# How does Poetry develop the theme of Death and Mortality?

> Poetry by James Weldon Johnson

## 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

- [the-color-sergeant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-color-sergeant.md): 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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/brothers.md): 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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/fragment.md): The imagery of a 'wedge' that 'lies cankering in the wound' evokes the persistent, death-like decay of unresolved historical sin.
- [the-white-witch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-white-witch.md): The encounter with the witch results in the ebbing of the soul and a living death.
- [mother-night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/mother-night.md): The speaker welcomes death as a peaceful return to the primordial darkness, contrasting with the 'feverish light' of life.
- [the-young-warrior](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-young-warrior.md): 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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-glory-of-the-day-was-in-her-face.md): The speaker's grief and the final line 'since she is gone' directly confront the reality of death and loss.
- [from-the-spanish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/from-the-spanish.md): The passage of twenty years and the mutual shock at each other's aged appearance highlight the inevitability of physical decline and mortality.

## Links

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