Analysis of Thanatopsis

When analyzing this poem literally, it is actually quite simple. The main message is of how everyone dies and becomes a part of the earth. It starts by saying that nature is a beautiful peaceful place that talks to everyone. It says when you have thoughts about death; you need to go into nature and after a few days you will die. You will return to the Earth and mix with all of the elements. The roots of an oak tree will pierce your body. You will not go to this resting place alone, and there could not be a better one for you. You will be among all different types of people like the rich, the powerful, or the wise. The poem then states that all of the beauty in nature is the decorations for mankind’s grave. The number of people that are on the planet doesn’t even compare to the number that has returned to the natural world. Take the wings of morning or you will become lost and only be able to hear your own footsteps. It asks, when you die if anyone will notice that you are gone. Everyone will die eventually, though some may laugh, eventually they will join you in rest. One by one all of the people of the world will gather by your side. It closes by saying to live your life, but when your time comes, go to your grave and lie down to pleasant dreams.

One of the important poetic devices used in this poem is imagery. This is used for the description of the nature of the world. “The hills rock-ribbed and ancient as the sun; the vales stretching in pensive quietness between; the venerable woods—rivers that move in majesty, and the complaining brooks that make the meadows green…” This specific line really creates a vivid nature as the author describes the decorations to man’s grave. The separation of the poem into stanzas is a poetic device that really aids in the separation of the main thoughts of Bryant; these being the tomb that is the Earth, the people that will join you in death, and how you should live life. Another poetic device that is used quite often throughout the poem is similes. In the previous quote, Bryant compares the age of the hills to that of the sun. Another example of a simile is when the poem reads, “…when thoughts of the last bitter hour come like blight over thy spirit…”

Overall this poem has a very interesting and almost intellectual figurative meaning. It says that one should know that eventually everyone on the planet will die. All of us share the common tomb that is the Earth, and in death there is no meaning to social class or things done or accomplished. People shouldn’t spend their time thinking about death, but when it is their time, they need to accept the fact that they are going to die to be able to rest peacefully and have pleasant dreams.