The Effect of Death on People - Essay Example

An Analysis of Poetry: The Meaning of Mortality

“Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me; The carriage held but just ourselves and immortality.” Emily Dickinson

Mortality is a humbling and inevitable experience that all human beings are susceptible to, an equalizer of man. Every man will face death at one time, and as time frails our bodies, we are bound to react differently. As children, the worries of life are minimal as we do not entirely comprehend the finality of life. However, as the awareness and understanding of death begin to dawn upon us in our adulthood or much earlier for others, we all react differently. For instance, some will accept and take advantage of the time they perceive to have to enjoy pleasures, while others live in the hope of a life after death. In contrast, others choose death as a ‘way out’ with the hope to get away and be free from the chaos of life. Nevertheless, we either choose to disregard the idea of death and live as if tomorrow is guaranteed, live like there is no tomorrow, or live like there is life after death. Notably, our daily lives are affected by a death in one way or another. This paper is jotted down to show how mortality affects people differently by changing their perception of life, influencing their decisions to love and live in the moment, causing hurt, regret, loneliness and disillusionment. It is based on the effects the awareness of mortality upon the speakers in five poems that will be referenced throughout the text.

First, the awareness of their mortality causes persons to choose to live in the moment. Seizing the moment requires a person to enjoy the pleasures of life, making decisions on life without delaying and giving in to their desires. Such decisions are influenced by the logic that every minute should be made to count by living in the present. For instance, the speaker in “To his coy mistress” (Marvell, 808) is an anonymous young man who urges the young virgin to enjoy the pleasures of life such as sex with him before she dies, because death is inevitable. He reasons that they should have sex while they can - because our bodies will grow frail with passing the sands of time and become dust, our beauty will fade, and our desires cannot be met after our death “The grave’s a fine and private place / But none, I think, do there embrace” (Marvell, 31-32). The imaginary scenario reflects the young man's fantasy of a world where he has all the time in the world to pursue the young virgin. However, he uses logic to explain the reality of morality and the limited time that a man has to live out their desires for the young woman and his poetry. The speakers change their tone from an erotic-energy filled tone to a dreadful tone at the grotesque image of worms devouring the body of the young virgin.

Additionally, the narrator in “Alzheimer’s” by Kelly Cherry explains the difficult times the old man with dementia but then concludes by suggesting that he should tackle one challenge at a time “ Consequence, must be attended to. The First / Thing to do, now that he is home, is decide who” (Cherry, 25-26). The importance of living in the moment is emphasized when the narrator explains that the older man can no longer enjoy music as he did in his youth. Therefore, both the speaker and narrator feel that the fleeting nature of time should motivate people to live in the here and now, while they can.

Secondly, an individual’s perception of life is changed when they are reminded of their mortality by the death of a loved. The experience of losing a loved one makes hurts the individual and causes them to question the reason for living if after all, one has fought to get and be, they die. "I know now how life is as cheap as dirt" (Nemerov, 13) is the conclusion the speaker makes in “The Vacuum” by Howard. The speaker, in this case, is a widower who had lost his wife. He was lonely and is amazed by his heart’s persistence to live on “And still the hungry, angry heart / Hangs on and howls, biting at air.” (Nemerov, 14-15) despite the remorse he experiences.

Also, the widower uses personification to explain his feelings “The vacuum cleaner sulks in the corner closet” (Nemerov, 2) because he like the vacuum is sulking after the death of his wife. Moreover, the process of life seems to cause endless suffering even after death, begging the question of its worth. The experiences of the narrator in “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” by Randall Jarrell causes him to perceive life as useless. The impersonal nature used by the poet describes a brief but dramatic situation faced by a soldier who faces darkness before birth in constraints of his mother's womb, during the war in the dark and constrained fighter plane and even after death when he is washed out; aborted. The narrator explains that he strived to be born “From my mother’s sleep I fell into the State” (Jarell, 1) and reborn “And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze” (Jarell, 2) only to die. Safe to say, because of their mortality, death took away their loved ones (for the widower) and comrades in the war (for the narrator). Therefore, both find it difficult to make sense of living.

Finally, the awareness of mortality causes regret, helpless and raises ambiguity in people. The speaker in “The Leap” by James Dickey chose to hold on to the image of his childhood friend Jane MacNaughton thirty years ago, instead of the image of her body after committing suicide. The speaker is in denial, choosing to remain a child and take her death as a bad dream. The speaker is understandable because Jane was a strong girl, dominating in sports at the playground “She was the fastest runner in the seventh grade” (Dickey, 3) and also in the dance lessons. The speaker admires Jane for her beauty and strength, and when he realizes that death gets even the fastest, strongest and seemingly hopeful individuals, it becomes overwhelming. The speaker regrets the fact that he could not help Jane, a mother of four, after her betrayal. He feels helpless wishing he had has given her hope to cling to. Therefore, for the speaker, the leaps taken by Jane MacNaughton are a symbol for the freedom she sought, and both yielded results, and in that he chooses to find comfort. Additionally, the widower in “The Vacuum” and the soldier also doubt the purpose of life and are hurt by the experiences they have to endure only to face death.

Conclusively, mortality is a theme that is depicted differently in the five poems used for this text. The effects of the awareness of death to the speakers are varying, which is also true in real life. Awareness of mortality can influence individuals positively or negatively and induce different responses as they try to make sense of death and adjust their lifestyles. Some are strong and opportunistic and therefore chose to face reality with optimism, like the anonymous lover whose focus is on the joys and pleasures of today. Others are weak and are easily hurt because death has denied them love or friendship or by the thought of death is inevitable. In sum, as Emily Dickinson claims, death is for all, “Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me; The carriage held but just ourselves and immortality.” (Cite Emily) It is in our best interest to accept the inevitable and live accordingly.