Analysis of "Not Marble Nor Gilded Monument" and "The Fault In Our Stars"

“Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monument” by Archibad MacLeish is telling about how every moment matters and the transience of life of a woman. The part of the poem “Therefore I will not speak of the undying glory of women” means that he will stop speaking about the dead woman to other people but he will always remember her. Even if no one will remember the swish of her garments or the click of her shoe, he still will. But the only thing he will talk about to other people is how she was young, straight, and fair skinned, and not about every single memory of her like as he puts it, her fine walking and scarlet mouth. Also, the line in the poem, “ And you stood in the door and the sun was a shadow of leaves on your shoulders/ And a leaf on your hair.” A leaf would only stay in ones hair for a few seconds, just like the woman’s life, if she died young and didn’t stay very long. He remembers in his mind this woman standing in the doorway and the sun would cast a shadow on her shoulders, looking like leaves that represented her life. He tells everybody about the leaf in her hair because every moment of life mattered to her and every moment he spent with her.

The poem “Not Marble Nor The Gilded Monument” relates to The Fault In Our Stars because in Peter Van Houten’s letter in response to Augustus he wrote that everyone in their life has a harmartia, and how “Not Marble Nor Guilded Monuments” reminds him of Hazel Grace and how since language buries, but does not resurrect. Peter Van Houten believes that when she dies he must remember how she was but enjoy her company now and not speak badly about her when she dies. Hazel wishes she mustn’t harm anyone around her when she dies but the poem and Peter Van Houten both disagree saying when somebody dies you must praise and remember them.