Essay on Confronting Death in Poetry - 1116 Words

Confronting Death in Poetry Raised fists and a fading smile usually follow the confrontation of death as we experience the first stages of denial in the grieving process. We not only grieve at the loss of a loved one, but at the loss of our own life as well. When death rears its ugly head, it demands this response. Whether through art or science, humor or ritual, mankind marks and confronts this passage with both defiance and trepidation that eventually turns into acceptance and submission. The fear of death seems to be based on two things: the finality of death and the uncertainty of what follows. Many works have been written on the topic, some to offer consolation, others hope, and still others to urge readers to correct their†¦show more content†¦With this knowledge we plan our future, cherish expectations, hopes and dreams. Frost portrays that the dreams of the boy are dashed as he comes to the next stage of grieving, that of acceptance. Frost write, †¦Then the boy saw all - / Since he was old enough to know†¦ / He saw all spoiled (Frost 22, 23, 25) Frost then takes the reader through a similar grieving process as the family and friends of the boy experience some, or possibly all, of the same stages of grief that the boy experienced. It is stark reminder of the lives of the ordinary and of the many families who lost many children before they reached their teenage years. Disease and the lack of medical science back then resulted in a higher death rate of young children. And then the watcher at his pulse took fright No one believed. They listened at his heart†¦ No more to build on there. And they†¦. turned to their affairs. (Frost 30, 31, 33, 34) At this stage the grieving survivors cut each tie and relinquish the bonds that link them to the deceased. Frost depicts that the grieving will have to come to terms with the many life changes that may follow the boys death yet there is utter helplessness that life must go on as they turn away to their affairs. Edwin Robinsons Richard Corey takes another look at death, through the eyes of the common folk. As he spins the tale of Richard Corey, a rich man, he shows that to some the good life consists ofShow MoreRelatedT.S. Eliot - The Waste Land Brief Analytic Essay633 Words   |  3 Pagesallusions, is a confronting representation of re-establishment and rejuvenation across the entirety of a European post-war society. Eliot addresses the cyclical nature of life and death, encompassed by carefully crafted language and structure designed to disorientate the reader. The reader is offered an interpretation of human behaviour which is akin to all beings across the cohort of society, regardless of ethnicity or social class. There is realism to Eliot’s poetry that is confronting and unflinchingRead MoreLife and Women Bearing Women770 Words   |  4 PagesHarwood’s poetry are valued texts because they explore challenging ideas of nostalgia and mortality. Discuss this statement in light of your understanding of the poetry of Gwen Harwood. Gwen Harwood’s mournful laments Mother Who Gave Me Life and Father and Child explore the challenging ideas of nostalgia and mortality to provide valued texts. Harwood’s elegy Mother Who Gave Me Life nostalgically explores the confronting concepts of the unavoidability of death and past bleak memories. HarwoodRead MoreJohn Donne Poetry Analysis2693 Words   |  11 PagesJohn Donne Poetry Essay The metaphysical poets were segregated in the seventeenth century to form a new and distinct style of poetry that employed immaculate wit, complex metaphors and luminous imagery. John Donne’s poetry is no exception to the form and thematic volume of the metaphysicals. Donne explores ideas in a manner which some readers find confronting and enlightening through relentless use of metaphysical conceits and his direct address to an individual or god. Donne confronts and enlightensRead MoreDeath Be Not Proud1025 Words   |  5 PagesSpring 2013 NAME: Greg Mohnkern ID: L23191458 WRITING STYLE USED: Essay of poetry (MLA style) Thesis Statement: â€Å"Death be not proud† by John Donne personifies death, as its title aptly prescribes. Giving death human traits allows the writer to blast him with colorful images full of sarcasm and a tone of defiance. The ultimate message of the author provokes the human soul to resist the fear of death. Outline: Introduction: Thesis statement Transition: Discuss the writer’sRead MoreNature s Cover Of Death1284 Words   |  6 PagesNature’s Cover of Death By Erica R Lechich Edna St. Vincent Millay was a Pulitzer-Prized poet whose poetry reached a generation of readers that had been traumatized by the effects of World War I. Her poetry consists of free verse and romantic passionate sonnets. Millay also details deeply personal themes in her artistry. Many of these themes are visual elements described through nature’s foundations. Various themes present themselves within a poem, such as nature, death, love, and travel.Read MoreAnalysis Of The Second Coming By William Butler Yeats715 Words   |  3 PagesWilliam Butler Yeats’ poetry critiques the events of his turbulent context by expressing anxieties existing within society as well as within individuals. Composed at a time of fundamental change, post WWI and the Russian Revolution, Yeats’ modernistic poem The Second Coming highlights a chaotic and dysfunctional outlook for the future, ultimately depicting society’s uncertainties for the unknown future. On the other hand, E aster 1916 provides insight into Yeats’ own personal reality wherein he questionsRead MoreDeath Be Not Proud By John Donne1329 Words   |  6 PagesThe progression of societal beliefs regarding our approach towards death is dependent upon the changing nature of both cultural and historical contexts. In Donne’s Holy Sonnet ‘Death be not proud’ he uses second person narration to address â€Å"Death† as â€Å"thou†, â€Å"thee† and â€Å"thy†, death is not considered conceptually but anthropomorphised as the poems fundamental pride. In ‘Death be not proud’, we see how the rumination of death is shaped by Elizabethan values. Through the subverted Petrarchan structureRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Of The Light Brigade By Kenneth Slessor1491 Words   |  6 PagesSpeech Draft War Poetry â€Å"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.† Like movies, novels and music, poems are texts that people use to reflect on their lives and experiences. Poems can have an impact on people’s thinking, not only through the things they might say to their readers, but through the discussions that readers have with each other about poems. I truly agree with this statement and believe that it accurately describes how people can reflect on theirRead MoreDulce et Decorum Est, by Wilfred Owen and the poem To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars, by Richard Lovelace,1121 Words   |  5 PagesThe two poems, â€Å"To Lucasta, going to the Wars† by Richard Lovelace and â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† by Wilfred Owen are both devoted to the subject of war. Lovelace’s poem was written in the 17th century and as well as almost all the poetry of the period has romantic diction. The war is shown as something truly worthwhile, glossed and honorable for a man. The protagonist is leaving his beloved for the battlefield and his tone is pathetic and solemn. He calls the war his new mistress and asks his belovedRead MoreAnthem For Doomed Youth And Dulce Et Decorum Est By Wilfred Owen1378 Words   |  6 PagesWilfred Owen is today recognised as the greatest poet of the first World War, his poetry at the time was considered to be controversial as it revealed the truths behind trench warfare and contradicted popular attitudes at the time. The works of Wilfred Owen, and specifically, the poems of ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ are both successful in powerfully giving a voice to the soldiers of war and conveying the dark and inextricable truth behind war provoking the reader to consider

William Shakespeare s The Tempest - 1253 Words

In English class we created a treasure chest about Prospero based of the book The Tempest by William Shakespeare. We originally decided to build a treasure chest based off the whole book, but we decided to just describe the protagonist, Prospero, from the book. In the chest there will be an assortment of quotes directed from the book that describe each object and the importance of it. The objects inside of the chest include the magic stick, a book of spells, a cloak, a picture of Miranda and Prospero, a picture of Ariel and Prospero, and a picture of Caliban. One of the objects that we included in the chest was the magic stick and a book of spells to signify the importance of magic throughout The Tempest. Prospero throughout the book†¦show more content†¦He finally wants to release all of his magic powers and wants to return to his dukedom (Metzger). Prospero says, â€Å"But this rough magic I here abjure, and when I have required some heavenly music, which even now I do, t o work mine end upon their senses that this airy charm is for, I’ll break my staff, bury it certain fathoms in the earth, and deeper than did ever plummet sound I’ll drown my book† (Shakespeare 5.1.59-66) as Gonzalo, Alonso, Antonio, and Sebastian all enter a circle under a final spell. The magic throughout the book played an important role because without the magic everything would be different. In the chest also included Prospero’s cloak that he wears throughout the book. The cloak that Prospero wears also contains magic and stores his powers. Prospero tells Miranda about his magic cloak by telling her, â€Å"‘Tis time I should inform thee farther. Lend thy hand and pluck my magic garment from me. So, lie there, my art-- Wipe thou thine eyes† (Shakespeare 1.2.27-31). Prospero in the end of the book wants to have peace with everyone by apologizing and forgiving Antonio. Prospero believes that at this point no one recognizes him, he says to Ar iel, â€Å"Ariel, fetch me that hat and rapier in my cell. I will discase me, and myself present as I was sometime in Milan† (Shakespeare 5.1.93-96). He then promises Ariel that he will be set free soon. Prospero’s cloak is important because it is the source of all of his power and represents his ability to constructShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s The Tempest1267 Words   |  6 Pagesaudience. During the Enlightenment Era, William Shakespeare’s writing were a form of social commentary on the English Government. Endorsed by the king, Shakespeare’s works told tales of tragedy and whimsy, incorporating both fiction and nonfiction elements. One trademark of Shakespeare s plays were the subtle allusions to the concurrent events in the English government. This is evident in his well known and final play, The Tempest. The story of The Tempest tells the tale of Prospero, a fallen dukeRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Tragicomedy The Tempest1935 Words   |  8 Pagesstand alone, frequently including elements from other influences. William Shakespeare’s tragicomedy The Tempest (c:1611) is a play that uses intertextuality to enhance ideas about natural order. Banished to an island, Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, conjures up a tempest that brings him his usurping brother, Antonio in an attempt to restore his Dukedom. The play’s amalgamation of tragicomedy and the pastoral genre allows Shakespeare to warn his audience about unbalance, criticising the lavish lifestyleRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tempest1256 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Shakespare’s The Tempest introduces a dynamic and colorful protagonist, Prospero. Throughout the play, he establishes himself as a multi dimensional character. Prospero’s interaction with other characters in the play is vital in uncovering the many different sides of his personality. Prospero displays a different part of his personality when he interacts with Caliban, Ariel, and Ferdinand, all of whom are ploys in his master plan to regain his crown. Prospero assimilates his personality toRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tempest1229 Words   |  5 Pages William Shakespeare most definitely did not reference Jeffrey Jerome Cohen’s Seven Monster Theses when writing his play, The Tempest. One of Cohen’s theses though - thesis four â€Å"The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference† - appears quite prominently in Shakespeare’s work. The thesis articulates that monsters are divisive and often arise in a culture to make one group seem superior to another. Further, societies devise monsters in order to create a scapegoat for social and political inequitiesRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tempest Essay1019 Words   |  5 PagesStephen Greenblatt, believes that antagonists such as Caliban from The Tempest represent more than a source of evil. Some theorists argue that Caliban should been seen as a â€Å"colonial other. † I agree, and in this paper I demonstrate and give prime examples as to why Caliban is misunderstood and depicted as a monster when in fact he should be viewed as a native of the island. According to Greenblatt’s argument, in The Tempest, Caliban should be viewed as a colonial other rather than a universal evilRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tempest886 Words   |  4 PagesIn The Tempest, by William Shakespeare, there is a main issue of whether Prospero or Caliban have the better claim to control the island. In act 1, scene 2, we learn that Prospero, Miranda (his daughter), and Caliban are all located on an island. Caliban states, â€Å"This island’s mine by Sycorax my mother, (1.2.331), which means that he has inherited this island from his mother. However, critic Stephen Orgel has argued that â€Å"Power, as Prospero presents it in the play, is not inherited but self-createdRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tempest947 Words   |  4 PagesIn Shakespea re’s The Tempest, Caliban is the primitive monster who belongs to the bottom of the power hierarchy on the island claimed by Prospero. Caliban, the original inhabitant of the island, unwillingly becomes Prospero’s slave as he uses magic to take control of the island. Prospero sees Caliban as the savage and monster who does not acknowledge the order of civilization despite his efforts to educate him. Caliban appears as an inferior and beast-like figure from nature in the eyes of the civilizedRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tempest Essay987 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance† (5.1.35-36). This quote from scene five of the Tempest gives the reader a glimpse of Shakespeare’s message regarding humanity. To be human means more than to have two feet, breathe in your lungs, and the ability to communicate. To be human is a choice. Being human means showing compassion and love for those around you. In the play the Tempest , Prospero struggles with his humanity. He possesses inhuman abilities that cause him to lose sight of theRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tempest1499 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare’s play â€Å"The Tempest† outlines many complex characters. One of which was Prospero, former Duke of Milan and powerful sorcerer. Prospero initially portrays a self-involved personality and God-complex but then throughout the course of the play this personality trait transpires into a more pragmatic approach to his life. All of these traits of this character makes it difficult to analyze the true character of Prospero. In the first Act of the play, we see Prospero using sorcery to drum upRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s The Tempest1469 Words   |  6 PagesThe Tempest brings out the discussion of rule, in this play the theme of rule is prominent, especially in the beginning of the play where the conversation between Prospero and Miranda (his daughter) lead the actions of Prospero, this paper will be analysing the hierarchy of the characters, the definition of justice for Prospero and who’s the king of Milan. Prospero has magical powers which is seen later in the play, the play starts off by the telling the story of the current king and his crew on

Lower the U.S. Drinking Age Free Essays

2-27-12 I. Introduction: †¢ All around the world many people drink alcohol for many different Occasions. There are drinks at parties, bars, clubs and even your home. We will write a custom essay sample on Lower the U.S. Drinking Age or any similar topic only for you Order Now You can find alcohol just about everywhere in the United States. Around the world there are many different age requirements in order to drink or buy alcohol. The majority of countries around the world have a set age minimum of eighteen years of age. So why is our drinking age 21? †¢ Why is this important to us? We are all college students and everybody knows that there is underage drinking one way or another. Professor Ruth C. Engs from Indiana University states â€Å"The legal drinking age should be lowered to about 18 or 19 and young adults allowed to drink in controlled environments such as restaurants, taverns, pubs and official school and university functions. † †¢ I believe that the legal drinking age in the United States should be lowered to the ages of 18 or 19. The reason it should be lowered is because college students will drink at least once during their first year of college. Legally, at the age of eighteen we are granted the rights of adults. And finally, by forbidding teens to not drink that forces them to drink in unsafe places. II. College students drink! †¢ College students will always drink! According to alcohol101. com 72% of all college students drink alcohol. 69% of the total 72% are underage drinkers. †¢ If the legal drinking age was lowered to 18 then drinking in college will not be as big as it is now. It would still occur but not as much as it does now. †¢ By lowering the drinking age, college students will be able to drink in safer places such as bars or clubs, instead of house parties or other places. Now that I’ve talked about college students drinking I will now move onto how at the age of 18 the U. S. calls us â€Å"adults†. III. Considered â€Å"adults† †¢ At the age of 18 in the United States we are considered â€Å"adults† and obtain all the rights and responsibilities of being adults. At this age we can now vote, sign up for the armed forces, and buy cigarettes. However we cannot buy or consume alcohol legally until 3 years later. †¢ If we are already considered as adults at the age of 18 then why can we not lower the drinking age? Now that I have talked about being adults but not being able to buy alcohol at the age of 18, I’m going to talk about now how drinking at unsafe environments is harmful. IV. Unsafe Drinking Environments †¢ Because the legal drinking age is 21, that forces college students, mainly freshman, to drink at house parties where they do not know what they are drinking at times. †¢ Drinking at house parties seems fun, however it could go bad in many ways. Since freshman cannot buy alcohol they resort to free alcohol at parties, which could be very dangerous because they will be unaware of any thing that could be put inside their drink. Setting the drinking age to 18 would allow these college students to purchase their own drinks and they will for sure know what they bought and it would be closed therefore letting them know it is safe to consume. V. Conclusion †¢ To recap on my speech; the drinking age should be lowered to the age of 18 in the United States. Not only is t hat the most popular age to drink around the world it is a very reasonable age. By changing the drinking age to 18 then we can really be considered as adults and will be responsible for our own actions. How to cite Lower the U.S. Drinking Age, Essay examples