Theme of Death in Three Different Poems
There are numerous themes found used in poems. However, death is the most recurring theme for many years. Death is a common event that occurs to every human being. Death is universal, but many people still experience anxiety over death. Whether the theme of death results from fascination or a coping way for loss of loved ones, loss and grief is still a common subject amongst poets. Death is the major focus in ‘Remember' by Christina Rossetti's, Phyllis McCormack's ‘Crabbit Old Woman', and ‘Refugee Mother and Child' by Chinua Achebe. This paper analyzes how the three poets use different styles, imagery, and symbolism to explore death and its consequences on people.
In ‘Remember', the poet addresses her companion and urges him to remember her after she dies. She pleads with him to always remember her even after her memories begin to fade away. Finally, the narrator gives her lover a go-ahead to quickly forget her because it is good to forget and live happily than to have memories and be unhappy (Rossetti 13). The second poem ‘Crabbit Old Woman' presents an old woman who is at death bed. The nurses treat her unfairly, and her only wish is that they could see through her and not her physical appearance (McCormack 148). The last poem is ‘Refugee Mother and Child' which is based on the 1960s refugees in the Nigeria civil war. The poem shows the love and devotion of a mother towards her dying child (Achebe 30).
In Rossetti's poem ‘Remember', the poet strives to portray the pain and despair associated with death. McCormack's poem is a request for society to stop the stereotype that old people are hopeless, and do not require care when they are almost dying (McCormack 145). ‘Refugee Mother and Child' by Chinua Achebe shows the absolute love and devotion a mother has towards her child while knowing that her time with the child is quickly ending.
In Christina's poem ‘Remember', the poet claims that death might not always be the cause of loss and grief. Every person has a different interpretation about death, and each person's view is different from the other. Religion played a significant role in Christina's life, thus she is optimistic about death in her poem. Christina argues that no one knows about death, and refers to death as a ‘silent land' (Rossetti 28). Silence in most cases is used to describe a peaceful place without noise, with no war or conflict. In the modern world, silent places are scarce and mostly limited to churches and libraries. According to Christina Rossetti, death is an environment there are no problems and horror. Further, people will be able to meditate in silence.
In the poem ‘Remember', the poet attempts to make the reader to see death from her point of view. The death of a loved one is a moment of sorrow, however, people get used to the loss and focus more on the future, with the good memories shared to keep them company. To Christina, death comes to teach us the value of our family and friends, and to stop taking them for granted. The poet entirely changes the perspective of the reader through teaching them that death can occur at any time, and people should enjoy life to the fullest while it lasts (Vermeule 26). Also, death is a line between the living and the dead. Through her poem, Christina Rossetti reminds individuals of the importance of treasuring their loved ones, before death snatches them away.
The poem ‘Crabbit Old Woman' presents an old woman who tries to convince the nurses to stop stereotyping old people as hopeless and people who do not need proper care. The woman is nearing death and does not want the people to have such memories of her. The title of the poem itself brings a sense of death, as the old age is often associated with death. The first 22 lines contain questions towards the nurses and try to show the typical stereotypes that the nurses have when handling the old lady. Line 23-24 is the turning point of this poem "Then open your eyes/ you're not looking at me." (McCormack 152). In this line, the woman is demanding acknowledgment from the nurses. The initial attack on the nurses changed positively, and good memories as readers are taken through the old woman's life. The language changes from conversational to poetic style. The change is evident when the poet uses a metaphor "with wings on her feet" in line 34, which represents the freedom she once had, but not anymore.
The next turning point of McCormack's poem is the induction of mood change from positive to negative. The use of tone such as "Dark days are upon me" in line 57 depicts her cold and fearful life. Also, the last parts of the poem contain imagery related to death "old carcass", "crumbles", and "battered heart". (McCormack 150). This imagery gives the reader a clear picture of what the woman goes through at her old age, and that she cannot escape her death. Lastly, although the woman is afraid of death she finally accepts her death as a "stark fact", and pleads with the nurses to look inside her and see the person she really is, instead of focusing on the physical body.
Similarly, ‘Refugee Mother and Child' to depict the horrors of death for Nigerian refugees in 1960s. The poem explores the daily activities of the Nigeria civil war refugees. The people are filled with loss and grief. Although the poet bases the poem on one refugee family, this represented the occurrences that were happening to all the refugee families. Achebe demonstrates the horrible lifestyle led in refugee camps, through the use of a tone of pain and despair. "The air was heavy with odors of diarrhea"(Achebe 33) shows the suffering the refugees go through in their daily life. The poet gives a description that shows the disgust and perception he has for that environment. Additionally, the author uses the religious imagery of worship by referring to "Madonna and Child" (Achebe 32). The images show the devotion the others have for her dying kid. The second stanza uses a negative language to describe the condition of the refugees. Further, Chinua Achebe uses "combed the rust-colored hair" to describes the hair of the child, "odors of diarrhea" and "blown open bellies" to appeal of the readers' sense of touch, smell, and sight respectively (Achebe, 34). Also, the poet gives a physical description of the people like "washed-out ribs and dried-up bottoms" that shows how cruel life is to refugees.
The second stanza starts off with a long sentence containing few verbs. Lack of many verbs in the opening sentence symbolizes lack of energy by the refugees. The poet associates the mother with a ‘ghost' on two occasions. Achebe's choice of language gives the readers a feeling that the mother is nearing death, and she cannot escape death. Lastly, the poet takes readers back to when the mother and her child led normal lives, but at the end, Achebe (35) uses the simile "now she did it like putting tiny flowers on a grave" to reassure that the child will still die.
In conclusion, the three poems use the theme of death either directly or indirectly. Although each poem's aspect of death differs from the other, they complement each when it comes to the final outcomes for the characters. Chinua Achebe's poem presents the consequences of war whereas McCormack's poem shows death in a more controlled environment. Finally, these poems help readers to appreciate death's complexity and how it differs from one person to another.
Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. "Refugee mother and child." The Earth is Ours: Poems for
Secondary Schools. London and Basingstoke: Macmillan (1994).
McCormack, Phyllis. "Crabbit old woman." Canadian Review of Social
Policy 68/69 (2012): 155.
Rossetti, Christina G. Remember Me When I Am Gone Away. Souvenir, 1989.
Print.
Vermeule, Emily. Aspects of death in early Greek art and poetry. Vol. 46. Univ of
California Press, 1979.
