My favorite poem out of the three we read was "Song" by Christina Rossetti. Being someone who just recently had to cope with the death of a loved one, this poem felt like a message from the person I lost. I think that is what the poem is aimed to do. It is to the loved one, telling them to celebrate their life and not to mourn their death. It says that if the person dies, they should be an extension of them; they should be the happiness that this person would have felt if they were alive. The speaker says that if you feel sad, understand that they are not suffering. They do not feel pain and cannot see the pain others feel. That should bring peace to you.
This definitely brings peace to my mind. Whenever we think of someone who has passed away, we tend to think of only the way they suffered at the end and it breaks us. It's truly one of the saddest thoughts to think. I know, whenever I think of the last six months I spent with my stepdad before he passed away last year, I can only dwell on the fact that he wasn't himself. And I end up feeling cheated, like I didn't even get to spend those six months with him. But it never really occurs to me that HE doesn't feel pain anymore. And that should be the thing that matters the most. The person who was suffering is no longer suffering, and we should all celebrate their lives and continue being happy because, if they were here, that's what they would do. They would continue being happy.
Death to me is a happy ending. You've lived life to the fullest, accomplished things other weren't or aren't able to excel and most of all you've lived life with no regrets.
ReplyDeleteI believe she meant all of her poem to be a reassurance. It's similar to what my father says. He wants his children to celebrate his life at his funeral and not mention the fact that he is gone. While death may break us in many ways, remembering the person who passed builds us back up, and keeps us moving forward.
ReplyDeleteI really like your analysis of the poem. Honestly, when I read it I did not find it very reassuring or peaceful at all. To me it just seemed very sad and melancholy. However, now that I've read your post I can't definitely see what you're talking about and I can appreciate the poem in a new way.
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