Death In The Poem Thanatopsis By William Cullen Bryant

The name of the poem is "Thanatopsis" by William Cullen Bryant. The speaker of this poem is someone who is talking to another person who is dying. I think that he's reassuring his friend that he will go peacefully. The purpose is because the speaker's friend died and he is mourning his death, but later he wants to let the reader know that he is no longer afraid of it. The speaker was originally upset and angry about his friend's passing, but his attitude toward death changes because he accepted that it was natural, it happens to every living thing, and we shouldn't be afraid. What is literally happening in this poem is that the speaker is talking to his friend about death. He specifically talks about how the corpse will become one with the earth, like when he says, "Earth that nourished thee, shall claim thy growth, to be resolved to earth again" (line 22-23). He also tells him, "Thou shalt lie down with patriarchs of the infant world-with kings, the powerful of the earth-the wise, the good, fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past, all in one mighty sepulcher" (line 33-37), which means that during the …show more content…
Also, it seems that the writer sends out a message to the readers at the end of the poem. "So live, that when thy summons comes to join the innumerable caravan..., thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night..., but sustained and soothed..., approach thy grave..., and lies down to pleasant dreams" (line 73-81). This image tells us to live a life of happiness, so that we could die peacefully. Bryant's use of tropes and his literal images lead to a deeper meaning beyond the literal because he uses words like, "mysterious realm," "chamber," and, "pleasant dreams" to describe what death will be like and how it will be