Death in American Literature - 2425 Words

Essay 2 05/07/2012 Dickinson and Edgar Allan Poe (writing a few decades prior to Dickinson) ask us to explore a consciousness that doubts and questions its own reflections. They employ death as the focal point of self-consciousness, the unknowable center around which our thoughts inevitably swirl (whether we are aware of it or not). Compare Dickinson’s poem #315 and Poe’s â€Å"Ligeia† on the topic. Philosophy of the death The theme of death has always been a presence in American writings – from early colonial diaries and through the nineteen century – because death was perceived to be ever present in people’s lives. Descended from the tradition of Puritan religion and also influenced by sentimentalism and Romantic views of death, Emily†¦show more content†¦Someone destroys himself and someone has been pushed to violence and has become a victim. There is only one end – death that can come from nowhere, but before it happens, there are levels to go through. In its turn â€Å"Ligeia† is Poe’s most successful attempt to merge the Gothic grotesque with the traditional love story. Ligeia is the name of the story and she is the object of the narrator’s love. Ligeia preserves death and light that Poe places in her way. And even when she dies, her memory remains the primary fixation of the narrator’s mind. She becomes his obsession, and he doesn’t want to get rid of it. Whereas the blonde-haired Rowena, who is absolutely opposite to Ligeia, replaces her as the narrator’s wife, but the darkness of the marriage bedroom suffocates the blonde, and Ligeia returns in Rowens’s body, imbuing the blonde’s body with her darker tones. It is as a black victory of death that concludes the story. Poe contrasts light and darkness to symbolize the conflict of two philosophical traditions. Ligeia and Lady Rowena represent the irrational and the rational respectively; it is a battle of heart and mind. Lige ia wins this fight. And her ultimate victory is her return from the dead. It confirms that the narrator has lost his power of rationality and lost touch withShow MoreRelated Death and the African American Literature2497 Words   |  10 Pagesinnocent African Americans. It has also robbed a whole race of their identities, heritages and cultures. Throughout the myriad of novels, excerpts, poems, videos and other forms of literature that we encountered in this course, it is unmistakable that the African American literary tradition demonstrates that the past (the unbelievable sufferings of African Americans) can never be arrested and forgotten. The many that have perished at the feet of racism are the history of African Americans themselves,Read MoreTheme Of Symbolism In Edgar Allan Poe1164 Words   |  5 PagesSymbolism Throughout the Works of Edgar Allen Poe The American author, Edgar Allen Poe, had a life filled with much hardship, such as, death and loss, these hardships often reflected in his poems and story’s as the topic of most of his works seemed to revolve around those subjects. Poe used extensive symbolism in his works, symbolism is usually defined as something such as an object, idea, place, or person, used for or regarded as representing something else. The most common symbolism regarding toRead MoreDeath Is Death And The Idea Of Death1290 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout American literature there are several themes that one can find and explore. All you must do is to look and interpret what you are reading. One such theme is death and the idea of death. Death has always been in the collective conscious of Americans because, it is, well, inevitable. It is most certainly coming for each and every one and is inescapable. A common phrase in today’s culture is â€Å"only two things are certain in this world; death a nd taxes.† Death has always stirred mysticism andRead More A Comparison of the Poetry of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost1062 Words   |  5 Pagesand Robert Frost The poetry of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost contains similar themes and ideas. Both poets attempt to romanticize nature and both speak of death and loneliness. Although they were more than fifty years apart, these two seem to be kindred spirits, poetically speaking. Both focus on the power of nature, death, and loneliness. The main way in which these two differ is in their differing use of tone. The power of nature is a recurring theme in the poetry of Emily DickinsonRead MoreFall of the House of Usher Literary Analysis Essay1325 Words   |  6 PagesLiterary Analysis As with many of Edgar Allan Poes pieces, The Fall of the House of Usher falls within the definition of American Gothic Literature. According to Prentice Hall Literature, American Gothic Literature is characterized by a bleak or remote setting, macabre or violent incidents, characters being in psychological or physical torment, or a supernatural or otherworldly involvement (311). A story containing these attributes can result in a very frightening or morbid read. In all probabilityRead MoreLiterature Review Of Capital Punishment910 Words   |  4 Pages8932 October 17th, 2017 Paper #2: Literature Review Please write a 1,000 word paper reviewing a set of literature displaying the various dimensions of research conducted in an area of your interests. What part does capital punishment/death row play in the American society? For my literature review, I decided to do it on capital punishment in America. I wanted to focus on exactly what part it plays within the society now days. I decided to choose this topic since it tights in with my research paperRead MoreLife and Death1191 Words   |  5 PagesIn â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† the author, Ernest Hemingway tells a story of an American man and his girlfriend, Jig, who have a disagreement in the train station on the subject of whether to keep the unborn child or to abort. However, the author uses binary opposition of life and death to portray the polemic argument a couple encounters regarding abortion. As a symbol for the binary opposition of life and death, he represents the couple’s expressions, feelings, and the description of nature. Read MoreInfluenced by Land and Man: Willa Cather and Catherine Porter, Writers of the Southwest1316 Words   |  6 Pagesidea of Southwestern literature is presented. The scene of a saloon shootout a nd John Wayne materialize. Southwestern literature is more than the O.K. Corral. Writers such as Willa Cather and Catherine Porter do not have the prototypical storyline stated above, but they are writers of Southwestern literature. In order to understand why Willa Cather and Catherine Porter should be considered a part of Southwestern literature, one must consider the difference between the American West and Southwest andRead MoreThemes in Early American Literature Essays1568 Words   |  7 PagesThemes of Early American Literature Early American literature does a tremendous job of revealing the exact conditions and challenges that were faced by the explorers and later by the colonists of the New World. From early shipwrecks to the later years of small colonies barely surviving through dreadful winters, the literary works of the time period focus on some very recognizable themes. The theme of any given work – being simply the unifying subject or idea – is a very important element of anyRead MoreGothic Literature : `` Tell Tale Heart `` And `` The Raven ``1698 Words   |  7 PagesBrendan Pulido American Lit Mr. Bartelt 2/21/17 Gothic Literature Gothic Literature has been around since the late 17th century, slowly progressing in popularity until the mid 19th century where it had much success demonstrated through Edgar allan Poe. Edgar Allan has a number of common Themes, motifs and structures that make his work easily recognizable and more importantly, fits his stories into the classification of the gothic. Among these elements, they include the theme of death and decay, which