The Theme of Mortality PDF

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Teacher: Dr. Young...

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Pond 1 Nicholas M. Pond Dr. Young ENG 201 HB Tuesday, December 12, 2017 Maxi Argument Essay #2 The Theme of Mortality Society has many outlooks and opinions on the subject of mortality. Two poems that involve a discussion and theme of mortality include Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem “Facing It” and Dilruba Ahmed’s poem “Snake Oil, Snake Bite”. Komunyakaa’s “Facing It” is a poem that explores the emotional response to the Vietnam Memorial. In Ahmed’s “Snake Oil, Snake Bite” the poet discusses her belief in no life; only a very long death. Death will come for everyone, but it is our choice and our decision on how we live our lives before that day comes. Together, Komunyakaa and Ahmed’s poems have a theme of mortality that is emotional, but involves different points of view. Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem “Facing It” reflects his emotions when it comes to the Vietnam Memorial. For Komunyakaa the memorial holds a deeper meaning to him. The line “I said I wouldn’t/dammit: No tears. /I’m stone. I’m flesh” (Lines 3-5, 1276) shows both his emotional struggle as well as his present one. For Komunyakaa the memorial awakens old reoccurring emotions. He fails to realize the difference between him and the memorial. He is a living human being. He shares the darkness and color of the memorial but he feels the impact whereas the memorial itself cannot physically feel the pain it represents. Komunyakaa also believes that people should not visibly carry the impact of mortality with them, wherever they go. He writes “Names shimmer on a woman’s blouse/but when she walks away/the names stay on the wall.” (Lines 19-21, 1276) The poet finds it hard to comprehend that a woman can approach the Vietnam Memorial and then walk away and take

Pond 2 nothing with her, leaving it all behind exactly as it existed before. For the poet, when he walks away from the memorial he feels emotionally attached. I personally connected to this poem in a specific way. When I lost my father’s dad I felt how Komunyakaa did for a while. Whenever I would visit his grave site I would show both my emotional struggle from the past and my present one. For a while I carried the impact of mortality on my grandfather. I think we all do at first when we lose a loved one; it’s a part of grieving. Today I do exactly what Komunyakaa can’t comprehend. I can approach my grandfather’s grave site and walk away. I don’t need to take anything with me, because I eventually came to a realization that my grandfather is at peace and laid to rest. The theme in this poem is that we all grieve differently; we all interpret things differently, especially death. In Ahmed’s case “Snake Oil, Snake Bite” explains the poisons of daily life. The line “God breathes life into us, it is said, only once” (Line 7, 1282) represents the theme of the poem. The lesson that it is important to enjoy every moment in life. The poem’s discussion about dying, then coming back to life just to realize that you are still dying. Every moment is important in life because you never know when the moments will be gone. A second line that I connected with was “He continued to die for the rest of his life” (Line 17, 1282). The poet is trying to explain that as soon as we begin living, we begin dying. According to Ahmed, we die a little every day. I connected to this poem because I agree with Ahmed in a certain way. I believe it is important to enjoy every moment in life. We need to live life to the fullest before we no longer have the strength to do so. The view that we die a little each day is a negative outlook in my opinion. A more positive message would be to live life each day as if it were your last day. In conclusion, both poets have specific feelings and points of view when it comes to mortality. Komunyakaa has lost his peacefulness in a way where he can’t understand how

Pond 3 people continue living life after witnessing death’s victory. When it comes to mortality individuals can be more emotional than others, because we all grieve in our own way. No one has a say as to how long someone should carry the loss of someone else with them. Other people, like Ahmed believe we die a little each day which is as to why we need to enjoy every moment in life. Together, both poems teach readers that mortality impacts us all in a specific way and that we need to be fully living and enjoying every moment in life....