In “The Death of the Moth”, Woolf took on such a small and simple creature to represent something that was much bigger than anyone that has ever lived on this Earth. The process of life and death is inevitable, but to look at it from a 3rd person point of view is invigorating. Ironically published after Woolf’s own suicide, the reader is left wondering if she wrote this mirroring her own life, as a personal battle. Woolf mentions the “triumph” that the moth experiences. There was an “enemy against which he (the moth) struggled”.
“Ropes on the back of my hands I could strangle with”-Havisham This is another example of the pain of love and it is particularly effective as it shows the extreme physical tension within “Havisham” and describes the pain of love as a driving force of murder. This metaphor and its meaning can also be found in “Valentine” as love is described as “lethal”. “Carol Anne Duffy” uses them both to revile the pain of love and its implications. The pain of love is not only confined to a mental state but also a physical
This is because the Tralfamadorians believe that beings live within memories, and "are just fine in plenty of other moments." As readers, we are now introduced to Vonnegut's much used phrase, "so it goes," which appears to be stemmed from the Tralfamadorian beliefs. The phrase “So it goes” follows every mention of death in the novel, equalizing all of them, whether they are natural, accidental, or intentional, and whether they occur on a massive scale or on a very personal one. The phrase reflects a kind of comfort in the Tralfamadorian idea that although a person may be dead in a particular moment, he or she is alive in all the other moments of his or her life, which coexist and can be visited over and over through time travel. At the same time, though, the repetition of the phrase keeps a tally of the cumulative force of death throughout the novel, thus pointing out the tragic inevitability of death.
Octavia E. Butler’s work Kindred is a profound novel that illustrates the destructive power of obessive love. Butler also does a remarkable job protraying the graphic nature of racial prejudice in the 1800s as opposed to how it’s viewed in modern times via time travels – which gives the reader the oppurtunity to compare and contrast the two distinct eras. Dana’s (the narrator and protagonist of Kindred) choice to continue saving Rufus’ life, regardless of his absurd behavior, causes her time travels to prolong – given that Rufus was the focus and cause of them – and Rufus eventually beomes obsessed with Dana. As Dana chooses to save Rufus’ life, she not only prolongs her time travels to the antebellum Maryland of the early 1800s but also saves her life and preserves the familail bond of the slaves. “Was that why I was here?
At first glance Harold and Maude both are strikingly different characters, They both have extensively varied lifestyles,complete and utterly different types of personalities, and outrageous hobbies. Take a step closer however and you will soon realize they share one of the most important qualities, life. Maude celebrates death as a grand finale, to all her collection of stories, while Harold relishes in the destruction of life, by acting out his own suicides. Harold and Maude may share this quality, but they each celebrate life in their own unique way, through death. Harold is the personification of the word,strange.
Max's story aims to encourage Liesel to be brave and willing to counter words of hatred with words of love; these final lines suggest that others would be willing to follow her if she took such a stand. 10. "I am haunted by humans." (550) The Book Thief is framed by Death's and death's inability to reconcile the remarkable cruelty and the remarkable compassion of which human beings are simultaneously capable. Liesel's life story contains elements of both, and by the end of the novel, Death appears to be no more capable of judging humanity than at the novel's outset.
Reading the provocative essay, “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain” by Jessica Mitford, revealed a sense of dark content. The very first lines seemed very exciting, yet it felt as if the lines pushed away the audience by the evident originality of the topic of embalming. The dreadful details of modern funeral practices promote much curiosity. Mitford’s focus is obvious from the very start of the essay. She confidently and harshly communicates her resistance to the procedures performed when handling the human body after death.
However, the most incredible of all these passages is found in Act 4, Scene 1, Lines 164-177, where Macbeth contemplates his inner thoughts to himself. Here, Macbeth speaks to time, providing the audience with a more in depth image of its importance. Also, Macbeth’s diction is short and fierce, further pushing the play’s theme of insanity slowly taking over Macbeth’s mind. Lastly, the passage faultlessly illustrates Macbeth’s fatal flaw of ambition slowly ruining his inner being. With these things taken into account, it will be effortless for one to show just how lovely this passage is
The Irrecoverable Good Old Days: An analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, strongly demonstrates that precaution be taken for reliving the past. Gatsby’s death illustrates how delicate life is when individuals are not aware of there own present surroundings. An important idea expressed in the novel is that human’s awful tendency to use deception on ones own out of reach desires, so they can believe that there past obsession will one day be true, will perpetually lead to the utter destruction and isolation of oneself. Daisy’s love life with Gatsby in the past is brought up multiple times, revealing the obsession Gatsby has of Daisy, notably his past depiction of her through the
The poem’s theme appears to be about unrequited love and a man wooing his “coy mistress” to sleep with him, but this poem does has a deeper meaning, which is really impressive and therefore is striking. The theme of mortality is highlighted in this poem through word choice and by using imagery which reinforces the idea of death. Words relating to death such as “ ashes” and “grave” are used to emphasise the lack of time that we have and the stark contrast between the slow, idyllic first stanza and the sped up, heavier second stanza shows the difference between the idealistic eternity and the reality that we are all mortal and have to die at some point. Another deeper theme introduced is the idea of “carpe diem” which is shown through the lustier language in the poem, word choice such as “time devour”, and also through the quickened pace of the second stanza. The speaker is not simply asking the “coy mistress” to sleep with him, what he is saying is if there was all the time in the world then life would be ideal but there is not so they have to live for the moment.