Death in Poetry- An Analytical Comparison

Paper Summary:

This paper compares and analyzes two poems about death that were written almost three centuries apart. The reviewer believes that the poems "Death be not Proud" by John Donne and "On Death, without Exaggeration" by Wislawa Szymborska demonstrate the beliefs of two different generations on the topic of death. The reviewer further describes the former as condemning death's pride, and the latter as mocking death's frailty. "Death Be Not Proud" speaks of death as a subtle reality of life, whereas the modern-day poem "On Death, without Exaggeration" criticizes the imperfection of death.

From the Paper:

"Donne goes on to say that death is similar to natural rest or sleep. "From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be" (1453) implies that every time a man falls into sleep, he is performing an innocuous practice for the experience of death; however, death remains a part of life from which no one is exempt. Death, inevitable as it may be, is an assurance of Donne's believe that there is a supreme destination after death. It is a component of humanity and causes the poem to reflect a reverence toward and optimism about death."

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