Thanatopsis Reflection

In true Romanticism style, I will start out this reflection by stating how this poem made me feel and the general impressions that I formed while reading it. I liked this poem. It made me feel kind of "Zen" while I read it because, to me, it was saying that everything and everyone must die at some point but that it's okay because its a natural occurrence in the grand scheme of things. Literally speaking, this poem was written for people who followed the Romanticism school of thought. It begins by stating "To him who in the love of Nature holds communion with her visible forms" (Bryant), so you know that he is addressing the Romantics who loved Nature. Then he goes on to say how noble it is to die when it's your time because he says that you return to the earth and help it grow even as your body decays. While that is kind of gruesome, he states it in such a way that the words themselves sound pretty, even if the literal meaning leaves something to be desired in that department. Bryant's use of imagery to evoke emotion in his readers is one of the most common poetic devices that he uses in "Thanatopsis". He uses it very often and effectively. My favorite use of imagery was when he was describing the celestial bodies and how they watch over the earth and the dead that lie in it. He also uses personification to make Nature posses human qualities. My favorite part of this poem was in the ending stanza. "The innumerable caravan which moves to that mysterious realm" (Bryant) sounded really cool to me, and I really liked how Bryant put together his words, not just in that part, but throughout the whole poem.


Bryant, William. "16. Thanatopsis. William Cullen Bryant. Yale Book of American Verse." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 01 Nov. 2010. .