Robert Frost’s poems explored the nature in a rather deep and dark way. For example, his poem, “After-Apple Picking” is hidden under a mask that looks like a harvester is just tired and wants to go to sleep after a day of picking apple from tree. However, we learned that this poem has deeper meaning than what is being shown on the surface. This poem is about actually talking about death as a deeper meaning. I think it is really interesting how Robert Frost, as a poet, was able to connect two themes that are completely different and make it into a single poem. I love all the metaphors he made in this poem such as the ladder to heaven (apple-picking requires a level which Robert Frost was referring it to the ladder to heaven) and the seasonal interpretation (winter is death and spring is rebirth) that connects to the natural process of decaying and
“There Will Come Soft Rains” is a short story by Ray Bradbury that was first published in the May 6, 1950 issue of the Collier’s. The story was later published in Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, which was a collection of science fiction short stories. Bradbury enjoyed writing short essays on the arts and culture, however he used his fiction works to explore and criticize culture and society. Bradbury uses the short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” to address the uneasy atmosphere left by World War II. By 1950, Americans were afraid of the idea of a nuclear holocaust, and Bradbury uses this in his story to focus on the irony that the technology originally meant to be used to make life more comfortable could also bring about destruction. Ray Bradbury uses symbolism in “There Will Come Soft Rains” to express transcendentalist ideals that connect with the theme of the American Nightmare.
Death is an unknown, no one has ever died and come back to tell the tale, instead people have to imagine and come up with what they think it will be like. The poets, Emily Dickinson and William Cullen Bryant, both had very different perspectives when it came to writing about death. In Bryant’s “Thanatopsis”, the speaker emphasizes that one joins nature and should not be afraid because they will be with everyone else as equals when they die. This is different from Dickinson’s poem, “Because I could not stop for Death”, where the speaker takes a ride in a carriage with death for eternity. Whether or not these authors believed that their poems were actual representations of what happens when one dies, the poems both describe unique ideas of what
Death is the unavoidable part of our daily lives. In the poems, “Shrike Tree” by Lucia Perillo and “Plums Falling Well” by Linda Gregg, the poets discussed the plot with an accepting attitude towards death because it is part of the natural life cycle.
The multifaceted nature of the human condition encompasses all aspects of human life at both an individual and collective level and delves into the notion of humanity and the values it comprises. Gwen Harwood’s poems’ “Father and Child” and “Mother who gave me life,” and Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery” (1998), explore the dynamic and often contradictory nature of the human condition. Harwood portrays the transience of time and inescapable truth of mortality, illustrating the ever changing complexion of the human experience. Whereas, Jackson examines the capability of all humans to be violent and cruel while questioning whether such tendencies can be masked by a constrictive society’s heartless ideals.
In William Cullen Bryant’s “Thanatopsis,” Bryant speaks of death, saying that it is just a part of nature, as if he is trying to tell us that we should not be afraid of dying. When analyzing Bryant’s “Thanatopsis”; I find that there are many different ways that Bryant’s poem can be interpreted, and I can see that the shift, attitude, connotation, and meter are all big factors in his poem.
Romanticism in the early years of America explored contrasting interpretations such as insight and feeling over rationalist views consisting of science and civilization. American Romantic writers reject rationalism due to the fact that they believe that intuition and imagination yield greater truths. Specifically, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Ralph Waldo Emerson, being two of the many writers that demonstrate romantic ideas, incorporate the fundamentals of nature into their works to display themes about life that they suppose the rational mind fails to detect. Longfellow as well as Emerson utilize the power of nature in order to illustrate distinct truths regarding life.
William Cullen Bryant wrote “Thanatopsis” at the very young age of seventeen. The word thanatopsis is defined as, “a view or contemplation of death.” It surprised me when I learned that he had written such a deep and detailed poem about nature and death when he was my age. I had to read the poem a couple of times before I even began to understand Bryant’s wording and what he meant by it all.
flower people I had ever met.” He found himself at one of his lowest points in this
Thanatopsis by William Cullen Bryant is a Fireside poem about death. The central message throughout this poem is that death is an inevitable part of life that we should not fear, but embrace. The use of personification throughout the poem helps develop the central idea. Personification is the giving of human-like qualities to a non-human subject. In lines 1-3 Bryant uses personification “To him who in the love of Nature holds/Communion with her visible forms, she speaks/A various language…” With the use of the personification Bryant shows that there is a unique relationship between an individual and nature, which is a characteristic of the fireside poems. “She glides/Into his darker musings, with a mild/And healing sympathy…” Bryant is showing in lines 5-7 that even when you are sad that nature has these healing qualities that remove the pain. He is saying that there is no sadness too great that nature cannot fix. Through the use of personification William Cullen Bryant makes death seem less frightening.
The romantic era lasted from 1800 to about 1860 and is recognized by its use of love, nature, or patriotism. A hero is normally involved in this story as well. The fireside poets, who were part of the romantic era, were well known for competing against British authors and writing specifically about the themes of America. The romantic era was mainly in the form of a poem. Hidden within the lines of these poems there is hints towards life and death. William Cullen Bryant and his work "Thanatopsis" and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls" express messages with the theme of death and how it's a basic cycle of life, a person should live within the moment, and that there is an afterlife.
Nature was introduced in romantic novels and poems. In the poem ‘’Thanatopisis’’ by William Cullen Bryant he described death to something that was peaceful and to be embraced. He believed that you become one with nature, one with earth once you die. But in the poem ‘’Devil and Tom Walker’’ by Washington Irving he described death to be evil, sinful. He believed death to horrifying and something to not be embraced. Here are some examples of elements.
he natural imagery in "Frankenstein" is comparable to the best in the Romantic literature. Mary Shelley paints Nature and its divine grandeur with some rare strokes of a masterful hand. She deliberately juxtaposes the exalted vision of Mother Nature with the horrendous spectacle of a man-made monster and his ghastly deeds.
Literature has been a constant expression of artistic emotion throughout history. Over the course of the years, Literature has developed and changed due to America’s evolution. These changing time periods can be classified into 9 eras: Colonial, Revolutionary, Romantic, Transcendental, Realism, Modern, Harlem Renaissance, Beat Generation, and Postmodern. Throughout the changing history, new literary eras have begun in response to previous eras and events. American Literature has changed over time by adapting previous values, beliefs, and literary characteristics when a new era presents itself; this progression is due to changing societal views in
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.