William E. Stafford's Travelling Through The Dark

Death lurks at every corner, as all living things must eventually die. In William E. Stafford’s poem, “Traveling through the Dark,” he presents this idea as a nature-based relationship between the happenings of life and death. As Stafford is a man who acts on impulse, he demonstrates the idea that when encountering death, one should not ignore it completely, but perhaps see what is going on. In this poem, he follows his instincts and seeks to investigate a dead deer he finds at the edge of a road. Upon finding this deer, he examines it steadily, utilizing some of the five senses to confirm this death and learn something more based off this finding. He eventually finds that the dead deer holds signs of life within, and he hesitates, contemplating what to do next. Choosing to push the deer into the river, the relationship as an entirety goes full circle. Death goes to life: then back to death. In William Stafford’s “Travelling through the Dark,” the literary elements of symbolism, imagery, and personification exemplify the revealed metaphysical relationship between life and death. Stafford employs the literary device, symbolism, in order to introduce the beginning and end of his poem with the representation of death. He mentions the main symbol twice in his poem as to bring his ideas around a full circle. Within the

His story illustrates the universal message that all things in nature eventually die, but yet, he also emphasizes the importance of life and the processes that ultimately lead to death. The ambiguity of nature leaves many in awe, as one can see either the overwhelming beauty or immense cruelty. In relation to death, it is something that cannot be prevented, and it is a matter of time running out, so the concept of making the most of life’s experiences rings true for both nature and