# How does Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral develop the theme of Death and the Afterlife?

> Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley

## Answer

Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley develops Death and the Afterlife across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

Many elegies and funeral poems explore death as a transition to a heavenly afterlife, offering consolation to mourners by depicting the deceased as ascending to blissful immortality, as in 'On the Death of the Rev. Dr. Sewell' and 'On the Death of a Young Gentleman.'

Sewell is depicted as ascending to the immortal shore and joining the happy dead in eternal day.

Whitefield's death is portrayed as a triumphant ascent to an immortal throne in heaven, with the tomb holding his dust until resurrection.

The poem centers on death as a passage to heaven, with vivid imagery of the soul's seat and divine joys.

## Evidence

- [on-the-death-of-the-rev-dr-sewell-1769](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poems_on_various_subjects_religious_and_moral_se/chapters/on-the-death-of-the-rev-dr-sewell-1769.md): Sewell is depicted as ascending to the immortal shore and joining the happy dead in eternal day.
- [on-the-death-of-the-rev-mr-george-whitefield-1770](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poems_on_various_subjects_religious_and_moral_se/chapters/on-the-death-of-the-rev-mr-george-whitefield-1770.md): Whitefield's death is portrayed as a triumphant ascent to an immortal throne in heaven, with the tomb holding his dust until resurrection.
- [on-the-death-of-a-young-gentleman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poems_on_various_subjects_religious_and_moral_se/chapters/on-the-death-of-a-young-gentleman.md): The poem centers on death as a passage to heaven, with vivid imagery of the soul's seat and divine joys.
- [to-a-lady-on-the-death-of-three-relations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poems_on_various_subjects_religious_and_moral_se/chapters/to-a-lady-on-the-death-of-three-relations.md): The poem explores Death's dominion over all creation and the soul's liberation and ascent to heavenly bliss.
- [to-a-lady-on-her-remarkable-preservation-in-an-hurricane-in-north-carolina](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poems_on_various_subjects_religious_and_moral_se/chapters/to-a-lady-on-her-remarkable-preservation-in-an-hurricane-in-north-carolina.md): The poem reflects on eternal consequences and the future doom, urging contemplation of the afterlife.
- [to-a-gentleman-and-lady-on-the-death-of-the-lady-s-brother-and-sister-and-a-child-of-the-name-of-avis-aged-one-year](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poems_on_various_subjects_religious_and_moral_se/chapters/to-a-gentleman-and-lady-on-the-death-of-the-lady-s-brother-and-sister-and-a-child-of-the-name-of-avis-aged-one-year.md): The poem dwells on death's dominion over all humanity and the promise of heavenly immortality for the faithful.
- [on-the-death-of-dr-samuel-marshall-1771](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poems_on_various_subjects_religious_and_moral_se/chapters/on-the-death-of-dr-samuel-marshall-1771.md): The poem contemplates the transition from earthly life to an immortal shade, and the hope beyond death.
- [to-the-honourable-t-h-esq-on-the-death-of-his-daughter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poems_on_various_subjects_religious_and_moral_se/chapters/to-the-honourable-t-h-esq-on-the-death-of-his-daughter.md): The daughter's death is portrayed as a transition to a blissful celestial existence, where she reunites with her spouse and experiences eternal joy.

## Links

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