It is not surprising that poets from all over the world have chosen death as their common theme. Death evokes many emotions and feelings amongst people. The death of family and friends has affected all people in some way. It is a topic that can be explored by poets in a variety of sonnets and poems. The themes of death are portrayed in “After Death” by Christina Rossetti and “Mother Night”, which is a poem by James Weldon Johnson. The theme and emotions are well-implemented in both poems by using vivid descriptions and imagery. This enhances the reader’s imaginative abilities and also helps to draw their emotions in line.
Both poems use imagery and visualization to create a clear distinction between them, but they also have a strong connection with the theme of death. The poet uses “deep silence” to convey the feelings of fear and uncertainty in Christina’s poem. James Weldon Johnson also uses “darkness” to portray fear and doubt in his poem, “Mother Night”. This makes it easier for the reader to understand and feel the poet’s emotions. In both poems imagery is employed to show the breakdown in emotions and the tension felt by the poet. The words darkness and deep silence are used in both poems to represent death. In both poems, this visual description has been used in order to communicate the theme and uncertainty of issues.
Both poems have used the theme of sadness without any difficulty. Both poems have different images and visualizations. They differ in their use of various imaging techniques. Christina Rossetti uses the phrase “Poor, poor child” in her poem “After Death” to emphasize the mood. The persona is feeling pity and sorrow for the man who is on his deathbed. The person on deathbed says the last words, thinking the persona can’t hear him. These words are used to bring the persona into focus and show her mood. James Weldon Johnson’s poem “Mother Night”, on the other hand has a very different mood. The poet uses “And heavy-lidded”, in the poem, to show the sadness that the persona feels. By using these words, the persona can take the reader on a journey of sorrow that they are experiencing. The two poets have used different methods to convey the sadness in their poems. Both Christina’s and James’ poems use imagery to portray sadness, which highlights the importance of overcoming sadness during times of grief.
Both poets have put the theme courage into action. In situations like the ones that the characters of these poems faced, courage is an important theme. Although the examples of courage are different in the two poems, a comparison shows that both have a common element of courage. Both poems have a distinct imagery that shows courage, but as mentioned above the similarities are also evident. The poet James Weldon used the exact words to show the courage of his persona in “Mother Night”. Christina Rossetti uses the phrase “He pitied” to bring the theme of bravery into the poem.
