Death is eventual for everyone. Therefore, this "end of all" event is a subject considered by many authors. This means there are thousands upon thousands of different forms of writings considering the subject all over the internet and in stores. Two of these writings are the poems, "I Have a Rendezvous With Death," by Alan Seeger and "Night Funeral in Harlem," by Langston Hughes. These two poems consider death in ways that are both similar and very different. Despite these poems being written nearly thirty years apart, there are many similarities in the two works. Each poem makes use of a tone in which the narrator ponders death in a way that does not seem afraid or bitter, a manner in which most would consider death. In "I Have a Rendezvous With Death," the narrator considers life in a peaceful form. He does not …show more content…
worry about his rendezvous with death; he welcomes it. Similarly, in "Night Funeral in Harlem," the narrator does not fear death. He draws fear to life more than he does death. The narrator first seems bitter while he considers life; saying "Insurance man, he did not pay/His insurance lapsed the other day/Yet they got a satin box/for his head to lay." This seems as if he is considering how one might think the deceased man's life was sad because he did not have enough money to pay for his own funeral. However, his tone becomes lighter and more empathetic as he goes on, his words portraying the idea that this man does not need sympathy. The dead man may not possess the money to pay for his own funeral, but he had enough people who loved him to make the funeral beautiful. This being said, both poems illustrate the idea that death is not the scariest thing, but having a life with no love or beauty is. Another way the two poems are similar is that they both implement figurative language to emphasize their themes. In "I Have a Rendezvous With Death," the author demonstrates his impending death by using the metaphor "I have a rendezvous with death." The author uses this metaphor to say that he faces death frequently and he welcomes his final meeting with it. This metaphor makes death seem less scary; rendezvous is a word generally used to indicate a party and a party with death is what he will have. There is also personification is this poem for spring. The author says "when spring trips north this year" in context, making everything feel more alive. He wants to have a strong contrast between life in death in his poem. By making the spring seem lively, it gives the poem the air of being alive while he speaks of his inevitable death. In the same way, in "Night Funeral in Harlem," the narrator uses the simile "The street light/At his corner/Shined just like a tear" to show that everyone loved this man so much that all people and creatures and objects cried for him, even the street light that saw him every time he passed the corner. Another reason the poems are similar is that they have similar structures. "I Have a Rendezvous With Death" and "Night Funeral in Harlem" both use repetition to further their points. Considering this, one can describe the poems' structures by a series where there is an unrhymed line, a stanza or two of rhymed lines, the unrhymed line, more rhymed lines, and then the poem ends with a line the poem is named after. The repetition of the lines seems to really bring out the point that death is inevitable. It will repeat. It will happen. Despite that death is always present, as the line always is, there are other good parts in between. Additionally, the poems are both elegies, mourning life and pondering death. For all these reasons, "I Have a Rendezvous With Death" and "Night Funeral in Harlem" are similar. Even though there are many reasons that these poems are similar, there are many differences between the two. First of all, the themes of the writings are quite unlike each other. In "I Have a Rendezvous With Death," a man, seemingly a soldier, a man considers the real possibility that he could die at any moment. In "Night Funeral With Harlem," a man is speaking of how a poor man died and he didn't have enough money to pay for his funeral, but his friends chipped in and it ended up a beautiful funeral, not because he had a lot of stuff, but because his friends cared. The theme is that material objects are not always the most important things; what's important is your relationships with the people around you. Secondly, the two poems implement two different points of view. "I Have a Rendezvous With Death" uses the first person point of view. The author makes use of first person so as to consider death in his own eyes and let the reader know how he personally feels about his own condition. However, "Night Funeral in Harlem" uses the third person point of view, therefore he does not know how the characters feel inside, but can see from how they act and what actions they have performed how they must feel. He uses third person so as to be able to explain the situation with other people as example. Another reason why the poems are different is that in "I Have a Rendezvous With Death," the author uses important words such as "rendezvous" or "disputed" or "quench" to give the poem an air of elegance and peace in life. In "Night Funeral in Harlem," the author does not use fancy words; he uses small sentences and small words to grasp the point and nothing else. Similarly, the use of bigger or smaller words indicates the amount of imagery implemented in the poem. Meaning, "I Have a Rendezvous With Death" uses more academic words so as to paint a bigger picture around the words he is using to describe his situation. For example, the author says things like "When Spring comes back with rustling shade" and "And apple-blossoms fill the air/When Spring brings back blue days and fair" and "When Spring comes round again this year" and "And the first meadow-flowers appear" and mentions scenes around him, such as the scarred battle hill from the war. Despite the fact that this poem is about death, the imagery is all very light and innocent and happy; that of spring.
He paints a picture of spring time to further the contrast of life and death in his poem. On the other hand, in "Night Funeral in Harlem," the author uses small words and short sentences to be very brief about what he is talking about. He uses short language and minimal imagery, leaving the feeling of the poem like he wants the reader to imagine the funeral, bare minimum and definitely lacking. However, the imagery he does use is that of a very decent funeral; he mentions all the things you'd expect to be at the funeral even if the dead man was very poor. He explains this by saying things like "Yet they got a satin box/for his head to lay" and "That wreath of flowers," but the only detailed bit of imagery that he gives is "That long black hearse done sped/The street light/At his corner/Shined just like a tear." The rest of the poem has little description of how things look. Because of all these reasons, "I Have a Rendezvous With Death" and "Night Funeral in Harlem" are different. In conclusion, death is an important topic for many
writers. Considering life and its pair, death, is an age-old discussion. In both "I Have a Rendezvous With Death" and "Night Funeral in Harlem," the author confesses that death is not the terrifying part of existence, but life is. Overall, Seeger and Hughes both implement similar structures in their poems and emphasize their points through figurative language in the same way while they differ in their themes and level of diction and imagery. "I Have a Rendezvous With Death" and "Night Funeral in Harlem" are well-respected writings that will live on even after their authors have died the deaths they speak of in their poems.
Death is pictured at the beginning of the poem as a pretty women. Suddenly the picture changes and the narrator explains seeing death coming for him from out far, moving like the wind and cutting down the flowers in her path. Somehow the picture of the grim reaper appears, death is clearly the main topic
“The Funeral” is written as a free verse; this means that Gordon Parks does not have limits to certain words or specific syllable amounts while writing the poem. This allows the reader to feel the speaker’s personal thoughts and breath patterns without them being changed to fit a certain rhyme or rhyme scheme. As a result, it is simpler to empathize with the speaker because it’s easier to relate to how he feels. Additionally, the reader can receive a more detailed picture of both the speaker’s past and present environments, allowing them to more clearly visualize the speaker’s change in
Although Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman had different styles of writing, they did convey the same attitude and acceptance toward death. Both Dickinson’s “712” and Whitman’s “From “Song of Myself” poems showed death was something natural that had to happen and we need to accept it at a certain point in life. Both wrote poems about it as if it were no big deal, but something peaceful. Both poets used much imagery to convey this message very clear to their audience.
In the first instance, death is portrayed as a “bear” (2) that reaches out seasonally. This is then followed by a man whom “ comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse / / to buy me…” This ever-changing persona that encapsulates death brings forth a curiosity about death and its presence in the living world. In the second stanza, “measles-pox” (6) is an illness used to portray death’s existence in a distinctive embodiment. This uncertainty creates the illusion of warmth and welcomenesss and is further demonstrated through the reproduction of death as an eminent figure. Further inspection allows the reader to understand death as a swift encounter. The quick imagery brought forth by words such as “snaps” and “shut” provoke a sense of startle in which the audience may dispel any idea of expectedness in death’s coming. This essential idea of apparent arrival transitions to a slower, foreseeable fate where one can imagine the enduring pain experienced “an iceberg between shoulder blades” (line 8). This shift characterizes the constant adaptation in appearance that death acquires. Moreover, the idea of warmth radiating from death’s presence reemerges with the introduction to a “cottage of darkness” (line 10), which to some may bring about a feeling of pleasantry and comfort. It is important to note that line 10 was the sole occurrence of a rhetorical question that the speaker
The topic of death, an obvious similarity: That Emily Dickinson states in the title of these poems. Death is a very strong word, with meaning and the power to capture an audience. Emily Dickinson inserts slant rhyme and exact rhyme, like used in church hymns. There are several places where Dickinson inserts a slant rhyme in “Because I could not stop for Death.” For example, in the in the fourth stanza words chill and tulle again with third stanza she uses a slant rhyme between the words ring with sun “at recess- in the Ring...setting Sun.” Also, in the other poem “I heard a fly buzz – when I died” has several slant rhymes one of them is in the first stanza, room rhymes with storm “In the room…of storm” (lines 2-4) and exact thyme that is in lines 14 and 16 with words “me” and “see.” Personification is another similar...
“Death, the end of life: the time when someone or something dies” (Merriam-Webster, 2014). The definition of death is quite simple, the end of life is inescapable. I chose to write about death and impermanence because it is something we all must inevitably face. People often deal with death in a number of different ways. Although it is something that we must eventually face, it can be hard to come to terms with because the idea can be hard to grasp. Some of us fear it, others are able to accept it, either way we all must eventually face it. In this essay I will look at two different literary works about death and impermanence and compare and contrast the different elements of the point of view, theme, setting, and symbolism. The comparison of these particular works will offer a deeper look into words written by the authors and the feelings that they experiencing at that particular time.
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
Take Walt's work “O Captain, My Captain” for example, when he says, “My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will” (Whitman, line 14). In this poem, he expresses his feelings on the result of Abraham Lincoln's death. Death seems to be a common in late 19th century poetry, most likely because of its “cause and effect” relationship with sadness. Dickinson also likes to write about the effect of death on the human psyche. This can be seen in her poem, “Because I could not stop for Death.” In the first stanza of her poem, she says, “Because I could not stop for Death – He kindly stopped for me– “ (Dickinson, line 1). This quote shows how Emily uses personification to show death as a solemn human being who cannot be persuaded. Like Whitman, Emily sees no true positive outcome from death. Both poets illustr...
While thinking of death, thoughts of grief, despair and worry arise. Perhaps this is a product of the darkness often times portrayed of death from contemporary literature, movies, and music. Movies such as “Schindler’s List” and music such as Neil Young’s “Tonight’s the Night” are just a few examples of entertainment that show the darkness and finality of death. These forms of medium only present the idea, as no one who wrote them actually experienced death and therefore the dark thoughts associated with it are ambiguous. In “712 (Because I Could not Stop for Death)”, poet Emily Dickinson also shows the darkness associated but she has a different view of death. She writes from the standpoint of a narrator
There is probably no one, among people, who has not considered death as a subject to think about or the events, people, and spirits that they would face after death. Also, since we were little kids we were asking our parents what death is and what is going to happen after we die. People have always linked death with fear, darkness, depression, and other negative feelings but not with Emily Dickinson, who was a reclusive poet from Massachusetts who was obsessed with death and dying in her tons of writings. She writes “Because I could not stop for Death” and in this particular poem she delivers a really different idea of death and the life after death. In the purpose of doing that, the speaker encounters death which was personalized to be in a form of gentleman suitor who comes to pick her up with his horse-drawn carriage for a unique death date that will last forever. In fact, she seems completely at ease with the gentleman. Additionally, their journey at the beginning seems pretty peaceful; as they pass through the town, she sees normal events such as children who are playing, fields of grain, and a sunset. After this, dusk takes place and the speakers gets chilly because she was not ready for this journey and she did not wear clothes that would make her feel warm. Consequently, readers get the idea that death is not a choice, so when it comes, that is it. Emily Dickinson, in her poem “Because I could not stop for Death,” uses personification, imagery, and style to deliver her positive and peaceful idea of death and life after death.
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.
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
Imagery is a big component to most works of poetry. Authors strive to achieve a certain image for the reader to paint in their mind. Dickinson tries to paint a picture of ?death? in her own words. Thomas A. Johnson, an interpretive author of Dickinson's work, says that ?In 1863 Death came into full statue as a person. ?Because I could not stop for Death? is a superlative achievement wherein Death becomes one of the greatest characters of literature? (Johnson). Dickinson's picture to the audience is created by making ?Death? an actual character in the poem. By her constantly calling death either ?his? or ?he,? she denotes a specific person and gender. Dickinson also compares ?Death? to having the same human qualities as the other character in the poem. She has ?Death? physically arriving and taking the other character in the carriage with him. In the poem, Dickinson shows the reader her interpretation of what this person is going through as they are dying and being taken away by ?Death?. Dickinson gives images such as ?The Dews drew quivering and chill --? and ?A Swelling of the Ground --? (14, 18). In both of these lines, Dickinson has the reader conjure up subtle images of death. The ?quivering an chill? brings to the reader's mind of death being ...
The Theme of Death in Poetry Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson are two Modern American Poets who consistently wrote about the theme of death. While there are some comparisons between the two poets, when it comes to death as a theme, their writing styles were quite different. Robert Frost’s poem, “Home Burial,” and Emily Dickinson’s poems, “I felt a Funeral in my Brain,” and “I died for Beauty,” are three poems concerning death. While the theme is constant there are differences as well as similarities between the poets and their poems. The obvious comparison between the three poems is the theme of death.
Funeral Blues by W. H. Auden is a short poem that illustrates the emotions that he is dealing with after the love of his life passes away. The tone of this piece evokes feelings that will differ depending on the reader; therefore, the meaning of this poem is not in any way one-dimensional, resulting in inevitable ambiguity . In order to evoke emotion from his audience, Auden uses a series of different poetic devices to express the sadness and despair of losing a loved one. This poem isn’t necessarily about finding meaning or coming to some overwhelming realization, but rather about feeling emotions and understanding the pain that the speaker is experiencing. Through the use of poetic devices such as an elegy, hyperboles, imagery, metaphors, and alliterations as well as end-rhyme, Auden has created a powerful poem that accurately depicts the emotions a person will often feel when the love of their live has passed away.