Comparing Death In Thanatopsis And The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls

In the world, there is a myriad of views on death. Some suggest that death is natural, and people should not fear it. In “Thanatopsis” and “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”, Bryant and Longfellow imply that people should not fear death; the normalcy of death, what happens to one after death, and what happens to others after you die supports this idea. Bryant and Longfellow, both express that because of how common death is, people should not fear it. Longfellow describes how “The little waves, with their soft, white hands, /Efface the footprints in the sands,” (Longfellow 8-9). This displays how the waves naturally wipe away the life of the traveler. Bryant writes, “The golden sun, / The planets, all the infinite host of heaven, / Are shining on the sad abodes of death” (Bryant 45-47). He implies that death is a natural and universal conclusion to life. Bryant states “surrendering up/ Thine individual being, shalt thou go/ To mix for ever with the elements,” (Bryant 24-26). Here, the speaker is nature and has a comforting tone to soothe readers about the concept of death. “Thanatopsis” and “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” describe how …show more content…
Longfellow writes, “The day returns, but nevermore /Returns the traveler to the shore,” (Longfellow 13-14). He means, when one dies, they will not return to the life they once lived. Bryant remarks “Yet not to thine eternal resting-place/ Shalt thou retire alone,” (Bryant 31-32). This is comforting because when one dies, they will not be alone. Bryant also soothes readers by writing “Thou shalt lie down/ With patriarchs of the infant world” (Bryant 33-34). This brings joy to readers because they know that when they die the best people the world has ever known will surround them. Both Bryant and Longfellow support the idea that people should not fear death, because of what occurs after