Thanatopsis And A Child Said, What Is The Grass

“Thanatopsis” by William C. Bryant and “The Chambered Nautilus” by Oliver W. Holmes both describe how in nature there is life after death. In “Thanatopsis” a boy is worried about death and nature soothes his worrying by saying “Thy image. Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim-Thy growth, to be resolved in earth again...to be mixed forever with the elements” (ln. 22-26). This means that after death the boy will become one with the earth, and in reality he will never die he just will become apart of something else. A similar message is seen in “The Chambered Nautilus” when Oliver Holmes says that after the the chambered nautilus dies “from thy dead lips a clearer note is born-Than ever Triton blew from wreathèd horn!”

In Our Town, Thornton Wilder conveys that in order to value life one must acknowledge its finality. However, by accepting its impermanence, one inevitably becomes focused on the sorrow that accompanies its imminent end. Thus, it inhibits one from valuing life presently because one is aware that, in the words of Robert Frost, everything “golden” is fleeting.

Chuck Palahniuk once said, “The first step to eternal life, is you have to die.” In William Cullen Bryant’s poem “Thanatopsis”, he does not mention eternal life or anything religious, but speaks about death. He tells his readers that death is a natural thing and they should not worry about it. William Cullen Bryant, in his poem “Thanatopsis”, portrays a comforting view of death. Throughout the poem, Bryant encourages his readers by explaining that in death they are not alone, that death, like life, is a natural process, and that they will be among some of the finest people who walked the earth.

In the poem, “Thanatopsis” is more about death as he describes the nature with death. This poem would be more optimistic in a way because it was showing a possible way of not fearing death and the nature around it would be a possible thing too. The author lets us know that there is nothing wrong with death if we have the nature around us. As the author describes the nature as a she and tells us how beautiful it is, how can we not enjoy her everything she is giving us. He said in the poem “Like on who wraps the drapery of his couch about him, and lies down to pleasant dreams” he describe lay down like something is wrapped around you, just lay down and close your eyes don't think about death now think about what is around you just go to sleep

This poem talks about nature and death. William Cullen Bryant shares that nature can make death less painful. He says that when we start to think about death, we should go outside, and look around and listen to the natural earth sounds. This is supposed to remind us that when we die, we will mix back into the earth. The poem tells us that when we die, we will not be alone. We will be with every other person that has ever been buried, In the ground, which in this poem is called the “great tomb of man”. It also tells us that even those that are still living will soon die and join in the great tomb of man. This poem is meant to comfort those that are afraid of dying and death in general. At the end of the poem, we are told to think of death as

The poem “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant reveals a very unusual aspect of nature. While most people think of nature as beauty and full of life, Bryant takes a more interesting approach to nature. He exposes a correlation between nature, life, death, and re-birth. Using nature as a foothold, Bryant exercises methods such as tone, setting, and imagery in a very intriguing way while writing “Thanatopsis.”

In “Song of Myself”, grass is the central image surrounding Walt Whitman’s ideology. The idea behind it is grass, in some ways, is very similar to people in society and natures lifecycles. As Whitman was “observing a spear of summer grass” (5), he began to question the human condition. One of Whitman’s first thoughts was that one individual, like a single spear of grass surrounded by more grass, is part of a large community of people. It’s impossible to differentiate from others, for all people are equal despite cultural, religious, or gender differences. Nevertheless, Whitman’s use of symbolism alludes to the idea that grass reflects the thoughts and condition of people in society.

Leaves of Grass is Walt Whitman’s life legacy and at the same time the most praised and condemned book of poetry. Although fearful of social scorn, there are several poems in Leaves of Grass that are more explicit in showing the homoerotic imagery, whereas there are several subtle – should I say “implicit” – images woven into the fabric of the book. It is not strange, then, that he created many different identities in order to remain safe. What Whitman faced in writing his poetry was the difficulty in describing and resonating manly and homosexual love. He was to find another voice of his, a rhetoric device, and his effort took two forms: simplified, and subverted word play.

Another image that Whitman gives his readers in the poem is that of a handkerchief; we think of two things; drying weeping eyes and initials. During those times, not however as common a practice now, people would carry a handkerchief with them in case of the out cries of a woman. Along with tears, we are forced to think about why people cry? This develops thoughts about people that are loved being torn away, like in death. As you look at a handkerchief, it is often times easy to identify who it belongs to by the initials that appear on the cloth. This is a way to remember those that have died and keep them with you always. I think that this is a major idea of the poem, although someone no longer walks the face of the earth this does not mean that they are no longer with us, because they are in spirit and memory.

Death is part of the human life cycle, approximately 151,600 people die each day. Everyone wonders how they will die, if they suffer, if it’s tragic or if it’s just simply peaceful. In each of the three poems the main focus is death. Each poem shows a different feeling about death. “Thanatopsis” by William Bryant, “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult and “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas, all have different meanings of death.

The three pieces of literary art (Thanatopsis, Dust in the wind, and Don't fear the reaper) are sending a message that people live and they die. And we don't matter, but nature will always be a thing.

Although a person loses individuality at death, he becomes a part of nature. Bryant says in this line, "Earth, that nourished thee, shall claim/Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again," (22-23). The poet explains that people will return to the Earth that provided them with nourishment when they die. Bryant writes, "To mix for ever with the elements, /To be brother to the insensible rock/And to the sluggish clod, …"(26-28). He asserts here that once they are dead they will mix with

Mary Oliver’s poem, “Sleeping in the Forest,” presents a peaceful and vivid representation of death and its relationship with nature. As the poem begins, the reader is introduced to the earth welcoming the speaker back into the realm of nature. Man was created from the dust of the earth and when we die, our bodies return to the dust. However, this poem presents a more beautiful image of what death is composed of. Death is often portrayed as being frightening and disturbing. When individuals are presented with the thought of death, they often push this thought away out of fear and ignorance. Everyone will die someday whether we ignore the thought of death or not. However, Oliver creates a relaxing and welcoming image for the reader on what death (ideally) is. Obviously, since Oliver is still alive, she doesn’t know what death feels like. However, the way she describes death, I hope that it feels like sleeping in a forest; full of stars and enchantment.

By using metaphors to analogize grass with democracy, grass becomes a symbol for democracy allowing Whitman to convey his opinions on democracy by speaking bluntly about how he feels about the grass.

Whitman writes, “A child said What is the grass?” (99). Whitman answers this question in several ways. Whitman first answers this question by stating that grass, “[M]ust be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven” (101). Whitman is saying that the grass is a symbol of his beliefs. Wittman offers another answer which he states, “[I]t is the handkerchief of the Lord” (102). In this reply, Whitman is stating that the grass is portraying God. Whitman states, “Or I guess it is a uniform hieroglyphic/And it means, Sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow zones/ Growing among black folks as among white.” (106-108). Whitman thinks that grass is a uniformed symbol that grows anywhere no matter the person or color because he believes that nature holds no