These are enumerated to elicit feelings of fear, terror, and hopelessness, emotions that the voice also feels. But Akhmatova goes beyond this kind of interpretation: as expressed in the poem, the woman states that she will be able to withstand all these forms of suffering, for this is not equal with the kind of suffering that cannot be depicted accurately by the poem's language and words. This part of the poem brings into lucidity the poet's interpretation and understanding of what suffering means for women, which is more emotional rather than physical. Death is also a vital element in the poem, primarily because this is a dreaded reality that humanity cannot endure in spite of the sufferings that society had experienced through the years. However, in "Requiem," death is depicted as a welcome 'escape' to the reality that the voice experiences in her life. Synonymous with the idea of death is succumbing to insanity or madness, another option in which the voice can also 'escape' the hard realities she can no longer accept and witness as she lives. The opening lines of "To Death" demonstrate the first assertion about the acceptability of death by the woman: "[y]ou will come anyway -- so why not now? I wait for you; things have become too hard. I have turned out the lights and opened the door for you, so simple and so wonderful..." The voice's desire for death also made it possible for her to consider as an option her potential downfall to insanity, as explicated in the following effective lines in "Requiem": "Madness with its wings Has covered half my soul... That's when I understood While listening to my alien delirium That I must hand the victory to it." In essence, the darkness of Akhmatova's poem reflects the darkness of the soul of the voice and souls...
Underneath the darkness of the message and characterization of the voice in the poem is the manifestation of the strength of women in Russian society, whose fight against tyranny and injustice is reflected in their humanistic illustration of their lives to the world (through the poem).
…there was light-heartedness, friendship, and hope…they were the memories of a love for a woman. Then all became confused and there was still less of what was good; later on again there was still less that was good, and the further he went the less there was. His marriage, a mere accident, then the disenchantment that followed it... (Tolstoy, 1886, 29-30). He realizes that all the while he thought he was
Death and Dying 'My new body was weightless and extremely mobile, and I was fascinated by my new state of being. Although I had felt pain from the surgery only moments before, I now felt no discomfort at all. I was whole in every way -- perfect," (Eadie "Embraced" 30). In her groundbreaking book Embraced by the Light, Betty J. Eadie writes about her own near-death experience to help dispel the
He likes the power he is afforded with each new position and loves knowing he can crush others. 7. Does the narrator sympathize with Ivan's attachment to his possessions? The tone of the passage (paragraph 104) is deeply empathetic. This entire portion of the story displays Tolstoy's sympathy and empathy for Ivan. Ivan is a reflection of every man who has placed all his interest in this world only to realize
Death With Dignity: A Right or Not? The issue of "euthanasia" is a matter of great controversy today. It is often difficult to judge who the "right" to die under the influence of euthanasia without the "power of attorney" should be afforded. Religiously, one cannot predict the "miracle" of God in daily life. For a patient to live through feeding-tube for the rest of his/her life in the hospital or nursing
On the other hand, it is much less clear what the presumed logical basis is of governmental intrusion into the choice to end one's life where that decision is made by a sane person who is not responsible for others. In medicine, that dilemma arises only among patients whose choice to end life is motivated by the understandable desire to escape untreatable physical pain or discomfort. In some cases, it is
Death Penalty as Retribution The Retributive Nature of the Death Penalty The peaceful fabric of society is torn whenever a crime is committed. In the case of murder, the suffering of the victim's loved ones can be unbearable and last for a lifetime. The destructive ripple effect of these tragedies cannot be compensated for in any way, not even by the capture, conviction, and execution of the killer. However, many states still
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now