Everyone knows that death is inevitable, yet strangely, when the subject of death emerges, fear is evident in people’s faces and tone of voice. When deeply examining works of art, such as Gladiator, Myths to Live By, and world tragedies such as the horrific event that took place on September 11, 2001, the reality of death is a prime focus of human culture. Death is an event that everyone in the world will endure; however, human beings can’t live in fear with the thought of one day staring death in its face. Joseph Campbell focuses on the aspect of life that frightens people the most: death. The straightforwardness of “The Emergence of Mankind” motivates people to think about the phenomenon of death itself. Humans have the most advanced brains that have created a “realization unknown to the other primates,” a knowledge that death happens (Campbell 22). The occurrence of death is much like a natural disaster or a tragic event that no one can prevent; one day everything is well, then within the blink of an eye, poof. All gone! Knowing that everyone and everything you love and care for …show more content…
Although Gladiator was released in 2000, it was loosely based on true events allowing people to grasp the idea that humans have always known that they’ll die, so people should learn to accept death. Moreover, Gladiator, in a time of constant war between different countries and people fighting, the society understood that “death smiles at all of us” and all people can “do is smile back” as Marcus Aurelius said, meaning that no matter what, people can never run from death (Gladiator). Dying is a mysterious event that may sneak up on anyone at any moment, but people usually don’t sense it creeping around the corner ready to strike. People live to ultimately die and it truly is sad that “we cannot choose how we decide how we meet that end”
In contrast, great philosophers such as Socrates view death as a great achievement and the ultimate accomplishment. Death is exhausted from his job: he is weary from working to serve humans. Death is haunted by humans because we exploit his time and forcefully tie him to serve us, not realizing our actions take a toll on him. Humans are inconsiderate of Death, committing hateful acts against our own species, making him work hard to serve our prejudices. Additionally, he witnesses our acts of kindness and love, making him wonder how such great hatred and goodwill can exist
Elie once said, “We were not afraid. And yet, if a bomb had fallen on the blocks, it would have claimed hundreds of inmates lives’. But we no longer feared death, in any event not particular death. Every bomb that hit filled us with joy, gave us renewed confidence” (Wiesel 149-152). Both of these men faced death, but learn to not fear it.
Death is introduced immediately as the narrator of the book, and he reveals some key information about his personality. One of his most prominent characteristics is how he feels bored and irritated by his job, a feeling we can relate to; "The trouble is, who could ever replace me? Who could step in while I take a break in your stock-standard resort-style holiday destination...?" In this quote, Death is shown to be more human than his usual image suggests.
Kiran Nayyar Ms. Chan Advanced English 9 15 March 2022 The Desolation of Death Death is a universal experience that everyone deals with once in their lifetime. It is often accompanied by fear, which prompts people to talk about it in hushed whispers, behind closed doors, where they feel safe from its grasp. Yone Noguchi was one of the few who dared to share his thoughts on this subject.
No matter the actions an individual experiences in a lifetime, the outcome remains the same. Death consumes the soul and leaves not a trace, but a few carcasses. In Aldous Huxley’s 20th century novel Brave New World, Huxley uses imagery to reveal the somber end, which all humans come to; therefore people must appreciate their present ways of life before the end. Huxley describes the morbid scenery between civilization and the savages: “And at its foot, here and there, a mosaic of white bones, a still unrotted carcase dark on the tawny ground…” (Huxley 105).
Elizabethan Death and Burial Rituals The differences between the Elizabethan era and the modern era vary in a multitude of ways. Most Elizabeth ways and rituals are considered outdated in this century but occasionally there are a few exceptions to that belief. In comparison to the 21st century, many objectives have changed but one ever present factor remains, death.
Death of a family member reminds us of our own mortality, that we have limited time on this
Smith argument regarding death is presented with the same evidence he uses to support why empathetic responses are incited in simple situations. His argument is limited by his own narrow view of death and his opinions, unverified or maintained, lack quality as his support for his claims. Many questions are unanswered in Smith’s text and further evaluation and understanding of his distinction between context and the relevance of imaginative powers, could be expanded upon to gain a stronger grasp on the subject. Why does Smith state death always lead to betrayal of passion and remembrance for a close relation? In actuality the afterlife is unknown to mankind, so how can context and imagination, of an undetermined destiny, be the basis of empathy?
Regardless how unique and unparalleled individuals throughout society may seem, there is one inevitable commonality that all of humanity must encounter: death. Don DeLillo presents the inevitability of death through the Gladney family in his post-modern novel White Noise. Through the journey and characterization of protagonist Jack Gladney, readers are capable of recognizing how uncomfortable the subject of death truly is, as well as how individuals repress their fear of dying. However, DeLillo’s also focuses intensely on other aspects of American society, such as consumerism and humanity’s impact on nature, through his unique implementation of literary elements. Analyzing DeLillo’s White Noise through the Marxist, psychoanalytic, environmentalist,
Endeavour to Escape Death Humans have been fascinated by the human life cycle and how it inevitably ends in death. Fate is inevitable and there is no way to escape it, yet humans go to great lengths to try and avoid it. Fear of death underpins many peoples actions and drives them to do things they would not normally do. Edgar Allen Poe reinforces this idea through his literary work in “The Masque of the Red Death” as his protagonist reflects humanity’s fear of the inevitable. This can be examined through the use of foreshadowing, characterization and symbolism throughout “The Masque of the Red Death”.
Everyone’s answer to this question is more than likely going to be very diverse. Do people embrace death and live every moment to the fullest until it is their time to go? One man, Dudley Clendinen, a writer for the New York Times, did just that. His article is about his intentions to end his own life at the young age of 66 rather than having his daughter and friends watch him die a laborious and excruciating death. The context of his article is to inform his readers of why he would rather die with some dignity rather than being hooked up to machines and letting his loved ones watch him deteriorate slowly.
When you hear the word death or you hear that someone has died today in the news or on the television I know a lot of people think “Man, I feel sorry for the family that they have to go through that.” or they thank god that it was not them or their family members.” Sadly though people try to push away death and push away the fact that everyone dies at one point in time. This is even truer when they witness their own family member in the hospital with a critical condition that the doctors cannot fix even with modern medicines on the doctor’s side. Another such time would be when a person’s family member is diagnosed with an incurable sickness that is fatal.
From the beginning, children are taught to fear the concept of death. Most people spend their lives fearing death, but it’s not death that they are afraid of. It is part of nature to die, and our minds know that, what scares most people is the thought of death before they have had time to accomplish what they want in life. In “When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be,” John Keats put into words how people feel about dying before they have been successful in whatever mission they have set forth for themselves. His poem touches the reality of people’s feelings though imagery and figurative language.
Humans learn about the simplicity of their lives and how easy that life can end in a blink of an eye. The constant thought of death is crushing and makes life seem pointless. Humans start to realize that there is nothing they can do to truly escape death, and death starts to be a big part of their lives. It surrounds the world in all aspects of life. Truthfully, it is tough to go a day without seeing, hearing, or thinking about death.
“The plot of Everyman obviously consist of a test of Friendship made by a worldly young man when he suddenly learns that God has summoned him to his reckoning” (Conley, 1969, p. 374). Author’s Perception of the Play In the morality play “Everyman”, the author shares his comprehension of death and how death’s treatment is a symbolic message that comes from God. The idea of the play is that God sends his message through Death, which humans can’t avoid