Dickinson and William Cullen Bryant, Contemplation of Death Essay Example for Free

Dickinson and William Cullen Bryant, Contemplation of Death Essay Between the 17th and 19th centuries, the world paid witness to an intellectual and philosophical revolution that forever changed the perception of life itself. The Great Awakening caused people to become more in tune with their spiritual self, and the Great Enlightenment caused people to question, to think, and to pursue the unknown. This new wave of thinking, helped writers of the Romantic and Transcendent era, such as William Cullen Bryant, and Emily Dickinson, express their feelings of life. Thanatopsis†, by William Cullen Bryant, and â€Å"Because I could Not Stop for Death†, by Emily Dickinson, both exemplify the indisputable facts, that death is an inevitable, natural part of life, and there is no reason to be afraid of death. Even though the two poems both share the same underlying themes, they are presented in different ways. William Cullen Bryant and Emily Dickinson both perpetuated their belief that death is inevitable, but in very different ways. In â€Å"Thanatopsis†, by William Cullen Bryant, he expresses that death inevitable, by explaining that eventually, everyone dies, and that it is essentially part of a â€Å"life cycle†. Death is inevitable no matter whom you are, and everyone will die. He accentuates this idea when he says, â€Å"Thou shalt lie down with patriarchs of the infant world – with kings, the powerful of the earth, the wise the good † (Lines 33- 35). Cullen uses this line to say that no matter who you are, everyone has the same fate. We all end up the same, as he says in lines 25-28, â€Å"Thine individual being, shalt though go, to mix forever with the elements, to be a brother of the insensible rock†. Dickinson, however, presents her belief that death is natural in a completely different way. Dickinson believed that death was a part of the cycle of death. In lines 9-12, Dickinson stated, â€Å"We passed the School, where Children strove, at Recess- in the Ring – We passed the Fields of Grazing Grain – We passed the setting sun†. These lines are metaphors for the stages of life, from childhood to maturity to old age and then death. Dickinson presented those metaphors, to say that her â€Å"carriage ride with death†, was just another stage. We all are once young, we all will grow, and we will all die. Another difference between the two authors expressing that life is inevitable is that Bryant simply believes â€Å"shalt though go mix forever with the elements†, while Dickinson believes, â€Å"Were toward eternity†. Bryant believes that death is final, and Dickinson is perhaps more religious, and believes that there is still life after death. Even though William Cullen Bryant and Dickinson got their point across in different ways, they both were able to express their belief that death is certain. Even though Bryant and Dickinson have very different writing styles, they both further accentuate their belief that death is inevitable by writing about how life is short. Bryant writes about how life is short in lines 17-20 when he says, â€Å"Yet a few days, and thee all beholding sun shall see now more†. This means that in just a short amount of time, you will no longer be here, your life will end, and your â€Å"sun† will burn out, ceasing to exist. There is no way around it. Dickinson is able to express this idea, in a completely different way. From lines 14- 16 Dickinson said, â€Å" The Dews drew quivering and chill ,For only Gossamer, my Gown , My Tippet , only Tule â€Å". When Dickinson says this, she is using her clothing to have an even deeper meaning; A Gossamer is a thin, light cloth, and â€Å"my tippet, my tule†, means that â€Å"my shawl was only a fine net cloth†. She dressed lightly, even though it was cold out, ( â€Å" the dews drew quivering and chill† ) because it would not take death long to take her on the carriage ride, watching her life pass her by. Life is short, and death is inevitable. The carriage ride throughout her life will come to an end, which is why she did not dress properly. Although Bryant and Dickinson have very different writing styles, they are both able to express how they believe that death is inevitable by writing about how life is short. Usually, when an author writes about death, the writing is dark, and brooding. However, â€Å"Thanatopsis†, and â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death†, both offer solace that death is nothing to fear. William Cullen Bryant says we are to live so that when it is time for us to die; we should not fight it, but welcome it. We should not be afraid like a slave at night in a dungeon but instead we should be sustained an soothed with an unfaltering trust approaching our grave like one who wraps the covers from his bed around him and lies down to pleasant dreams, as Bryant says from lines 73 – 81, â€Å"So live, that when thy summons comes to join , The innumerable caravan, which moves , To that mysterious realm, where each shall take , His chamber in the silent halls of death,  Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed, By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave , Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. â€Å" Bryant is simply saying that we should welcome death, and look forward to it, for it is nothing to fear. Dickinson is able to offer solace by personifying death from lines 1-8, â€Å" Because I could not stop for death, he kindly stopped for me, the carriage held but just ourselves, and immortality, we slowly drove, he knew no haste, and I had put away, my labor and my leisure too , for his civility. Dickinson personifies death as a kind, civil man. He waited for her, did not rush her, and he respected her. Dickinson personifies death as a gentleman; to express that death should not be feared, because there is no reason to be afraid. Although many writings about death are very dark, and pessimistic, â€Å"Thanatopsis† and â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death†, are both very comforting, but in very different ways. The new wave of thinking during the 19th centuries, helped Romantic and Transcendent era authors such as William Cullen Bryant, and Emily Dickinson express their thoughts of death, in a way that it had not previously been expressed. â€Å"Thanatopsis† and â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death† both exemplify the same indisputable facts, that death is an inevitable, natural part of life, and there is no reason to be afraid of death. Even though the two poems both share the same underlying themes, they are presented in different ways. Bryant accentuates his belief that death is inevitable saying that eventually, we all die, no matter whether royalty, or a peasant. Dickinson is able to do this by giving a metaphor to various stages of life, which is to say, that death is just another stage. Death is part of the cycle. Bryant also pointed out that life is short, by giving an analogy to not seeing the sun any more. Dickinson did this by stating that she was underdressed for her ride passing through her life, because it was short, and she knew she would soon die, and go onwards towards eternity. Both Bryant and Dickinson offer solace about death. Bryant offers solace by saying that there is no need to worry, but that we should embrace it. Dickinson offers solace by personifying death, calling him civil, and kind, to accentuate her belief that there is nothing to fear. William Cullen Bryant and Emily Dickinson were two of the greatest writers of their time, and both wrote about the same underlying themes, but expressed them in completely different ways.

Taiwan Earthquake - The 9-21 Earthquake (September 21 1999) :: essays research papers

Taiwan Earthquake - The 9-21 Earthquake (September 21 1999) CNN: A special news report-This morning, there was an earthquake registering 7.6 on the Richter scale shaked Taiwan at 1:45am on September 21,1999. The epicenter is a mile under the ground in Nantou near Puli. There are many buildings crushed, and even a twelve floor-high rise building suddenly became a two floor- high rise building (the first to the sixth floors dipped into the underground, and the seventh to the twelfth floors went diagonally down and damaged the road.) As of press time the Disaster Management Center said 2,034 people were confirmed dead. Another 6,536 were injured and 2,308 were trapped, while 208 were still listed as missing. The number still increases, Taiwan has many earthquakes, and although most are centered under the sea and cause no damage. Some have brought disaster to the island, but this time is the biggest earthquake in Taiwanese history. Taiwanese call it the 9-21 earthquake because it happened on September 21 1999. I was at my work place, I had heard the news: there was a building crushed in Taipei because of a serious earthquake was registering 7.6 happened in Taiwan about an hour ago. I was so happy and careless because my entire family dose not live close to Taipei and I did not have any bad information about central Taiwan. During my lunch break, there was updating news from CNN station: the epicenter of this earthquake is in Nantou near Puli. My heart was stony and cold, after I knew the epicenter was in my grandmother’s hometown-Puli. Nantou County is approximately 200km south of Taipei, and it is the only place not around the ocean in Taiwan. There are only mountains around Nantou, and Puli is a small town in Nantou County. There are about two thousand people in Puli, and its wine, rice noodles, and beauty are the most famous things in Taiwan because Puli has very good and clean spring water, and the air quality is the top of the line- no pollution. Moreover Puli is a small town, and all the people in Puli are like a big family. People know everything in the town, and they knew me since I was born. It is a very different environment and experience in Puli than in America, and I love it very much. It was hard to believe that Mother Nature punished Puli and Taiwan so badly.

Martin Luther King in campaigning in the North Essay

In 1966 Martin Luther King decided to focus on dealing with the problems in the North particularly Chicago. The problems that he encountered here were very different to those that he had had so much success with in the South. Dealing with the economic and social segregation that he faced here proved difficult for several reasons. The problems facing blacks in the North, stemmed from a variety of different areas including education, employment, housing etc. Although King was able to identify the problems being faced in these areas, particularly housing, he still largely relayed on the same tactics that he and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) had used in the South. However, the mayor of Chicago (Daley) would avoid making a hostile response such as that of ‘Bull’ Connor in Birmingham. The authorities here were more subtle to avoid gaining the attention of the media e.g. the police would avoid using brutality and Daley even blamed violence for social decay*. This prevented the movement from gaining as much publicity and support as in previous years. King also tried to come to some sort of agreement with Daley regarding housing. However, Daley was reluctant to do so fearing the loss of votes of the white working class. Actions such as this added to the anger that blacks in Chicago felt towards the white authorities and increased their unwillingness to co-operate. Both Mayor Daley’s refusal to help and King’s disorganisation when planning the Chicago campaign played an important role in its failure. Chicago suffered more from problems in racial division than other cities in the North, and so perhaps it was not a good starting point for the campaign here. Locals would sometimes blame blacks for inciting race riots and these divisions were illustrated by the marches organised by the SCLC in 1966, which ended in violence from mobs. * * In Chicago most blacks lived in ghettoes to the south of the city. Therefore it appears reasonable that these people often found it difficult to relate to Martin Luther King and his middle class background. The SCLC had never had much grass roots support unlike other organisations, such as the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNNC). Although in the South this had  still allowed them to have success, in Chicago most blacks were working class and looking for improvements in housing, less poverty and some overall change brought about by an end to de facto segregation. However, in the South the need for change had been more political- an end to de jure segregation. Given these differences, many northern blacks felt that King’s non-violent philosophy did not represent their views. It would be difficult to change these attitudes – here, perhaps as a result of poverty, the amount of gang warfare and crime was much higher than in the South. Change would undoubtedly take time- more than the few months that the SCLC had planned for the campaign to last. There were quite clear social divisions between black communities in the South and North. One of the most important examples of this is that the churches in the North were not as successful at organising their community as churches in the South had been. This was partly due to a lack of co-operation, and partly due to the fact that the Christian faith was much stronger in the South. It was at this point that many blacks were beginning to join alternative ‘black power’ groups. Overall it appears that King underestimated the differences between the North and the South and the divisions that were evident amongst the black community. He was unfamiliar with the attitudes of those in the North and did not make an accurate assessment of the situation. As a result of this the tactics employed by the SCLC were not as successful as originally hoped. * http://www.revision-notes.co.uk/revision/59.html ** http://www.reportingcivilrights.org/

To Kill a Mockingbird Identity - 1239 Words

OUR SURROUNDINGS AND THE PEOPLE IN OUR LIVES SHAPE OUR IDENTITY. Good morning ladies and Gentlemen. Do our surroundings and the people in our lives shape our identity? I will explore how this quotation is reflected in the novel â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† by Harper Lee, the film ‘Witness’, by Peter Weir, and the film ‘The Lion King’ by Roger Allers. The meaning of identity is not easily defined. Identity generally refers to the stable defining characteristics of a person that makes them an individual. I will explore a number of parallel themes evident in all three texts; the influence of courage, violence, discrimination, religion and the revolutionary nature of the protagonists whose identity is shaped by these themes. Harper Lee†¦show more content†¦However it also indicates his inability to denounce violence when he states ‘It’s my way’. Towards the end of the movie Book has demonstrated that he was able to forego violence in favour of a peaceful resolution. Book initially finds it difficult to assimilate into an Amish lifestyle. Having to live by their moral code sees Book as more accepting and respectful of their belief structures, as seen when he represses the use of violence when confronted by the English at the end of the film. As outlined it is evident in the film ‘Witness’ that the main characters identities are shaped by their surroundings and the people around them. ‘The Lion King’ by Roger Allers features Simba, a young lion cub, struggling to find his place in ‘the circle of life’ who eventually matures into his father due to his strong influence shaping his identity. His father, King Mufasa teaches Simba the ‘delicate balance of nature which bonds all animals together’, and cautions him to prepare for the day he will be called upon to rule shown by the quote, â€Å"Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. As king, you need to understand that balance, and respect all the creatures.† Mufasa and Simba share a special bond and throughout the film his identity begins to emulate that of his fathers. Simba develops a strong belief structure based on courage and respect due to his father’sShow MoreRelatedExamples Of Identity In To Kill A Mockingbird874 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout history, different people have many struggles with their identity and trying to figure out who they are. When I was younger, I struggled with my identity and who I was to my family and my friends. I did not know how to be myself without being called names or being looked at funny. At the house I would act one way towards my parents and my siblings, and at school I would act differently towards my friends to fit in. 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Just like Scout in the novel To Kill A MockingbirdRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Reflection Essay744 Words   |  3 PagesTo Reflect on Mockingbird To Kill A Mockingbird reflected the contentious race relations of the 1930’s-1960’s, and sparked nationwide examination of racism. There are countless court cases that closely resemble the trial that took place in the novel, such as the Scottsboro Trials. The book was published right before the culmination of the Civil Rights Movement. In the years after the book’s publication, the Freedom Riders made their famous trip across the South, and the March on Washington took placeRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird And Kindred Essay735 Words   |  3 PagesBryah Spruill Ms.Rorke English 9 GT 31 October 2017 â€Å"My potential is more than can be expressed within the bounds of my race or ethnic identity† (Ashe). 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Social forces influence identities and become dangerous. Gender, race, time and place are just three social forces. All can have negative effects associated with them, the stereotyping of gender, saying that a girl has to dress nice, or cook in the kitchen, race and being discriminated against for not being a certain color, or even how being in a certain place can affect a persons identity, on the way they should act. Using references from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and other variousRead MoreSocial Forces in to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 768 Words   |  3 Pagesthe world has their own identity; have you ever thought about what your identity is? Identity plays a big role in the world especially in America where not all identities are good. People might identify a weal thy person as â€Å"snotty rich† or a poor person as â€Å"defective† or maybe someone calls a man a woman when theyre really a man. Or maybe you call someone a terrorist just because they are middle eastern. The list goes on and on and thats why social forces influence identities and can become dangerousRead MoreTalk About Scout And The Married Women1295 Words   |  6 Pagesnovel too, and end in your topic sentence. How would you feel if you were a woman that lived in the harsh 1930’s? A woman’s life was very hard, and some people wanted it to change in real life and the book. Scout and the married women in To Kill a Mockingbird are pushed by the men to work hard everywhere without a reward. Women were expected to come home and do everything like cleaning and making dinner. If they had children, then they were expected to take care of them after they finished working