Thanatopsis And Transcendentalism

1346 Words3 Pages

Finding Life in Death
“Thanatopsis” is a romantic poem written by William Cullen Bryant during the rise of transcendentalist thinking. The poem gives a pantheistic and philosophical view of nature, God, and death. “Thanatopsis” was a revolutionary work for its time because it focuses on finding solace in death. Bryant’s writing challenged the normal concept of literature by building off of and borrowing old ideas. Before transcendentalist ideas became popular, writers’ work was centered on God and the physical world. Bryant and other transcendentalist writers challenged this ordinary way of thinking by questioning reality, finding comfort in nature, and concentrating on improving their inner beings. Bryant vividly describes the beauty and …show more content…

As “Thanatopsis progresses, the tone of nature becomes darker and more death oriented, but it still conveys a component of consolation to them. When it is said that, “Bryant had written that, although in death one may lose his "individual being . . . to mix forever with the elements, / To be a brother to the insensible rock," nature taught that one may learn to approach death with trust by living life” (Kagle 152). In this passage, Bryant is saying that once we die, our physical bodies will return to nature forever. He says that a person should prepare for death by living a meaningful life and trusting in nature. To make nature come across as a powerful force, Rio-Jelliffe states that, “Enhancing nature's grandeur heightens the attractiveness of man's final resting place, but contrarily, intensifies rather than mitigates feelings of sorrow and loss which, from the start, imbues natural objects in the body of the poem” (Rio-Jelliffe). A possible reason as to why Bryant chose a more somber tone in parts of “Thanatopsis” is for the effect of making nature appear more powerful. People both fear and respect power. The fearing of God is a prevalent part of most Puritan literature. This fear caused people to obey and trust God’s word in order to save their souls from damnation after they had died. Similarly, Bryant wants to get the reader to trust the power and grace of nature so that death will be …show more content…

He encourages the reader to live life to its maximum potential in preparation of death. The writing of William Cullen Bryant went against customary styles of writing and attempted to change the way that death was portrayed to people. Through the use of personification, strong imagery, and contemplative thinking, Bryant combines the beauty of nature with the strength of God in a way that paints death as a lively picture rather than a melancholy one. Bryant inspires the reader to live an impactful life and to accept the coming of death with a sense of renewal and

Open Document