After reading the poem, consider the following questions.
- What Greek words were combined to make the title? How do the meanings of these words contribute to the meaning of the poem?
Thanatos (meaning “death”) and opsis (meaning “sight”) combine to make the title Thanatopsis. The combination of the words contributes to the meaning of the poem because the meaning of the poem is how the speaker views death.
- Define the following words; consider the context of the poem: shroud, pall, narrow house, and sepulcher. How do these words and their meanings impact the meaning of the poem?
Shroud: A cloth which protects or covers an object.
Pall: A cloth covering a coffin or tomb.
Narrow House: The grave
Sepulcher: A small room usually made of stone where the dead is laid.
These words in the poem were used for you to perceive death as most people would; a dark, gloomy thing. However, the poem as a whole is defending the nature of death and how it does have a bright side to it. The author used these words as a basis in the beginning of his poem to which he would counteract its sinister meaning as you continue to read through the poem.
- Is this a poem about life or is this a poem about death? Explain your answer.
At first glance, you would assume this poem is just about death; however, death is a part of life. Like an ending to a book, the ending is part of the book as a whole. In a way, the poem is about both life and death. Its main focus is death, but death is an aspect of life so it’s a part of life as well.
- The tone of this poem shifts. What is the tone in the first part of the poem? When does the tone shift? What is the tone after the shift?
The tone of the first part of the poem is forbidding because it explains the harshness of death. It uses nature surrounding you in death to show that you will die in the land and it cannot save you. The tone shifts at line 30 where nature is no longer a major part of the poem. It shifts to comfort because even if you are alone in death, everyone on the earth will soon join you because death is inevitable. You do not need nature because you will be dead with “kings… the wise, the good.”
- Thanatopsis is an ELEGY. What is an elegy? What are the conventions of an elegy? What elements of Thanatopsis meet those conventions?
An elegy is a mournful or melancholy poem. It's conventions are that it shifts from grief to comfort. The beginning full of grievances and describes this feeling by mournful words such as “stern agony, and shroud, and pall.” It changes to comforting when it the speaker explains that you will not be alone and you should lay down to a nice pleasant eternal dream.
- This poem was written early in the nineteenth century. The type of landscape art during this time period favored sweeping panoramas, wild vistas, untamed landscapes, and views of the sky. Look at Thanatopsis as a visual description of a painting. What elements of the poem are like a painting? What images are created in the poem? What landscape is created?
The imagery, personification, and metaphors used in this poem collaborates to paint a picture within the reader’s mind. Its collaboration creates a spiritual world of death and nature and its combination is one gateway to God. It paints a landscape of a hilly forest which is dark on one side and bright on the other side of the painting.
- Thanatopsis is a poem that can be interpreted in several ways. How is this poem an example of a historical piece? How is this a Romantic poem? How is this a Calvinist poem?
This poem is historical because it shows the thinking process of the time period and is a good example of the Romantic style. The style of writing in this poem is similar to transcendentalism which found its beginning in late 19th century. It exemplifies the thinking of the people during this time period. It’s a Romantic poem by its content which expands on the idea of death being a good thing. Romantics took the Naturalist works and changed their ideals completely to show emotion and passion. In Thanatopsis, the writer shows that death is not bad, the complete opposite of the Naturalists. He also showed emotion and passion throughout the poem by using extreme detail and explanation such as “Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed, By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave…” It is Calvinist because it says God has a path for you which will end in death and death is inevitable. It also says there is a connection with God through nature. It explains that through God and through nature, death is not a bad thing.
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