Death, be not proud

"Death, be not proud" by John Donne

"And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die" (Donne, page 972).

Death is mentioned to not be proud. Death is described to not be something to be proud of as it could come from "poison, war, and sickness" (Donne, page 971). The poem mentions that some find it to be mighty and dreadful yet no one should. The speaker continues to describe why death is not a proud moment. Death is described to be a poor death as a whole. Furthermore, death is mentioned to take some of the best men which is also why it is not proud. The speakers reasons for death to not be proud are logical. Many die well before they have time to even begin to live their life. Many people dying before their time could have made a lot out of their lives yet did not have the chance to live it. Furthermore, the speaker says that the poison, war, and sickness take away people unnecessarily. In our society today, people die from war everyday. The wars could potentially be avoided so the deaths were unnecessary  Lastly, people die of sickness everyday including malnutrition in less fortunate countries. These deaths could potentially be prevented so a life is wasted.

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light" (Thomas, page 968).

The poem has an opposite feeling towards death than "Crossing the Bar". While "Crossing the Bar" had a content and almost joyous feeling toward moving forward past death, "Do Not Go Gentle into The Good Night" uses the diction to display a dismay towards death. The repetition of "Rage, rage against the dying of the light" (Thomas, page 968) is mentioned four times in the length of the poem. The repetition in such a short piece puts emphasis on the line. Life is compared to a day. As the light lessens, the end of the life or day is nearing. Furthermore, saying that the light is dying is comparing the livelihood of someone to the light. As the light dims, life is coming nearer and nearer to its end. Words such as burn, rave, and blaze allow for a feeling of angst against death. The title of the poem sums up the opinion of the poem about death. The message is to not be at peace with leaving earth for the afterlife. Although the afterlife is characterized as That Good Night, the time leading up involves resent towards death. As many people resent death, the poem is describing that there should be more peaceful and calm attitude toward death as it is good in the end.