Life and Death
Death is the inevitable conclusion of life. As Benjamin Franklin said, “The only things certain in life are death and taxes.” Some people fear death, and even try to fight it. In the end, they will lose the battle and end up facing death. Death is enigmatic, and has fascinated mankind since the beginning of time. The nature of death is puzzling because nobody knows what lies beyond it, and it has been the subject of much speculation in literature. This uncertainty about how to deal with our own mortality has fueled many authors’ imaginations, and they have written numerous literary works on the subject of death. Most people have seen death, even experienced the death of a relative or close friend. Sometimes there is anger or denial at the sudden loss of a loved one. Death has many strong emotions attached to it. Fear, depression, grief, remembrance, and celebration are some of these emotions, and they can be found in many literary works on the subject of death. Despite the myriad of different ideas and emotions surrounding death, the finality stays the same. “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson and “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night” by Dylan Thomas are two great poems on the subject of death. Readers can get a sense of the powerful feelings and emotions about death by comparing and contrasting these literary works, and by examining each author’s use of literary elements.
These works about death were written by two poets in very different times and with different upbringings. Emily Dickinson was a 19th century poet who “lived and moved, however restlessly, in the dimension prepared for her by the New England Puritans”. She stood in stark contrast to Dylan Thomas. Thomas was a 20th century poet, a socialite who lived his life to extremes, including some serious drinking problems. These two authors are nearly