Death+In+Poetry


 * Death in poetry **
 * Death is a familiar theme in poetry. Poetry allows death to be analyzed and examined from different angles, as well as allow the poet to perceive the theme in their own light. The reality of death is that it’s interpretation varies amongst different individuals. While some fear the thought of no longer being alive, others are inquisitive about what lies past the darkness. This page will research and examine the presence of death in poetry by closely reading text and seeks to answer the question “why do poets write about such dark aspects of life?”. **



=**Death as a Topic**=

Each poet treats the subject of death differently by incorporating multiple aspects of tone, imagery, form, and diction to express their style. Many poets such as Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, John Donne, and others detail their emotions, opinions, and experiences in their writing. Suicide in literature has typically been a vexed concept since the beginning. Poets will use the normal daily occurrences to portray the distress and anguish in their personal lives. For example, Robert Frost, a unique and popular American poet who often focused on the dark ruminations of everyday life in his writing, depicted suicide differently than many other authors would. The characters in Frost poems would consider suicide but then realize their life was worth living in the end. Furthermore, Frost use of imagery and symbolism allows him to express the characters feelings and presents the reader with a medium to connect with the character emotionally, you can see this present in poems such as “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” and “Acquainted with the Night”.



= Robert Frost =

In Frost poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, he incorporates a popular American theme of an individual caught in the alluring beauty of the woods, with the poem placed on the border between the wilderness and civilization. The speaker is drawn to the “easy wind and downy flake” (12) of the woods, assuring him a comfortable sleep. In addition, the poem takes place on the “darkest evening of the year” (8), and the speaker states that the “woods fill up with snow” (4), this can only be presumed that any sleep in “lovely, dark, and deep” (13) woods would bury the individual in snow and affirming one’s suicidal fate. Because of the commitments and obligations the speaker has made towards society and his daily life, this causes the speaker to resist the essence of eternal rest and return to mundaneness of civilization. From this poem, you can gather insight on the mindset of Frost. It is clear that the way he writes and express his emotions show an underlying restlessness within himself. Although this may seem like this Is what Frost persona upholds, it is said that Frost was “an essentially cheerful person who from time to time stepped away from that cheerfulness for the purposes of composing poetry” (Rothman). In Frost other poem “Acquainted with the Night”, the atmosphere brought upon by the rainy night summons feelings of sorrow, depression, and isolation. The poem is a simple and short narrative, where the speaker tells of a solitary walk during the darkest hours in the city.  Multiple particular characteristics of the poem convey feelings of loneliness and anguish, while the speaker makes distinct and visual observations, the aura of the poem creates the impression that the character is living an displeasing life or experienced a tragic event. Frost portrays the isolation and loneliness the narrator is experiencing when he writes “I passed the watchman on his beat and dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain” (5-6), this reveals the characters unwillingness to communicate. Although this seems to be odd behavior, it presents the reader with and occurrence in which they can relate and find familiar.

The resonating question is why does Frost decide to express himself with such a dark perspective? It can only be presumed that Frost suffered from his own battles similar to the ones he writes about. Writing about the problems he faced or experienced may have been a medium that helped him stay together.
 * Why? **

= Research =

In an article by the American Psychological Association, it states that “Popular culture has long stereotyped poets as depressed and creative scientists as mad**.”** (Bailey). The theory that there is a connection between creativity and mental illness is nothing new, and the idea of this can traced back hundreds of years. The article also states that Aristotle believed that those who are “eminent philosophers, politicians, poets and artist all have tendencies toward “melancholia.” (Bailey), meaning those who possess a creative mind are plagued with a mental condition centered around depression and fear. There are no short comings on the list of successful artist and creators that are deemed insane or presumed to be mentally unstable. Due to societal norms, those who think differently are viewed and perceived differently. Due to these type of mental conditions, Poets may be more inclined to write about their personal despair and their own thoughts to commit suicide by shadowing them artistically by using metaphor, imagery, and diction.

=Emily Dickenson=

 Another poet who focused primarily on death in their writing was Emily Dickenson. Emily Dickinson is one of many poets who became more popular after their passing yet she is still considered one of the greatest poets of all time. Dickinson was known for her impassioned interest towards death and made sure it was present in much of her poetic pieces.

One of Emily Dickenson’s most popular pieces "Because I could Not Stop for Death" gained so much attention and is highly discussed because of its distinctive approach on the subject of death. In Dickinson’s poem, she creatively uses imagery, symbols, and tone to leave and impression on the audience. The common theme of the poem is that she allows death to be perceived as a human. Dickinson allows her audience to be able to imagine their own description of death because she never describes it herself. As a result, Dickinson manages to make death something that can be understood. When the narrator says "Because I could not stop for death" (1), Dickinson compels her audience to ask why she should not stop for death.She is ushered by death and immortality in the carriage she rides in. In the poem, death can represent the nature of self-awareness, and immortality can represent her spirit. In the last portion of the poem, Dickinson realizes that there is no way to escape the inevitable grip of death. Dickinson uses various ways to get her stance on death across to her readers. She portrays death as a physical being in the line "Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me." (1-2), She makes death seem comforting and somewhat composed. By giving death a persona she allows her readers to relate to death and understand it.



Another poem by Emily Dickenson is like many of her poems, “I heard a Fly buzz – when I Died“. This poem, unlike “Because I could not stop for Death “, is less concerned about what comes after death, and is focused on the actual process of dying, and the last moments that one experiences. Dickinson manages to have the narrator speak from beyond the grave, insinuating that there must be some form of life after death. Dickinson’s poems repeatedly take on the concept of death, and each poem presents it uniquely. In “Because I could not stop for Death,” death is viewed as having a persona. Surprisingly, death Is not presented as daunting or disturbing, but more of a mannerly and gallant leader. = = = Conclusion =

Death is an enigma, something that is very complex and difficult to understand, yet simplistic and conclusive at the same time. Science, philosophy, and religion have conflicted with this topic for years. Dying is a natural experience that happens to all living organisms, and although death is prominent in media and life in general, American culture exhibits it as a taboo subject.

This was an essay merely examining my topic, closely reading text, and drawing conclusions from the research. I found interesting evidence and theorems as to why poets behave this way and conclude that it is their approach to emotionally connect with the audience, it may not always have to do with a mental condition, isolation, or depression. I am now familiar with how this information is composed, how to find it, and how to search through it in order to obtain the most important details of my subject.  After spending a few weeks exploring what experts have to say in this field I feel as if I can now analyze and research at a much higher level.


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** Works Cited **
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Bailey, Deborah Smith. “The 'Sylvia Plath' Effect.” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, Nov. 2003, www.apa.org/monitor/nov03/plath.aspx.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dickinson, Emily. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death by Emily Dickinson.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47652/because-i-could-not-stop-for-death-479.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Frost, Robert. “Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47548/acquainted-with-the-night.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Frost, Robert. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42891/stopping-by-woods-on-a-snowy-evening.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rothman, Joshua. “Robert Frost: Darkness or Light?” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 18 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/robert-frost-darkness-or-light.