Death Finality or Everlasting Life Essay - 625 Words

The loss of a loved one is an emotional and personal experience, and everyone grieves in their own way. Before the healing process can begin, the deceased must be laid to rest and this is usually accomplished with a funeral service. Many people choose a piece to be read at these ceremonies, such as W.H. Auden’s â€Å"Funeral Blues† and Mary Elizabeth Frye’s â€Å"Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep.† It is quite thought-provoking to compare the poems, since the subject matter is the same, however each of these works views death from a different perspective, one negative and the other positive. Auden’s â€Å"Funeral Blues† is perceived through the eyes of the mourner. The tone is sad and the state of mind of the speaker is full of melancholy.†¦show more content†¦His entire world has been altered and the consequence is that â€Å"nothing now can ever come to any good.† It sounds as if the speaker wants to give up on life and has no hope of ever being able to love again. In contrast, Mary Elizabeth Frye’s â€Å"Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep† is seen through the eyes of the deceased unlike â€Å"Funeral Blues† which is seen through the eyes of the mourner. The tone of this poem is uplifting and gives the reader a sense of peace. Similar to â€Å"Funeral Blues,† the main theme is about death and its secondary theme is about love. Frye uses metaphors and symbolism to explain that death does not have to be final, and wants the reader to believe that the speaker did not die, but that she is present in all the beautiful things in nature. The speaker shows love for the survivors and wants to give them comfort by telling them â€Å"do not stand at my grave and weep† but to go out and enjoy life. She is telling her loved ones that her body is no longer on earth but her spirit is very much â€Å"alive† and that her memory will always be with them in their thoughts. The subject of both poems deals with the passing of a loved one, and each one’s view of death is compelling, however the impact of each poem depends on the frame of mind of the bereaved. There is a distinct difference between both works. â€Å"Funeral Blues† is depressing andShow MoreRelatedHamlets Second Soliloquy Essay927 Words   |  4 Pagescomments on ‘the Everlasting’ fixing his ‘canon ‘gainst self-slaughter’ in his first soliloquy, where he also condemns his flesh as ‘too too solid’, the same ‘sinews’ that he now calls upon to ‘bear [him] stiffly up’. One of the Ghosts most poignant effects on Hamlet is pointed out by L.C. Knights in Hamlet and Death, where he explains that â€Å"Hamlet’s exclusive concentration upon things rank and gross and his consequent recoil from life as a whole determine his attitude to death, which also is purelyRead More Buddism Essay969 Words   |  4 Pagesexistence in man of an immortal soul. 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