William Cullen Bryant and Dylan Thomas were both influential writers of their times. They created poetical works on a variety of topics. What aided the influence the authors had on their audiences was the passion in which they presented their works. The issue that these two men felt deeply about was death. Bryant and Thomas were both inspired by the topic and composed a poem on it. William Cullen Bryant wrote “Thanatopsis”, his view of death. He was best known for his romantic style of literature which mainly involved his views on religion and faith. Dylan Thomas also became a well-known poet. He wrote “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” which signified his opinion on death as well. Bryant and Thomas both had views on death that were exceptionally …show more content…
Bryant, being the son of a physician, was knowledgeable in the things that were good or bad for his health. Bryant’s active regimen made for a healthy life. He would often go walking and observe nature (Dendinger 1). Bryant lived a peaceful life and that was much like how he taught to approach death. Even though in “Thanatopsis” Bryant says the “…breathless darkness” and “…narrow house” that death brings can “make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart” (Bryant 1). He strives for his audience to not panic from the entrapment that is felt, but “…approach thy grave/like one who wraps the drapery of his couch/about him and lies down to pleasant dreams” (Bryant 1-2). Bryant is basically saying he relates to the fact that death can be frightening, but be at peace with it. The reason Bryant stresses to be at peace with death and why he wrote this piece can be found once again in “Thanatopsis” when he says all perish even children (Bryant 2). Since death does not discriminate and everyone will die, all should be prepared to die. He reiterates why people should be calm about the topic of death and to not feel lonely. Once death takes affect and one passes away, he or she will be joined by all who have died before (Bryant 2). Thomas would sooner or later be apart of that afterlife due to his health issues being unforgiving. Thomas had gastritis, asthma, and many other health problems throughout the course of his life. He was often coughing and wheezing (Ferris 5). The vicious health issues Thomas lived his life with takes a toll on one’s mental and emotional status. It causes one, with the wrong outlook on the illness, to be bitter. After the outbreak of World War II, Thomas attempted to join the military. He was rejected due to his difficult illnesses (Carpenter 3). Thomas went through many struggles in his life. These reoccurring struggles truly put Thomas to the test. Thomas is tested
In the poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," written by Dylan Thomas, emphasizes resistance towards death as he repeats this exhortation in the last line in every stanza. Imagery is used by Thomas to create the theme of his poem and what it means. Although readers are unaware of the details behind the on coming death of Thomas father, the motives of the author for writing this poem are very obvious. Thomas intends to pursuit his father to resist against death and for him to fight for life. Through "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," Thomas conveys resistance towards death with images of fury and fighting to symbolize the great anger and rage Thomas feels towards the thought of loosing his dying father, though upon first reading then seem banal.
A horrific aspect of life that many people have a difficult time dealing with is death. The thought of death scares people because as humans we do not have a way to comprehend something that we cannot test, see or even have a grasp of. When a person loses a loved one they get scared by this reality of that they do not know where they are going and when they make it there how will it be for them. In William Faulkner's book, As I Lay Dying, we go through the process at which a family loses a “loved” one and we follow the family all the way until the deceased, Addie Burden, is buried in Jefferson. In As I Lay Dying you see the steps of grieving are different for many people and some of the people will come out destroyed and others without a scratch. The character Cash goes through a process of grief, odd to most in his way of grief we do not see pain because of the pressure he puts on himself to finish the journey for the family. Cash’s brother, Jewel, seems to snap from the pain of losing his mother and he let the pain ingulf his life. Finally, the last
William Cullen Bryant uses the romantic element of emotion to instill a sense of calm in his poem Thanatopsis.
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...
We are all going to die. It is only a matter of how and when. Many people wish for a peaceful death in which it is as seamless as falling asleep. However, Dylan Thomas goes against this particular grain in “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”. With the use of a defiant tone, repetition of critical lines, and provocative metaphors, Thomas implores individuals that they should not at any point give up despite death being imminent.
William Cullen Bryant wrote a poem regarding the passing of people from this world into the afterlife which he called “Thanatopsis”. The word Thanatopsis is actually a Greek word meaning ‘meditation on or contemplation of death’. It is the opinion of some readers that this poem expresses a traditional religious view of afterlife in heaven where as others who read it see it as a process that only involves our rejoining with nature. Bryant made references to heaven, nature and spirits which contribute to the discussion on both sides of the argument. Poetry, just like every other form of art, is subject to interpretation. After taking a closer look at Thanatopsis it will be easier to see just why these people cannot seem to agree. Bryant made
Lewis Thomas reaches out to all victims in death’s reach to assuage their fear of dying. Thomas wants his readers to understand that they cannot escape death; it is an “indispensible part of living.”
Who does not cower in fear upon the thought of death? Almost everybody does! However, people have differing views on the abstract idea of dying. In examining the poem "Because I Could Not Stop For Death? by Emily Dickinson and "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night? by Dylan Thomas, it is evident that the poets use contrasting and comparative techniques in their unique presentations of the concept of death. In the poem "Because I Could Not Stop For Death? Emily Dickinson presents the idea of acceptance of death, whereas in the poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night? Dylan Thomas presents the idea of refusal and opposition to death. Despite the differences in theme, these two poets both use similar figurative language devices, such as metaphors, personification and alliteration as they explore their contrasting ideas pertaining to the concept of death. Through the use of their same literacy techniques, both of the authors have presented two very different perceptions on death: Dickinson's message is acceptance whereas Thomas?is rejection.
In E.E. Cummings poem “dying is fine) but Death”, the poet talks about the the ever discussed topic about dying and Death itself. Cummings talks about how dying is something to look forward to and how it is inevitable, from the moment we are born, to the fateful day it occurs. I agree with this analysis and the author’s analysis of the poem. Cummings uses his legendary shape style to form “dying is fine) but Death” to show how life begins. He may have wanted to symbolize the start of life with “o baby” which if you look at the paper version of the book, “o baby” is split up and very small compared to other sentences in the poem, signifying the start of someone’s life. When the middle of the poem starts to appear, the word “why?” pops up. This could signify the middle of someone’s life, or the “why” that many of us began to ask ourselves this question when we realize that not
Predominantly the poem offers a sense of comfort and wisdom, against the fear and pain associated with death. Bryant shows readers not to agonize over dying, in fact, he writes, "When thoughts of the last bitter hour come like a blight over thy spirit, and sad images of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall, and breathless darkness, and the narrow house, make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart -- go forth under the open sky, and list to Nature 's teachings." With this it eludes each person face their own death, without fright, to feel isolated and alone in death but to find peace in knowing that every person before had died and all those after will join in death (Krupat and Levine
Poets such as Bryant have forever been trying to write their thoughts and feelings down on paper. They write their words like a painter lays their brush to a canvas. They express ideas that not only exemplify the beauty of life and nature, but also the darkest side of one’s life; death. This notion of death is what most people see as a sad ending to a life filled with beauty, though William Cullen Bryant does not see death in that way. In his poem “Thanatopsis” he offers an optimistic outlook on death. He views it as nothing more than the moment you become one with nature and venture through its beauty for all eternity. It is truly a work of art. This is shown by the use of his effective writing skills he uses skills such as, alliteration, similes and personification that make the poem come alive, just as a painter strives to make his art come alive. Also, this poem is art due to the deep thinking required to grasp its concept of death, you cannot read it just once you must read in between the lines and analyze what the poet is saying.
Dylan Thomas' poem "Do not go gentle into that good night" is about a son’s bereavement and the acceptance of his father dying. Thomas knows death is inevitable, therefore, he uses persuasion to get his father to "rage, rage against the dying of the light” (Line 3). Villanelle poems require two repeating rhyme schemes. Thomas helps the reader visualize dark and light. : “Wise men.
When discussing the different aspects of New Criticism in Dylan Thomas’s poem “Do Not Go Gentle into The Good Night”, the impression that comes to mind is death. The use of imagery was a necessity for Dylan Thomas to express the different techniques of writing which involved a mixture of surrealistic and metaphysical tones. His ability to change a words meaning to incorporate symbolism is noticeable in circle of unity from life to death and renewed life.
He puts together all men from the wise, the old and the wild by stating that they all will eventually face death, and when that time comes he urges them to fight “rage” for longer life, rather than just accepting death. His portrayal differs from Dickenson’s as he presents death by using metaphors and imagery. (Napierkowski p49-60) He describes death as being “that good night” and the use of that metaphor causes death to become something unknown. Thomas suggests that death is like night time, it’s dark and unfamiliar. Thomas is presenting death as something that should be feared and something that we should fight against. His message in the poem is about how precious the gift of life is and he uses imagery with the phrases “old age should burn and rave at close of day. “(752) and “wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight.” (752) Thomas uses those poetic devices to convey anger and how powerless someone feels when being confronted by death. When Thomas reveals his father’s curse at the end of the poem you get a sense of passion that he feels for life and how he desperately wanted to send this powerful emotion to his
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.