English Literature: Death and Poetry - Essay Example

? 19 June English Literature: Death and Poetry The theme of death remains one of the most popular and challenging in the world poetry. The complexity of the death phenomenon and the fact that no one actually knows what stands behind death drive the hearts and minds of outstanding poets. Death is a common object of romanticism and dreaming. It is also the source of anxiety and fears. The multitude of feelings which the topic of death generates makes it extremely suitable for poetic revelations. It is no wonder that so many poets from all parts of the world wrote about death. John Donne’s Sonnet 10 “Death Be Not Proud” is, probably, one of the most famous poems about death in the history of English literature. In his sonnet, Donne tries to prove that death has no right to be proud of itself. Then follows Dylan Thomas and his “Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night”, where the poet asks his readers to stay alive and be active until the last breath on earth. Finally, Emily Dickinson’s “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” reveals the absolutely calmness with which the poet approaches the subject of death. John Donne, Dylan Thomas, and Emily Dickinson use death as the main theme in their poems, but the way they treat death and the language/ literary elements they use turn their poems into unique representations of the complex death phenomenon. John Donne’s Sonnet 10 “Death Be Not Proud” is one of the most popular literary creations about death. Written in the 16th century, the poem reflects the poet’s views on death in the context of his time. “Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Might and dreadful” – says Donne in the first stanza. As a result, it is possible to assume that the central theme of his sonnet is death and the effects it has on humans. Unlike his contemporaries, Donne’ does not accept death for granted. Moreover, he is confident that death should not be proud of itself and the things it does to people. Simply put, personification is a common thread transcending all aspects of Donne’s poem. The poet personifies death and speaks about it as of a human being: “Die not, poore death nor yet canst thou kill mee” (Donne). Apparently, an inanimate thing or being cannot kill or act against a human. Donne’s personifies death and claims it responsible for the thousands and millions of human losses. In Donne’s poem, death is not powerful but powerless. The goal of Donne’s poem is to prove that not death but bad luck deprives people of their lives. Murders, accidents, diseases, and military actions put humans to eternal sleep, and as the human soul continues to live it is time for death to die. As mentioned earlier, personification is the central literary element used by Donne to deliver his message to the reader. Alliteration, paradox, and irony add to the complexity of the figurative language used by the poet. The most important are the paradox and irony at the end of the poem, where Donne claims that death should die. In this sense, Donne seeks to prove that death is not the guide but merely a servant, a result of the life events that throw humans into eternal sleep. The theme of death is also central to Dylan Thomas’s “Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night.” Like Donne, Thomas discusses the complexity of death and its implications for humans, but his views on death differ greatly from those of Donne. Needless to say, the social and cultural contexts in which the two poets lived and worked profoundly influenced their views on death. To a large extent, Thomas has a less romantic and more mundane perceptions of the death phenomenon. He asks his readers to live their life to the fullest and do not give up in the face of death. In this sense, Thomas’s poem echoes that of John Donne, since both poets do not recognize the overwhelming power of death: “Rage, rage against the dying of the light. / Though wise men at their end know dark is right, / Because their words had forked no lightning they / Do not go gentle into that good night” (Thomas). The poet uses the example of wise men to show the braveness of those, who do not lose their spirit and optimism when facing the dying light. It is possible to say that, like John Donne, Dylan Thomas implies that death cannot win the human. Simultaneously, and unlike Donne, Dylan Thomas does not agree with the assumption that human life is eternal. For Thomas, the moment of death is the end of everything, when the lights die. It is interesting to note, that Thomas’s poem is much richer in language and literary elements than the poem written by Donne. Alliteration, metaphors, oxymorons, and similes are just some of the many literary elements used by Thomas to prove his point. Metaphors are the most common language element in Thomas’s poem: the poet compares words to forked lightning and compares death to good night. For those who do not perceive death as good, the metaphoric expression ‘good night’ immediately turns into an oxymoron. The presence of numerous literary elements does not complicate the poem and its meaning; on the contrary, it is due to these literary elements that the theme of death becomes brighter and more comprehensive to readers. Finally, Emily Dickinson expresses her opinions about death. These opinions differ from everything that has been written and said by Dylan Thomas and John Donne. Dickinson has no fear of death; she takes death as both inevitable and calm experience for everyone. Like Donne and Dylan, Dickinson personifies death, but she avoids direct accusations and does not claim any blame on nature for depriving humans of their lives. In her first stanza Dickinson writes: “Because I could not stop for Death, / He kindly stopped for me; The carriage held but just ourselves / And Immortality”. The word ‘Death’ in Dickinson’s poem is capitalized, which reflects the superiority of the death phenomenon. Thus, Dickinson does not agree with the position proposed by John Donne in his poem. However, she speaks of eternity and, in this way, recognizes that death is just temporary experience. This is where her voice resembles that of John Donne. Again, like her contemporaries and predecessors, Dickinson cannot avoid personifying death. She uses paradox, anaphora, and alliteration to reinforce her meanings. Like with Donne and Thomas, death is the central theme of Dickinson’s poem, although the way each poet presents his/her story turns their poems into unique picture of the complex death phenomenon. Works Cited Dickinson, Emily. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death.” Donne, John. “Death Be Not Proud.” Thomas, Dylan. “Do Not Go Gently into That Good Night.” Read More