Death as a theme in Modern Poetry1

A detailed Summary of Death as a theme in Modern Poetry1

Death has been and always will be an interesting and compelling topic among poets and authors alike. Death sheds a mysterious vale over life and is often avoided or dreaded within people causing diversity among the reactions of modern poetry and thought. Mortality can be treated as a crisis, a destination, with significance or without, as well as (sadly) by some as a goal. Death provides a wide spectrum of ideas that can be expanded upon with dignity or as a magnanimous ideal. The poets that I have read and pondered deliver an array of insight on the topic; from its grotesqueness to its humbleness. They approach or meditate upon death with disgust as well as with nonchalance. Overall I think that although the poets each dissect and interpret our inevitable encounter in variation they all would agree in its mystery and finality.

To live, especially with comfort and respect, can often be, and is usually, a difficult as well as unavoidable task. Dying can be viewed in much the same way. Although you sometimes have a choice, often death is sudden and miserable and can end a life with little or no grace. I think Randall Jarrell would agree with me on this point. In his poem "The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner" Jarrell ex

This was brought up in the words and ideas of several of the poets we read. Each gave their own interesting twist to what they thought life was when compared or shown in accordance with death and dying. I have already shown that certain poets believe that death is an easy thing to come by, so now how would that relate to our lives? Theodore Roethke discusses this in his poem "The Waking." The phrase, "I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow" is repeated several times throughout the poem. This can imply several things. To "wake" is probably synonymous with "to live" and "to sleep" is probably related to "to die." If you take your waking slow I would think you would live longer. If you took your waking fast (or lived a "fast" life) I would think that he meant it would lead to a faster or earlier death. Does this mean live life to the fullest? Probably, but not with the same connotation as is common in contemporary America. I think it is saying to live without consideration of death. But that's where it gets complicated. Roethke is not saying to live recklessly, or over indulge, or to engage in gluttonous lifestyle, he is saying to live conservatively but not to let death consume your anxieties. Death is a common and natural occurrence that is unavoidable so live without consideration of it. Dylan Thomas echoes these sentiments to a certain extent, although in a voice that does not share the same passivity as Roethke. You should never let yourself succumb to death according to Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night." In this poem he states "Rage, rage against the dying of the light." This acknowledges the existence of a life's end but tells us not to shrivel or wither in its sometimes-frightening face. Wise men in his poem "know dark is right" (which I am hoping means that they know death is right and death will come) but even they "do not go gentle into that good night." In this poem Thomas realizes that death is imminent but he still does not appease it by sacrificing the routines of his life to try and completely avoid dying. He is merely saying that just because it happens, and will happen, does not mean that we have to sit back and watch it occur, like his father apparently did. Roethke's and Thomas's views, although different, were also similar in some ways.

As dark of a topic as it is, death is still interesting and can provide mysterious as well as engaging themes in poetry. These poems and topics were all related in at least a

Some common words found in the essay are:
Dylan Thomas, , Theodore Roethke, Grave People, Gunner Jarrell, Stevie Smith, Gentle Night, Jarrell Rosenberg, Man's Dump, Robert Lowell, saying live, signed paper, hand signed paper, hand signed, waking slow, night poem, live consideration, poets read, dylan thomas, gentle night, gentle night poem,

Approximate Word count = 1680
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English