When Death Comes Mary Oliver

The poem when Death comes by Mary Oliver (1), gives a vivid description of the writer's expectation or level of preparedness for the time when death shall come. This is the preparedness illustrated by the use of the pronoun I. The writer gives an explanation of the inevitability of death. She compares it to a disease, a man purchasing her, an iceberg and also likens it to a hungry bear in autumn. She goes on to tell us what she expects to have done by the time death comes to her. She wants to master the things in her surrounding such that there shall be nothing that is a mystery for her. She does not want to appear to a visitor to the world. The poem is set out in a rural setting where the locals are able to identify items such as the flower in the field being a daisy.

There are several themes in the poem when death comes several themes that are brought out quite clearly.

The first theme is the theme of mortality (Shmoop Editorial Team, 32) Mortality here refers to the ending nature of man. Nothing is eternal about the life of a human being. Death ought to come at a certain stage of life. The poet chooses to use the word death five times to show that there is a point that human beings must face it. The use of the word when shows the inevitability of death and that at a particular point in life it shall surely arrive. The idea of death according to the speaker should be an integration of our daily lives experiences. It shows that the one should fully live their lives on earth so that there shall be no form of seemingly one being a visitor on

earth.
The speaker illustrates the coming of death with images from the natural world (Shmoop Editorial Team 34). She likens the coming of death to a hungry bear in autumn and an iceberg. To her these images are supposed to draw us to understand that the natural world is part of our brotherhood. One should not just exist but rather we should live and appreciate the uniqueness of each individual. The imagery of the flower in the field illustrates how each life is precious and the importance of each and every person. One should explore the things in the natural world before making an exit to the world of the unknown. The choice of images in the rural setting brings out vividly the natural environment and the way that death naturally occurs.
The speaker expresses curiosity in the manner that death is to arrive. She does not seem to understand really what happens when that time comes. So she is full of wonder as evidenced by the spirit of curiosity as evidenced by the use of such words like she wants to be like a bride married to amazement (Shmoop Editorial Team 36). She also is in awe of the many forces that are at work in the world. To her time is just an idea because the coming of death unfolds another part of eternity. The attention to the details also illustrates the amazement in the speaker about life in general. This she compares to a flower in the field and symbolically it illustrates the uniqueness and individuality of each individual in the world. Taking the world in her hands is meant to signify the way that the speaker is keen to explore the happenings in life. This is also seen in the concluding statement where she asserts that she does not want to have visited the world.
The speaker's choice title of the poem seems to bring an illusion of fear. Naturally human
beings are scared of death, and this is what we expect to find in the stanzas and lines of the poem. (Shmoop Editorial Team 38)On the contrary; however, the speaker seemingly does not fear death. She faces it with the curiosity and interest that one employs the day to day activities. This is seen in the phrase that each body is a body of courage. The courage is the strength embodied in each individual that is supposed to be fully prepared for death's arrival. She also says that she wants to step in the cottage of the darkness of death with curiosity as to what is in there. Meaning she is deprived of all manner of fear.
Mary Oliver brings out the issue of individuality in this poem. As much as death is universal, the way it appears to one at a unique time makes it be all the more a single person thing. She compares to a field daisy that is quite unique in the way that it is carried out (Oliver 1) This is also brought in the choice of the word each as associated with the uniqueness of the body and the names that are likened to quiet music. This all is said to be precious to the earth. This means that the world as much as it made up of billions of people each and every person is important. The individuality creates uniqueness amongst the human beings meaning that no individual is worth like the other. Each one of us is a treasure in themselves.
The speaker from the onset has a set of things that she hopes to achieve as she gets on with the advancement of death. Firstly she has the will power to live life to the fullest. She does not want to appear as a visitor to the world (Oliver 1). She wants to utilize every moment and every opportunity as it comes to her. She states that she simply does not want to wonder what she made out of life because she wants actually to live life to the fullest. The determination is also brought out by the emphasis that she does not want to be frightened by the arrival of death; rather she shall be prepared fully for it.
Mary Oliver brings a whole new perspective of what or how one should be prepared for
the arrival of death. The use of imagery and metaphors in a rural set up brings out the natural forces and the inevitability of occurrence of some issues. She removes the image of death being a scary thing and rather focuses on the courage and boldness in each body to face it. The choice of the word when is supposed to make everyone understand that death ultimately get us. The themes brought out help one to understand what achievements in life and understanding of the natural forces are important in the preparation for eternity.