Friday, January 6, 2012
Daily Journal #21
The rolling hills, once alive with the wanderings of cattle, the innocent frolicking of children, and the silent persistence of the beautiful flowers and grass, are now covered in a thick blanket, one that extends for as far as the eye can see. The trees, now just skeletons of their former beauty and size, spring forth from the unyielding cover. The flakes are falling gently from the sky so that they just barely come to a rest on an outstretched hand. Each flake robust flake different from the rest, yet all so light and delicate. The unending white stretched out in all directions. The brilliant white of the snow reflects the sun back and is nearly blinding, especially when first coming out from indoors. The snow is a single undisturbed layer, except for some of the spots where a dear or bird looking for their food has left their mark to be filled in. The product of a few seeds, this cold and barren season will be over when the sorrow of the Harvest has been abated. The frozen river once churning and always changing, now is solid, predictable. The absolute silence and stillness is a calming comfort. The warmth of your breath is suddenly visible, billowing out every time you exhale. Off in the woods, far from any house or town, a herd of deer scour the forest floor for a little bit of still green grass to satisfy their hunger. Cardinals flit by, fast as a flash, easy to see against the bland background, like a drop of blood on a piece of paper. Most birds have since left in search of warmth, leaving the skies empty and the woods quiet. The dry, crisp air stings ones lungs, yet it invigorates like nothing else. People are bundled up in their heaviest coats. A large hill will most likely be carved out with the tracks of many sleds, boot prints littering the ground about it.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Daily Journal #20
From the very opening of the poem “Autumn” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, it is obvious that it is a definite writing of the Romanticism time period. The “romantics” are known to write a lot about nature and be very descriptive in doing so. Seeing how this is a whole poem describing in a very poetic way.
The opening sentence, “Thou comest, Autumn, heralded by the rain, with banners, by great gales incessant fanned, brighter than brightest silks of Samarcand, and stately oxen harnessed to thy wain!” (Longfellow: Lines 1-4). The way that he talks about autumn makes it seem like autumn is a tangible thing; more of a human being or some kind of spirit rather than just a season.
Longfellow goes on to praise Autumn of how it answers the prayers of the farmers; “Thy steps are by the farmer’s prayers attended” (Longfellow: Line 11). This is also a characteristic of the Romanticism time period because they tended to show the “good” side of nature, the side that nourishes and protects the people and animals of the earth.
Longfellow also compares the sheaves of grain that the farmers have harvested to “flames upon the altar!” (Longfellow: Line 12). This shows how the authors, at least Henry Longfellow, in the Romanticism time period liked to raise up the virtues of hard work that the farmers of America show. The frequent use of the exclamation points shows that the author is very emotional about the subject. This excitedness about nature is a very token characteristic of the romanticism period.
The imagery that Longfellow uses in further personifying autumn in lines five through nine give the reader that Longfellow felt that he had a very close relationship with nature, and how he saw nature during autumn: “Thou standest, like imperial Charlemagne, upon thy bridge of gold; thy royal hand outstretched with benedictions o’er the land, blessing the farms through all thy vast domain! Thy shield is the red harvest moon.”
Also, the fact that the speaker of the poem is talking directly to nature makes the reader feel closer to nature because they are able to talk to it, not just talk about it.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. The Complete Poetical Works, ed. by Horace E. Scudder. Boston and New
The opening sentence, “Thou comest, Autumn, heralded by the rain, with banners, by great gales incessant fanned, brighter than brightest silks of Samarcand, and stately oxen harnessed to thy wain!” (Longfellow: Lines 1-4). The way that he talks about autumn makes it seem like autumn is a tangible thing; more of a human being or some kind of spirit rather than just a season.
Longfellow goes on to praise Autumn of how it answers the prayers of the farmers; “Thy steps are by the farmer’s prayers attended” (Longfellow: Line 11). This is also a characteristic of the Romanticism time period because they tended to show the “good” side of nature, the side that nourishes and protects the people and animals of the earth.
Longfellow also compares the sheaves of grain that the farmers have harvested to “flames upon the altar!” (Longfellow: Line 12). This shows how the authors, at least Henry Longfellow, in the Romanticism time period liked to raise up the virtues of hard work that the farmers of America show. The frequent use of the exclamation points shows that the author is very emotional about the subject. This excitedness about nature is a very token characteristic of the romanticism period.
The imagery that Longfellow uses in further personifying autumn in lines five through nine give the reader that Longfellow felt that he had a very close relationship with nature, and how he saw nature during autumn: “Thou standest, like imperial Charlemagne, upon thy bridge of gold; thy royal hand outstretched with benedictions o’er the land, blessing the farms through all thy vast domain! Thy shield is the red harvest moon.”
Also, the fact that the speaker of the poem is talking directly to nature makes the reader feel closer to nature because they are able to talk to it, not just talk about it.
York: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1893; Bartleby.com, 2011.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Reflection: Pegasus in Pound & Twilight
The two poems that I picked for this reflection blog were “Twilight” and “Pegasus in Pound,” both of which were written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. They were both part of The Seaside and the Fireside. The reason why I picked “Pegasus in Pound” was because I have a liking to Greek mythology, and Pegasus was the famed winged horse made by Poseidon.
At first, “Pegasus in Pound” seems to be talking about an actual winged horse being found astray, chained up to be sold, and later breaking out in the middle of the night. But under closer inspection and by revelation to a deeper meaning, I have found such meaning. I personally believe that the Pegasus in this instance is referring to a poet’s poems and other works. In line 3 and 4, the author says “In the golden prime of morning, strayed the poet’s winged steed” (Longfellow 3-4). When looked at in pair with the later lines about how the Pegasus escaped, and all of the townspeople wondered where it went. It talks of how nobody gave the Pegasus bedding or any other things such as that, and when the Pegasus was gone, there was a spring that flowed forever after that which nourished and calmed the people. The last bit leaves me to think that Longfellow was talking about how most of the time, when poets (and the same could be said for most artists) are alive, they do not get that much attention, but their works they leave behind are enjoyed by the people of the future. It includes many Romanticism characteristics, from the title, to the descriptiveness about nature in the beginning, to the rooster Alectryon, who was also from Greek mythology.
Twilight is talking about how during a storm, a fisherman’s child watches the storm in interest because of how wild the storm is, and how the mother is pacing the house in worry because the same storm that interests the child makes the mother / wife worry about her husband, who is most likely out fishing during the storm. The very descriptive nature and talking of death is very much a characteristic of Romanticism writing style.
One thing that both of these poems both have in common is that they both deal with death. “Pegasus in pound” talks of how it seems that only when a great poet dies, even though his works were out there when he was still living, personified by a Pegasus, do his works become famous and only then do people realize how good and soothing they are, like a “fount unfailing” that “gladdens the whole region round” and “soothes them with its sound” (Longfellow Pegasus 66-70). The theme of death in “Twilight” is very obvious, both in the name, which is often associated with death and other “dark” things and how storms and fisherman usually do not do each other well.
In a short biography of Longfellow, I saw that Longfellow was named after his uncle, who was in the Navy and died on board the Intrepid, and I thought that it may be of some connection to "Twilight" because it is also about a man out at sea, possibly dead, like his uncle (Oaks 2). I also saw that Longfellow learned both Greek and Latin, which might have attributed to his liking of mythology exemplified in "Pegasus in Pound" (Oak 2)
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Pegasus in Pound - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)." Books & Literature Classics. Web. 14 Dec. 2011.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Twilight - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)."Books &
Literature Classics. Web. 14 Dec. 2011.
Oakes, Elizabeth H. "Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth."American Writers, American Biographies. New York:
Facts On File, Inc., 2004.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
At first, “Pegasus in Pound” seems to be talking about an actual winged horse being found astray, chained up to be sold, and later breaking out in the middle of the night. But under closer inspection and by revelation to a deeper meaning, I have found such meaning. I personally believe that the Pegasus in this instance is referring to a poet’s poems and other works. In line 3 and 4, the author says “In the golden prime of morning, strayed the poet’s winged steed” (Longfellow 3-4). When looked at in pair with the later lines about how the Pegasus escaped, and all of the townspeople wondered where it went. It talks of how nobody gave the Pegasus bedding or any other things such as that, and when the Pegasus was gone, there was a spring that flowed forever after that which nourished and calmed the people. The last bit leaves me to think that Longfellow was talking about how most of the time, when poets (and the same could be said for most artists) are alive, they do not get that much attention, but their works they leave behind are enjoyed by the people of the future. It includes many Romanticism characteristics, from the title, to the descriptiveness about nature in the beginning, to the rooster Alectryon, who was also from Greek mythology.
Twilight is talking about how during a storm, a fisherman’s child watches the storm in interest because of how wild the storm is, and how the mother is pacing the house in worry because the same storm that interests the child makes the mother / wife worry about her husband, who is most likely out fishing during the storm. The very descriptive nature and talking of death is very much a characteristic of Romanticism writing style.
One thing that both of these poems both have in common is that they both deal with death. “Pegasus in pound” talks of how it seems that only when a great poet dies, even though his works were out there when he was still living, personified by a Pegasus, do his works become famous and only then do people realize how good and soothing they are, like a “fount unfailing” that “gladdens the whole region round” and “soothes them with its sound” (Longfellow Pegasus 66-70). The theme of death in “Twilight” is very obvious, both in the name, which is often associated with death and other “dark” things and how storms and fisherman usually do not do each other well.
In a short biography of Longfellow, I saw that Longfellow was named after his uncle, who was in the Navy and died on board the Intrepid, and I thought that it may be of some connection to "Twilight" because it is also about a man out at sea, possibly dead, like his uncle (Oaks 2). I also saw that Longfellow learned both Greek and Latin, which might have attributed to his liking of mythology exemplified in "Pegasus in Pound" (Oak 2)
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Pegasus in Pound - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)." Books & Literature Classics. Web. 14 Dec. 2011.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. "Twilight - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)."Books &
Literature Classics. Web. 14 Dec. 2011.
Oakes, Elizabeth H. "Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth."American Writers, American Biographies. New York:
Facts On File, Inc., 2004.Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Reflection: Old Ironsides
The poem that I chose to analyze for this reflection blog was Oliver Wendell Holmes’ “Old Ironsides.” The reason that I chose this particular poem was because it was a very good example of the new writing style of the Romanticism period. It was also easy to comprehend and short, but even though it is short, it is all that is needed to get the point that Holmes was trying to make across.
First off, the poem “Old Ironsides” is about the Revolutionary War warship the USS Constitution. Even though it was not actually made out of iron, it got the name because “the cannonballs of its heyday tended to bounce off its hardwoods with little effect” (Huff 2). Huff also brings up a good point, which is that “the name for the title of this poem not only served as a reminder of the ship’s service record but also invested the ship with a personality” (Huff 2). This idea of personification is one of the characteristics of the Romanticism period. The poem calls for the ship to be set to sea for a burial rather than it being picked apart for its materials.
Even though this is a very short poem, it has many places where it shows that it is definitely a work of the Romanticism period. The first place is where Holmes says “Beneath it rung the battle shout, and burst the cannon’s roar;—the meteor of the ocean air shall sweep the clouds no more.” This passage is a good example of how much detail they went into in their literary works of the time. Also, I noticed that it is evident that the Rationalism period somewhat influenced this poem because Holmes is not thinking completely emotional because he acknowledges the fact that the USS Constitution is not going to sail any more, instead of just being completely irrational.
Writers of the Romanticism period also wrote about the values of patriotism, which is exemplified in lines 9 through 16; “Her deck, once red with heroes’ blood, where knelt the vanquished foe, when winds were hurrying o’er the flood, and waves were white below, no more shall feel the victor’s tread, or know the conquered knee” ( Holmes 9-16 ). Writers of this time period were also known to include various allusions and references to mythology, which Holmes does when he says “The harpies of the shore shall pluck the eagle of the sea!” and “And give her to the god of storms, the lightning and the gale!” ( Lines 17-18 and 23-24 ).
Holmes was trying to convince people to see the historical and sentimental significance in the ship, and he is doing a very good job of if because the way that he writes it makes people, including myself, get passionate about it, even if they have never heard of it before this poem.
Also, as Huff pointed out in his analysis of the poem, Holmes decides to relate the ship to an eagle in line 18, which is another very patriotic symbol, even to this day.
Holmes, Oliver Wendell. "Old Ironsides, by Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1885." Ibiblio - The Public's Library and Digital Archive. Web. 14 Dec. 2011.
Huff, Randall. "'Old Ironsides'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
First off, the poem “Old Ironsides” is about the Revolutionary War warship the USS Constitution. Even though it was not actually made out of iron, it got the name because “the cannonballs of its heyday tended to bounce off its hardwoods with little effect” (Huff 2). Huff also brings up a good point, which is that “the name for the title of this poem not only served as a reminder of the ship’s service record but also invested the ship with a personality” (Huff 2). This idea of personification is one of the characteristics of the Romanticism period. The poem calls for the ship to be set to sea for a burial rather than it being picked apart for its materials.
Even though this is a very short poem, it has many places where it shows that it is definitely a work of the Romanticism period. The first place is where Holmes says “Beneath it rung the battle shout, and burst the cannon’s roar;—the meteor of the ocean air shall sweep the clouds no more.” This passage is a good example of how much detail they went into in their literary works of the time. Also, I noticed that it is evident that the Rationalism period somewhat influenced this poem because Holmes is not thinking completely emotional because he acknowledges the fact that the USS Constitution is not going to sail any more, instead of just being completely irrational.
Writers of the Romanticism period also wrote about the values of patriotism, which is exemplified in lines 9 through 16; “Her deck, once red with heroes’ blood, where knelt the vanquished foe, when winds were hurrying o’er the flood, and waves were white below, no more shall feel the victor’s tread, or know the conquered knee” ( Holmes 9-16 ). Writers of this time period were also known to include various allusions and references to mythology, which Holmes does when he says “The harpies of the shore shall pluck the eagle of the sea!” and “And give her to the god of storms, the lightning and the gale!” ( Lines 17-18 and 23-24 ).
Holmes was trying to convince people to see the historical and sentimental significance in the ship, and he is doing a very good job of if because the way that he writes it makes people, including myself, get passionate about it, even if they have never heard of it before this poem.
Also, as Huff pointed out in his analysis of the poem, Holmes decides to relate the ship to an eagle in line 18, which is another very patriotic symbol, even to this day.
Holmes, Oliver Wendell. "Old Ironsides, by Oliver Wendell Holmes, 1885." Ibiblio - The Public's Library and Digital Archive. Web. 14 Dec. 2011.
Huff, Randall. "'Old Ironsides'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Reflection: Irving
Even though both “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Devil and Tom Walker” were both written by the same person, Washington Irving, they both sound like they could have potentially been written by two different people, just two people in the same writing period. While they were both very descriptive, they seemed to be written by two different authors with different themes they liked to focus on.
“Rip Van Winkle” was mainly about a very likable man living in New York before the Revolutionary War who was always being nagged by his wife because he liked to spend more time helping other people rather than working on his own farm, which was a sad excuse for a farm. It was basically reduced to a small garden due to his neglect. One day, after once again being nagged by his wife, he decided to get away by going out for a hunt. While out in the forest, he meets a stranger carrying a keg of liquor, and after helping him carry it where the man was going, he encounters a group of dwarves bowling. He drinks quite a bit of the liquor, and passes out. When he wakes up and walks back into town, he eventually, after some confusion, discovers that he has been asleep for over twenty years. He is disheartened to find that all of the friends he had in the town are now dead, but then he is relieved at the revelation that his wife is also dead, so he can now live in peace, which is what he goes on to do.
Now there is “The Devil and Tom Walker,” which is a story of a man seeking to make a quick buck who deals with the Devil. The riches that he gains from the Devil goes into his new business, in which he gives out loans with obscenely large interest rates, and when a customer accuses Tom of making a lot of money off of him Tom replies with “The Devil take me if I made a farthing” ( Irving 249 ). At this point, the Devil shows up and takes Tom Walker away.
Some of the similarities between “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Devil and Tom Walker” are that they are both very descriptive, which is a definite characteristic of the Romanticism period, and they both include wives that the husbands were somewhat “happy” to get rid of. One example of the great detail that the Romantic writers go into the following passage from “The Devil and Tom Walker;”
On the subject of “Rip Van Winkle,” I was excited to finally read the full story because I’ve always heard about Rip and how he slept for a very long time. In his criticism/analysis of “Rip Van Winkle,” Don D’Ammassa agrees by saying “Rip Van Winkle is one of those characters whose story is so widely known that many readers feel they have read the story even if they have not.” The longevity of Irving’s story shows how the Romanticism period had a definite impact on American culture to this day.
D'Ammassa, Don. "'Rip Van Winkle'." Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Irving, Washington. The Devil and Tom Walker. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 242-250. Print.
Matthews, Brander, ed. The Short-Story: Specimens Illustrating Its Development. New York: American Book Company, 1907; Bartleby.com, 2000.
“Rip Van Winkle” was mainly about a very likable man living in New York before the Revolutionary War who was always being nagged by his wife because he liked to spend more time helping other people rather than working on his own farm, which was a sad excuse for a farm. It was basically reduced to a small garden due to his neglect. One day, after once again being nagged by his wife, he decided to get away by going out for a hunt. While out in the forest, he meets a stranger carrying a keg of liquor, and after helping him carry it where the man was going, he encounters a group of dwarves bowling. He drinks quite a bit of the liquor, and passes out. When he wakes up and walks back into town, he eventually, after some confusion, discovers that he has been asleep for over twenty years. He is disheartened to find that all of the friends he had in the town are now dead, but then he is relieved at the revelation that his wife is also dead, so he can now live in peace, which is what he goes on to do.
Now there is “The Devil and Tom Walker,” which is a story of a man seeking to make a quick buck who deals with the Devil. The riches that he gains from the Devil goes into his new business, in which he gives out loans with obscenely large interest rates, and when a customer accuses Tom of making a lot of money off of him Tom replies with “The Devil take me if I made a farthing” ( Irving 249 ). At this point, the Devil shows up and takes Tom Walker away.
Some of the similarities between “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Devil and Tom Walker” are that they are both very descriptive, which is a definite characteristic of the Romanticism period, and they both include wives that the husbands were somewhat “happy” to get rid of. One example of the great detail that the Romantic writers go into the following passage from “The Devil and Tom Walker;”
“They lived in a forlorn looking house that stood alone and had an air of starvation. A few straggling savin trees, emblems of sterility, grew near it; no smoke ever curled from its chimney; no traveller stopped at its door. A miserable horse, whose ribs were as articulate as the bars of a gridiron, stalked about a field where a thin carpet of moss, scarcely covering the ragged beds of pudding stone, tantalized and balked his hunger.” (Irving 242).
On the subject of “Rip Van Winkle,” I was excited to finally read the full story because I’ve always heard about Rip and how he slept for a very long time. In his criticism/analysis of “Rip Van Winkle,” Don D’Ammassa agrees by saying “Rip Van Winkle is one of those characters whose story is so widely known that many readers feel they have read the story even if they have not.” The longevity of Irving’s story shows how the Romanticism period had a definite impact on American culture to this day.
D'Ammassa, Don. "'Rip Van Winkle'." Encyclopedia of Fantasy and Horror Fiction. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Irving, Washington. The Devil and Tom Walker. Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 242-250. Print.
Matthews, Brander, ed. The Short-Story: Specimens Illustrating Its Development. New York: American Book Company, 1907; Bartleby.com, 2000.
Reflection: Thanatopsis
This story is very hard to get my mind around. There seems to be many different things that Bryant is trying to get across. He starts off by talking about how having a “communion” with nature which is a token characteristic of the Romanticism period (Bryant 2). It then moves on to talk about Nature, giving it traits such as having “a voice of gladness, and a smile and eloquence of beauty.” Another trait of the Romanticism is exemplified in the first couple of lines in the poem. Bryant says “she speaks a various language; for his gayer hours she has a voice of gladness, and a smile and eloquence of beauty, and she glides into his darker musings, with a mild and healing sympathy, that steals away their sharpness, ere he is aware” (Bryant 2-8). This passage shows that Bryant thinks that Nature is more of a caring mother than a benevolent force.
The rest of the poem is where the name of the poem, which means “Thoughts on Death,” starts to show itself. Where it starts is when Bryant says
“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 the breathless darkness, and the narrow house, make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart.” (Bryant 8-13)
This passage starts to turn to the subject of the poem to death and how nature shepherds us into a peaceful slumber. Bryant says that nature is there to soothe your mind when you start to think about death. He goes on to say that it makes him “sick at heart” to think about putting the body of a loved one in a coffin and putting them in their grave, or in a “narrow house” (Bryant 12). Then he goes on to talk about how one’s body becomes part of the Earth. Bryant’s view on that is that the “Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim thy growth, to be resolved to earth again, and, lost each human trace, surrendering up thine individual being, shalt thou go to mix forever with the elements” (Bryant 22-26). He also makes a statement that shows how he holds nature in high regard; he says “To be a brother to the insensible rock, and to the sluggish clod” (Bryant 27-28).
In an analysis of Thanatopsis by Randall Huff, he agrees with me on the point that this poem is trying to show how death is universal, and therefore nothing to fear. Randal says “A turning point in the poem occurs when Nature bgins to list the various stages of man at the time of death. This roll call reinforces the poem’s theme of the universality of death.”
Another way to tell that this poem is showing how death is universal is when it starts talking about how when you die, you are joining everybody else that has died in your grave. “Thou shalt lie down with patriarchs of the infant world,—with kings, the powerful of the earth,—the wise, the good, fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past, all in one mighty sepulcher” (Bryant 33-37).
Huff, Randall. "'Thanatopsis'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Lounsbury, Thomas R., ed. Yale Book of American Verse. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1912; Bartleby.com, 1999.
The rest of the poem is where the name of the poem, which means “Thoughts on Death,” starts to show itself. Where it starts is when Bryant says
“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 the breathless darkness, and the narrow house, make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart.” (Bryant 8-13)
This passage starts to turn to the subject of the poem to death and how nature shepherds us into a peaceful slumber. Bryant says that nature is there to soothe your mind when you start to think about death. He goes on to say that it makes him “sick at heart” to think about putting the body of a loved one in a coffin and putting them in their grave, or in a “narrow house” (Bryant 12). Then he goes on to talk about how one’s body becomes part of the Earth. Bryant’s view on that is that the “Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim thy growth, to be resolved to earth again, and, lost each human trace, surrendering up thine individual being, shalt thou go to mix forever with the elements” (Bryant 22-26). He also makes a statement that shows how he holds nature in high regard; he says “To be a brother to the insensible rock, and to the sluggish clod” (Bryant 27-28).
In an analysis of Thanatopsis by Randall Huff, he agrees with me on the point that this poem is trying to show how death is universal, and therefore nothing to fear. Randal says “A turning point in the poem occurs when Nature bgins to list the various stages of man at the time of death. This roll call reinforces the poem’s theme of the universality of death.”
Another way to tell that this poem is showing how death is universal is when it starts talking about how when you die, you are joining everybody else that has died in your grave. “Thou shalt lie down with patriarchs of the infant world,—with kings, the powerful of the earth,—the wise, the good, fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past, all in one mighty sepulcher” (Bryant 33-37).
Huff, Randall. "'Thanatopsis'." The Facts On File Companion to American Poetry, vol. 1. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Lounsbury, Thomas R., ed. Yale Book of American Verse. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1912; Bartleby.com, 1999.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Daily Journal #19
The cycle of life and death is a very important topic for humans. Peoples of the past have always been fascinated by the idea of death, and I have a feeling that it will continue to interest people for the rest of our existence. Death is one of the only things that we can not research in any way. We can see the physical effects after someone has died, but when a person dies, only they know what death is really like, and by then, it is too late for them to prove or disprove any theory for the people still living. Different religions have tried to predict what happens after a person dies. Christians think that there is a soul and that it goes either to heaven or hell, depending on how the person acted in their life. Then there are religions like Hinduism that teach that the soul of any living thing gets reincarnated into another living being in a cycle until the soul is “good” enough to enter nirvana, their version of heaven. Then of course there are atheists, which believe that nothing happens after you die, there is no soul or any kind of spiritual afterlife. Most atheists are scientists who do not see any proof that there is a soul or afterlife.
In any instance, people are fascinated with the idea of death. Most are scared of it because it presents a situation that we have no control over; it happens to everybody and there is no way to escape it. The fact that nobody knows for sure whether or not there is an afterlife or not also adds to the fear people feel when they think about death.
In my personal opinion, I think that people should not concentrate so much on the differences between their beliefs and just live life to make it better for yourself, everybody else that is currently alive, and for the people that come after us.
In any instance, people are fascinated with the idea of death. Most are scared of it because it presents a situation that we have no control over; it happens to everybody and there is no way to escape it. The fact that nobody knows for sure whether or not there is an afterlife or not also adds to the fear people feel when they think about death.
In my personal opinion, I think that people should not concentrate so much on the differences between their beliefs and just live life to make it better for yourself, everybody else that is currently alive, and for the people that come after us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)