On The Death Of My First And Dearest Child Analysis

Everybody goes through at least one traumatic experience in their lifetime. Katherine Philips, the writer of “On the Death of My First and Dearest Child, Hector Philips”, and Frances Burney, the writer of “Mastectomy” are no exceptions. One way to deal with the grief that comes along with such traumatic experiences is to write about it. Philips deals with the grief of losing her son through writing a poem. Burney also deals with her grief, but by writing about her mastectomy in the form of a short story. Although the two authors write about their grief in different ways, they are both writing for the same purpose, which is to help themselves move on. Acceptance, one of the five stages of grief, may seem like it will never occur. Through my personal experiences with grief, I feel that accepting the truth will mean that I am happy that it happened. That, of course, is not the truth, however, that is what makes it hard for me to finally overcome grief and accept that what has happened will make me a stronger person. Philips experiences grief after the death of her son Hector. After …show more content…
Throughout Philips's poem she did not talk about all the stages individually, however, it is noticeable that all five stages were present. “I did but touch the rosebud, and it fell” (6), writes Philips as if it was her fault that her son, like a beautiful rose from nature, was infected from her touch, and had died as a result. Like many other people dealing with grief, Philips becomes angry with herself even though there is a chance that there was nothing she could do to save her son. One of the big stages in Burney’s story was denial. For months she avoids seeking help, “I revolted from the idea, and hoped by care and warmth, to make all succor unnecessary” (1379), although her partner, and herself, know that she needs