Death is a huge part of life. Everyone experiences it at least once in their lives. It can affect different people in various ways, some may choose to ignore it, some may get vigorously torn apart by it and others chose to fight it with the utmost of powers. This is shown in the key poems ‘War Photographer’, ‘Do not go gentle into that good night’ and ‘A mother in a refugee camp’. All of these poems show particular differences in their attitudes towards death; which is also seen in the further poems ‘Out of the Blue’, ‘Funeral Blues’ and ‘Mid-Term Break’.
In Carol Ann Duffy’s poem ‘War Photographer’ is about the experience of a photographer in the inhuman circumstances of a warzone. The poem explores many things but one of the main things …show more content…
It relates to death as inevitable. Dylan Thomas, the poet, is passionately calling his father and other elders to dispute their fates. In contrast to the indifference of fortunate people in the comfort of their own homes in ‘War Photographer’. Death is definitely not a topic to be taken lightly. Thomas uses the form of a villanelle to express this message intensely. The rhyme scheme consists of an ABA form. Thomas also uses iambic pentameter throughout the poem, which gives a regular beat and rhythm that helps Thomas’s father to fight death.. Thomas conveys his feelings towards death through repetition of the phrase ‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light.’ The use of the word ‘rage’ twice, displays his anger against death and that he believes everyone should be against it. The imagery throughout the poem is based upon the themes of light and dark. The ‘light’ symbolises life and vitality, while the ‘good night’ is death, which is an intentional pun reflecting the common phrase used to say goodnight to loved ones. Thomas's poem is fiery in its encouragement to fight age and foreshadowing death, rather than escaping from life and light. You come into this world screaming, kicking and crying therefore we must go out the same …show more content…
In ‘Mid Term Break’, a key literary device used by Heaney is imagery used to express ideas of death with the use of the extended metaphor to describe the only mark on the boy's body a ‘poppy bruise’. A poppy is red; hence he has a red bruise on his forehead from where the car hit him. The poppy is also symbol of death. Many people wear a poppy to commemorate those who died in war. The deadly bruise is retranslated as a ‘poppy’ a symbol of remembrance and another wasted life. Another image Heaney wants us to imagine is the four-foot box, which is alliteration that emphasises the harsh nature of death making the thought of his coffin more realistic. The idea that the corpse was ‘stanched and bandaged’ removes all humanity. The noun "corpse" is a detached word to use about a body of a family member. This could suggest how death was seen from the family’s perspective, as it was hard for them to relate to the boys lifeless body. The ‘four-foot’ coffin indicates that this is for a child, highlighting that the dead child was four years of age. The bland use of ‘box’ for coffin adds to the simplicity of the
In Carol Ann Duffy’s poem ‘War Photographer’ is about the experience of a photographer in the inhuman circumstances of a warzone. The poem explores many things but one of the main things …show more content…
It relates to death as inevitable. Dylan Thomas, the poet, is passionately calling his father and other elders to dispute their fates. In contrast to the indifference of fortunate people in the comfort of their own homes in ‘War Photographer’. Death is definitely not a topic to be taken lightly. Thomas uses the form of a villanelle to express this message intensely. The rhyme scheme consists of an ABA form. Thomas also uses iambic pentameter throughout the poem, which gives a regular beat and rhythm that helps Thomas’s father to fight death.. Thomas conveys his feelings towards death through repetition of the phrase ‘Rage, rage against the dying of the light.’ The use of the word ‘rage’ twice, displays his anger against death and that he believes everyone should be against it. The imagery throughout the poem is based upon the themes of light and dark. The ‘light’ symbolises life and vitality, while the ‘good night’ is death, which is an intentional pun reflecting the common phrase used to say goodnight to loved ones. Thomas's poem is fiery in its encouragement to fight age and foreshadowing death, rather than escaping from life and light. You come into this world screaming, kicking and crying therefore we must go out the same …show more content…
In ‘Mid Term Break’, a key literary device used by Heaney is imagery used to express ideas of death with the use of the extended metaphor to describe the only mark on the boy's body a ‘poppy bruise’. A poppy is red; hence he has a red bruise on his forehead from where the car hit him. The poppy is also symbol of death. Many people wear a poppy to commemorate those who died in war. The deadly bruise is retranslated as a ‘poppy’ a symbol of remembrance and another wasted life. Another image Heaney wants us to imagine is the four-foot box, which is alliteration that emphasises the harsh nature of death making the thought of his coffin more realistic. The idea that the corpse was ‘stanched and bandaged’ removes all humanity. The noun "corpse" is a detached word to use about a body of a family member. This could suggest how death was seen from the family’s perspective, as it was hard for them to relate to the boys lifeless body. The ‘four-foot’ coffin indicates that this is for a child, highlighting that the dead child was four years of age. The bland use of ‘box’ for coffin adds to the simplicity of the