Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.
Death is a phenomenon that affects all people, and it is a great source of musings. Some people fear death, some people are indifferent to it, and some people may welcome it. Writers, in particular, have a particular interest in death, as their characters face it in one way or another, and through their characters, their attitude to death may manifest. This essay will analyze poems by E. Dickinson, J. Donne, and A. Sexton and attempt to decipher the points of view presented in the poems.
Emily Dickinson was an American poet, and her poem under review is I heard a fly buzz when I died. The poems title sets the mood and makes one think of flies that usually surround a dead body. The use of the dash in the title and the poem itself may suggest the abruptness of the actions, of death itself. The King from the poem might be an actual king, and that would make the whole poem a rather literal description of a kings death (Dickinson 90). In that case, the Heaves of Storm would refer to a succession crisis, and The Eyes together with Breaths would signify the Court anticipating the Kings death to advance their interests (Dickinson 90). The third verse may disprove this interpretation, as the narrator seems poor and desperate to sell his dead body, as the lines Signed away / What portion of me be / Assignable suggest (Dickinson 90). No matter the origin, everyone is equal before death, and closes ones eyes, or, as the poet says, Windows , abruptly and relentlessly for all (Dickinson 90).
John Donne was an English poet, Shakespeares contemporary, and his poem Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud reveals a dauntless attitude towards death. This attitude is demonstrated through the narrator believing death is not Mighty and dreadful and comparing death to sleep (Donne 228). Sleep is described as Much pleasure, and death is compared to it acquires the same quality (Donne 228). Deaths power and subjectivity are further removed as it is likened to being a slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, making it seem more like a tool (Donne 228). The idea of death being an instrument is supported by the enumeration of various things that can kill a person, for example, poison, war, and sickness (Donne 228). In addition to being a tool and sleep-like, death is the kind of sleep that is short and something one can awaken from, as the author says, we wake eternally (Donne 228). Therefore, there is no need to fear death, as ultimately it is less than a human and will die, too, Death, thou shalt die (Donne 228).
Anne Sexton was an American poet whose death poem, Starry Sky, was inspired by the painting with the same name by Vincent van Gogh. The poem starts with a quote by the painter, and it makes one wonder whether the poet herself considered Starry Sky and van Goghs art, in general, her religion. The setting of the painting with its town, tree, and stars seems perfect for the narrator to die, willingly or unwillingly, as it is unclear how the drowned woman died (Sexton 53). As the setting becomes phantasmagoric, the elements become all alive, the sky is no longer starry, because The old unseen serpent swallows up the stars, the narrators will to die does not falter (Sexton 53). It only strengthens, causing her to imagine her death vividly, where she is swallowed by the same serpent and has no nationality ( no flag ), no sex ( no belly ), and no regrets ( no cry ) (Sexton 53). Perhaps, for the narrator, death is a release from human problems, represented by the town that does not exist (Sexton 53).
In conclusion, this essay was concerned with analyzing poems about death by three authors, E. Dickinson, J. Donne, and A. Sexton. The poems present different attitudes towards death: Dickinsons poem reflects its abruptness and universality, Donnes poem reflects fearlessness towards death, and Sextons poem reflects a craving for death. Whether the poems reveal the writers stance on death is debatable, but they demonstrate the complexity of death and its perception from the human mind.
Works Cited
Dickinson, Emily. The Selected Poems of Emily Dickinson. Ballantine Books, 2012.
Donne, John. Collected Poetry. Penguin Books, 2012.
Sexton, Anne. The Complete Poems. Mariner Books, 1999.
Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.