The Cross Of Snow, By Dickinson, Longfellow, And Frye

Death has been one of the most difficult concepts for man to grasp as no one has come back from the black hole alive to tell the tale. Everything in the world including death has two sides: a bright one and a dark one. While some people choose to look at death with optimistic eyes, it is impossible for some to get over the inevitable fear of the unknown. There have been numerous theories about death and afterlife by philosophers and artists throughout history, yet only a handful of them have been able to capture both the beauty and darkness as well as Dickinson, Whitman, Longfellow, and Frye. In their poems these four poets unveil the ugly and pleasant truths about death, and with their contradictory views help the reader understand the concept
Again this poem is written from the perspective of an outsider rather than the deceased person herself giving it a more despondent feeling and making it quite similar to Whitman’s poem. His point of view is very close to that of Whitman as he once again challenges the idea stating that life goes on about its natural course after one’s death. Throughout the poem the speaker is lamenting his beloved’s death and is unable to grasp on the idea that she is gone. Contrary to Dickinson’s optimistic view on death, Longfellow argues that after one’s death nature will never be the same as he states, “seasons, changeless since the day she died”(line 16). For the speaker, seasons no longer have a meaning or value since the beauty of life was taken from him on the day which his beloved joined hands with death. He creates a dispiriting image of death, reminding the reader of the dark side of the kind man on the carriage. The main theme of Longfellow’s poem is that time will never heal the sorrow of the tragic loss of a beloved and one might never be able to let go, leaving him/her desolate and
Therefore, most of the theories that are available are based upon one’s pure imagination as no facts can prove any of them wrong. Even though some theories support the existence of an afterlife and some display a strong belief in reincarnation, they all share the same purpose of providing mankind with comfort and knowledge, helping humans deal with the dark and mysterious nature of death. Some of these theories create a sense of relief while other ones remind people of the ineluctable truth about death. With their distinct views, these five poems give the readers a small glimpse of death which is like a blackhole, dark and concealed away from human beings. Death can be one of the greatest blessings one can have, but it can also be the most cataclysmic events of one’s life. It is the fear of humankind that makes death seem like a masked shadow constantly waiting for one’s time to expire. These poems demonstrate that while death is known to man as a calamity, it can be one of the best events of one’s life if one decides to believe in