Death and Mortality

Death is portrayed as a peaceful release or a moral reckoning, as in 'Mother Night' and 'Go Down Death,' reflecting on the transient nature of life and the hope for an afterlife.

The poem focuses on the soldier's dying moments, his wounds, and his final act of presenting arms to his Maker, emphasizing the dignity of death in service.

The graphic depiction of the lynching, from the shrieks to the division of the corpse, centers on the physical and spiritual death of the victim.

The imagery of a 'wedge' that 'lies cankering in the wound' evokes the persistent, death-like decay of unresolved historical sin.

The encounter with the witch results in the ebbing of the soul and a living death.