Funeral Blues And Remember Analysis

In our lives there will always be grieving in some type of form, in “ The Valley of Broken Hearts” Mrs. Joe lost her husband 13 years ago due to lung cancer. In “ New Development Stirs Old Case” the wife of Mr. Renfroe was strangled and found dead on his kitchen floor. Lastly in “French Quarter’s Black Tapping Feet” Rose suffered a great loss the loss of a parent. In every article, each individual had one thing in common they all had a heartache that dealt with death. Death is something that is unpredictable.

O Captain! My Captain and Elegy for JFK, poems that reflect feelings of dealing with death, in their case the death of a president. President Lincoln and John F. Kennedy respectively. The stronger of the two poems is the Elegy for JFK. Though Whitman 's poem is well written and full of emotion, Auden expresses the theme of loss so much better than that of Whitman’s work; It’s easy to comprehend, has a better understanding of the importance of remembrance, and Auden’s execution is superior. The feeling of loss is something every person has experienced in some way, and Auden managed to capture that feeling in Elegy for JFK firmly.

To “pass on” to “die” or to “reincarnate” is not only a prevalent part of our society, but an important subject that we all must address. When someone dies, most often we journey through and emotional upheaval. Authors use death to show character development in literary works. Diction and Syntax will be examined through two sources. The first source is an excerpt from the book by Mark Twain entitled “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. The second source is a poem by Sylvia Plath entitled “I am Vertical”. Both sources provide scenarios in which death is a key emotional factor. Through diction and syntax, the works of Mark Twain and Sylvia Plath reveal that the concept of death is a way to portray character development and a realization that

As one begins to face life challenges, one’s maturity is put to the test. In the story, “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the speaker allows his ego to rise above him which ultimately causes the death of his brother. On the other hand, the speaker in “Shaving” by Leslie Norris acknowledges that his father is dying maturely steps up and takes his father’s role in the family. The speaker in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “Annabel Lee,” has an immature response towards the death of his loved one and cannot cope with the reality of the situation. The speaker in each work has to rely on their maturity to lead them through the hardships life has to offer. All three authors make clear that maturity drives one’s ability to cope with life’s challenges.

The two poems, “Remember” and “The Cross of Snow,” both discuss death but take different views on the subject. “Remember” explains that people should remember the dead but also move on so they can be happy; while, “The Cross of Snow” describes someone that cannot move on from the death of their loved one and is sad. Through conveying their messages, each poem uses various literary techniques. Although both poems use metaphors and powerful diction, “The Cross of Snow” employs a heavier use of imagery.

The short “At David’s Grave,” by Denise Levertov talks about a deceased loved one that is with them while being at the cemetery. David is around them in the “open field, in sunlight, among the few trees,” (Levertov). He is only there because they are there with him, and whenever they leave he is with them, going with them as the good things that come. To live their lives with happiness and the joy that comes with living life each day. They know that he is never alone at the cemetery, never laying in the field filled with cold graves.

In “Time Does Not Bring Relief” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, the speaker is a woman who has lost someone she loved and everywhere she goes she gets reminded of how much she misses him, and how time does not always heal all wounds. In Chris Forhan “Gouge, Adze, Rasp, Hammer” the speaker reveals how he is disappointed that he has lost a loved one but as time goes on he is healing and accepted it.

The poem “Drifters” by Bruce Dawe explores how sacrifice is needed to belong in a family, the effects of moving communities, and how maturity is largely related to age. Through exploring these themes, Dawe shows the complex nature of identity and belonging in a family.

Whether a love poem, or a death poem, poetry is always composed with a specific task in mind the author is attempting to accomplish. The task may range from admiring someone or something, or even commenting upon the ills of society, but nevertheless, poetry is always written with the intent of delivering a powerful and meaningful message. Such is the case with the two poems, “Homage to My Hips” and “To an Athlete Dying Young.” Each poem utilizes certain elements differently such as symbolism, the topics of love and death, and emotional connection to bring the reader’s attention to significant societal issues, and illustrate the affect those issues have upon those in society. These poems are similar in that they both celebrate some aspect of

The poem is narrated by the voice of the dead. The text is related in a very personal manner, the poem being

{I can’t think of a dang introduction sentence for the life of me. Good thing this is a rough draft]. Together with four classmates in my English class, I created an anthology of five poems on the theme of death. The authors within the anthology include Bill Knott, Dusan “Charles” Simic, Donald Justice, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Kathleen Ossip. My favorite poem in the anthology is “Eyes Fastened With Pins” by Dusan “Charles” Simic, as it is well written, with the use of rhetorical devices and personal experience, to ultimately convey his belief that death is inevitable, no more or less special for anyone in particular.

The Chain of Being is a medieval concept which states every living being’s place in the hierarchy of society. Though ancient, it applies to William Shakespeare 's Macbeth and Stephen King’s “Gramma.” Upsetting the Chain of Being by George from Stephen King’s “Gramma” and Macbeth from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth lead to the dire consequences such as Macbeth’s demise and George turning into a savage witch.

The first author that I have chosen to write about is Claude Mckay. “Claude Mckay was born into a poor farm-working family in Sunny Ville, Clarendon Parish, Jamaica, and spent half of his life on the British Caribbean Island” (Norton 2721). As I noticed while reading a brief description about Claude Mckay he had a rough upbringing and had a harsh life like most authors did. Mckay had several jobs such as a cabinetmaker and a police. As stated in the Norton, “Walter Jekyll, encouraged him to write in Jamaican dialect, or Creole” (Norton 2721). This was the start of Mckay’s writing of literature and what made him become who he was. He switched his poetry from Jamaican to English and helped cause the Harlem Renaissance with his sonnet Harlem Shadows.

“I Cannot Forget” is a poem written by Alexander Kimel in 1942 in which he tackles his experience in the Ghetto of Rohatyn. The title of the poem suggests an internal conflict from which the poet suffers. He wants to forget the days when “{The Jews} lived in terribly overcrowded quarters, were given too little to eat and little or no medicine and were forced to work in factories” (Abzug 110). However, he knows very well that he should not because millions of people died for the sake of one man.

The poet Emily Dickinson in her poem, I Felt a Funeral in my Brain that is the first line of the poem, not a special title that Dickinson chose. It tells about the story of the experience of the speaker in the poem who is transforming from place to another. Many readers would take this poem as an explanation of what happens after death, what the dead body feels in the funeral. In my opinion, this poem talks about the enlighten road that humans would feel when they explore a new idea of living, it’s not necessary to be about the other life after death. It depends about how people see their lives. In this essay, I will explain the imageries that this poem states and what are the hidden messages that the writer is trying to make the reader feel and explore.