Life and Death

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses and compares the poems, "Traveling Through the Dark" by William Stafford and "God, a Poem" by James Fenton. The paper examines how these poets approach the existential question of whether there is meaning to the accidents of life and death. The paper contends that these two poems are appreciated because in some deeply emotive way they touch on a common human experience of alienation and the struggle to find meaning in the world.

From the Paper:

"James Fenton's poem should be the first to be considered, if for no other reason than that it would be difficult to take seriously following Stafford's piece. It would be a mistake to assume that the foolery of this piece represents a lack of talent or imagination on the part of the poet. Fenton is widely considered one of the greatest poets of his generation, said to have an "assurance of tone and technique [which] immediately distinguished his work... the sheer excellence of his poetry." (Gioia) So if there is a certain lackadaisical feel to this piece, a sense that it was thrown together by talented grade-school atheists who have only recently learned about rhyme and rhythm, there must be some intentional reason behind this sense. On second thought, the poem seems less childlike, and more reminiscent of the writing of the self-trained poets that abound in common culture, those who dedicate their free time to writing ditties about the Lord and Saviour, or the value of married life."

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• Persuasive Essay # 129844 : "The Meaning of Life and Death"
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