Thanatopsis By William Cullen Bryant Complete the Following

“Thanatopsis” By William Cullen Bryant

Complete the Following Sentences that are Underlined Below. • Death is the beginning of loneliness. I agree / disagree because. . . • Death is compared to sleep. I agree / disagree because. . . • The young and the old will have the same fate. I agree / disagree because. . . • All mankind should dread death. I agree / disagree because. . .

William Cullen Bryant • 1794 -1878 • Was a young lawyer when “Thanatopsis” first appeared • Inspired by the romantic lyrics of William Wordsworth • Observations of nature evoke feelings of self • Father of American Poetry

Based on the Title & the Questions, what do you think this poem is going to be about? • Maybe humans should live in harmony with nature. . . • Temporary state of life on earth • Rejoice in the immortality of nature • YOU MUST WRITE DOWN ONE (1) OPINION, IN ORDER TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR THESE NOTES!

Thanatopsis Means • From the Greek word: Thanatos = Death • Suffix: opsis = sight • Often translated as View of Death

Thanatopsis • Voice: ~2 nd Person (you) • Speaker: ~William Cullen Bryant = Poet

Mood & Tone • Mood: Consoling • 3 Examples from the poem of the mood: 1. “and eloquence of Beauty & she glides” 2. “The planets, all the infinite hosts of heaven” 3. “All that breathe will share thy Destiny” • Tone: Somber & Compassionate • 3 Examples from the poem of the tone: 1. “and eloquence of Beauty & she glides” 2. “The planets, all the infinite hosts of heaven” 3. “All that breathe will share thy Destiny”

Thanatopsis • Romantic Poem: ~He found his answers in nature & through observing nature • Poem Form: ~Blank Verse – lines don’t rhyme, lines have same number of syllables & a regular rhythm

Theme • Subject: Human Life on Earth & Earthly Nature • Theme: (author’s opinion on the subject) ~By living in harmony w/ nature, & realizing that all must come to an end, rather than fear it, one can come to accept death as a restful sleep.

Literary Elements • Metaphor: a comparison of two unlike things NOT USING the words as, like, than, or resembles. ~ “Old Ocean's grey and melancholy waste, -/Are but the solemn decorations all /Of the great tomb of man. ” • Personfication: giving human-like qualities / attributes to something that is non-human ~ “…Nature holds / Communion with her visible forms, she speaks /A various language; ” Nature = She (a caring mother).

Literary Elements • Imagery: creating a picture in the reader’s head by appealing to more than 1 of the 5 senses ~ “So shalt thou rest: and what if thou withdraw / In silence from the living, and no friend / Take note of thy departure? / All that breathe / Will share thy destiny. ” ~ “And to the sluggish clod, which the rude swain / Turns with his share, and treads upon. The oak / Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mould. ”

Literary Elements • Simile: A comparison of 2 unlike things by using the words as, like, than, or resembles. ~ “Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, / Scourged by his dungeon; but, sustain'd and soothed / By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, / Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch / About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. ” • Irony: when the opposite of what is expected happens. ~ “Of ages glides away, the sons of men, / The youth in life's green spring, and he who goes / In the full strength of years, matron and maid, / The speechless babe, and the gray-headed man-- / Shall one by one be gathered to thy side / By those who in their turn shall follow them. ” ~The poem has a somber tone, yet encourages one to live life fully and glorifies death.

Shifts in the Poem • Poem shifts from a Somber tone to one of Comfort at line 73: ~ “So live, that when thy summons comes to join / The innumerable caravan which moves”