenager in this country commits suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15-24 year olds. The National suicide rate has increased 78% between 1952 and 1992. The rate for 15-19 year olds rose from two per 100,000 to 12.9, more than 600 percent. (Special report, Killing the Pain, Rae Coulli)
In the past decade, suicide rates have been on the incline; especially among men. According to the New York Times (2013), “From 1999 to 2010, the suicide rate among Americans ages 35 to 64 rose by nearly 30 percent… The suicid...
So begin the episodes of anguished soul-searching, of horrific "if-onlys" experienced by the family members of countless suicides. Anyone who has faced what Mr. and Mrs. A now grapple with knows that the girl is wrong: they will not be better off, not feel happier, without her. Yet each year, thousands of suicide victims express similar convictions: I am killing myself, they reassure us, for your own good. This thinking – this appeal for selflessness that our society cannot condone – where does it come from? Why, in truth, do people kill themselves?
The speaker started the poem by desiring the privilege of death through the use of similes, metaphors, and several other forms of language. As the events progress, the speaker gradually changes their mind because of the many complications that death evokes. The speaker is discontent because of human nature; the searching for something better, although there is none. The use of language throughout this poem emphasized these emotions, and allowed the reader the opportunity to understand what the speaker felt.
With each analysis the reader gets a greater understanding of suicide and the mental state of those who commit it, as well as some of their motives. One could read only a single chapter of this book and gain a greater understanding than they previously had on the topic of suicide, but when one brings all the chapters together as a whole a much deeper understanding is obtained. Lester’s analyses start with diaries, using that of a girl he has called Katie as his first example. In this 14 page chapter he analyses her diary, not only comparing her to Ophelia from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but using that comparison to show some of her motives and to make sense of them. It is this astute analysis that sets the tone for the rest of the similar chapters, in a way that is not boring but is not lighthearted in the slightest. The way that the whole book works together to give one insight on the topic of suicide makes it a useful resource for those who wish to understand it in a more in-depth way.
Suicide is a very tragic life event for the victim, victim’s friends and family members and to society as a whole. We often hear about suicide deaths that occur in younger and middle-aged adults in the media but rarely is such attention given to elderly suicide (65 and older). In the United States there is a higher rate of suicide amongst the elderly than in any other part of the population. There are many factors to this problem, however depression among the elderly was recorded as the major contributing factor that lead them to suicide. Every elderly that committed suicide was reported to have been depressed. Understanding the contributing factors that lead to depression amongst the elderly might shed light on the issue. Many studies have shown that depression coupled with risk factors increase tendency of suicide ideation among the elderly. Risk factors such as chronic illness, pain, physical and mental disabilities, isolation, loneliness, role change (retirement), lack of financial security and social support, bereavement, alcohol abuse, hopelessness and dependability have been pointed out as major contributing factors for the high number of depression experienced by the elderly. Society has identified depression and suicides among the elderly are a social problem, but little have been done to educate the public.
In the poems, Suicide Note by Janice Mirikitani and Dreams of Suicide by William Meredith, the element of suicide is unmistakably the theme. Although both poems are tragic and melancholic, each poet focuses their attention on different aspects of suicide. Mirikitani dissects the inner thoughts of the speaker and focuses on suicidal ideation, while Meredith’s version brings attention to the suicides of three writers by dedicating and honoring them individually. In Dreams, “the speaker conveys his own empathy for those writers who could not survive the struggle to reconcile art and life” (Kirszner & Mandell).
Emily Dickinson is an American poet who encourages individuals to embrace the idea of death rather than fearing it. Having grown up in a city with a very high mortality rate Dickinson accepts how common death is in the natural life cycle and depicts this in her poetry. Although a very isolated individual, Dickinson is able to describe her acceptance and comfort with the idea of death in her poems and convey them to her readers. Dickinson’s poems encourage readers to live every moment as it were their last because it is unknown when death will come. Have courage when facing death, rather than fearing it. Dickinson illustrates that death is not something to be feared or desired but something that is natural.
“Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain” (I-10). Ending a life is a big step in the wrong direction for most. Suicide is the killing of oneself. Suicide happens every day, and everyday a family’s life is changed. Something needs to be done to raise awareness of that startling fact. Suicide is a much bigger problem than society will admit; the causes, methods, and prevention need to be discussed more openly.
Throughout time, death has been viewed in a negative light. In general, it is an event to be mourned and is seen by some as the end to existence. People do not usually seek death as an answer to their problems. In various pieces of literature, however, suicide is contemplated by the characters as the only solution to the pain and grief that they experience.