Thanatopsis

I think that the story "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant is about life and death. I also think that it is not about life and death being bad thing but more being about the inevitability of life and death. "So shalt thou rest; and what if thou withdraw; In silence from the living, and no friend;Take note of thy departure? All that breathe; Will share thy destiny."(Lounsbury) I think that this part of the poem is the best support for why it is not about hating death but about accepting it. "All that breathe; Will share thy destiny." This is meaning that everyone will die one day and that you can not stop it. I also think that this poem is trying to tell us to live our life so that when we die someone will be there for us."So shalt thou rest; and what if thou withdraw; In silence from the living, and no friend;Take note of thy departure?"(Lounsbury) If you are silent from then living and withdraw from friends then I do not think that anyone will "take not of thy departure". I know that when I die I want a lot of people to be there. I know that it may sound selfish of me but I do not want to be alone when I die. I also want it for my remaining family. I have been to funerals of young people and it seems that the more people in attendance the easier it becomes for the family to deal with the grieving process. I am not saying that I will die when I am young, or so I hope not but that when it is my time, someone is there. This poem also instructs us to watch how we live our life or when Death comes for us, the images of our past will be dark, sad and gloomy. "Over thy spirit, and sad images; Of the stern agony and shroud, and pall,; And breathless darkness, and the narrow house,; Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart."(Lounsbury) This part of the poem is talking about what I was above. When Death came for them, they grew sick at the images they saw. The darkness and gloom that inhabited their life was projected onto their spirit and it was sad and gloomy also. I think that they wish they could go back and change things but they can't and I do think this is one of the more devious parts of Death. He goes back and shows these poor souls the wrong doing of their lives instead of what they did right. Death wants these spirits to look back and feel bad about what they did and I do not think that is right of him to do. William Cullen Bryant seems like a very intelligent man to me but also seems to be a tad depressing but I am interested in reading some more of his work.

Lounsbury, Thomas R., ed. Yale Book of American Verse. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1912; Bartleby.com, 1999. www.bartleby.com/102/.