Poetry · Question
How does Poetry develop the theme of Death and Mortality?
Answer
Poetry by James Weldon Johnson develops Death and Mortality across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
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.
Evidence in the book
- The Color Sergeant
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.
- Brothers
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.
- Fragment
The imagery of a 'wedge' that 'lies cankering in the wound' evokes the persistent, death-like decay of unresolved historical sin.
- The White Witch
The encounter with the witch results in the ebbing of the soul and a living death.
- Mother Night
The speaker welcomes death as a peaceful return to the primordial darkness, contrasting with the 'feverish light' of life.
- The Young Warrior
The mother's potential fears and the warrior's preparation for battle evoke themes of mortality and the acceptance of risk.
- The Glory of the Day Was in Her Face
The speaker's grief and the final line 'since she is gone' directly confront the reality of death and loss.
- From the Spanish
The passage of twenty years and the mutual shock at each other's aged appearance highlight the inevitability of physical decline and mortality.
