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  1. Daanish Malik
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    Daanish Malik

    An ode is usually written as a song of praise but Kamal diverts the topic from celebration to the macabre reality of dying. An ode follows the abab rhyme structure but in this poem Kamal has opted not to follow one, thereby following a blank verse.   An ode to death summary

    An ode is usually written as a song of praise but Kamal diverts the topic from celebration to the macabre reality of dying. An ode follows the abab rhyme structure but in this poem Kamal has opted not to follow one, thereby following a blank verse.

     

    An ode to death summary

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  1. Daanish Malik
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    Daanish Malik

    The central theme of the poem revolves around the inevitable concept of death and dying. Death is a part of life and there is no substitute for that. The poet however adds that death is not as mystic as it seems. It can be understood through life itself. One shouldn’t avoid death, rather should tryRead more

    The central theme of the poem revolves around the inevitable concept of death and dying. Death is a part of life and there is no substitute for that. The poet however adds that death is not as mystic as it seems. It can be understood through life itself. One shouldn’t avoid death, rather should try to understand it and accept it to attain the pinnacle of life. Kamal also points out that it’s not just humans who are subjected to death but all things in this world endure a temporary life span. The temporality of life is handed down to each and every materialistic thing as well. They might not have the same idea of death but they all have a limited shelf span. Kamal warns his readers through this idea that everything will be destroyed. Nothing lasts forever except for death. Death is the ultimate end to all things, irrespective of their timeline. Kamal makes use of several images and symbols to place death as a permanent thing and that one shouldn’t pry away from it. 

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  1. Daanish Malik
    Daanish Malik

    Metaphor: “And in every particle of carbon dust/There lives a diamond dream,” “how many galaxies yet to be explored,” “The pine tree blasted by last year’s thunderbolt…look so terribly alike.” A figure of speech to describe an object or an action by making a comparison of ideas. These lines help comRead more

    1. Metaphor: “And in every particle of carbon dust/There lives a diamond dream,” “how many galaxies yet to be explored,” “The pine tree blasted by last year’s thunderbolt…look so terribly alike.” A figure of speech to describe an object or an action by making a comparison of ideas. These lines help compare the ideas of trivial aspects in life with the larger than life picture that is death. The poet wants to say no matter whether all dreams result in success or not, just like all carbon molecules don’t constitute in the making of a diamond, similarly death doesn’t look into a person’s achievement before claiming them. No matter how big or small a life is like that of a pine tree or a matchstick, everyone and everything will meet the same end.
    2. Imagery: “I have sat by your bedside…dissolve in the grave.” A figure of speech using various images, actions, ideas to appeal to the physical senses.  This entire part depicts the final thoughts or laments of a dying person. The poet has glanced deep into a dying person’s soul to reflect the pessimism one has and how helpless and hopeless they feel at approaching death.
    3. Alliteration: “But let bygones be bygones” Repetition of the first consonant in following words to provide a sense of the same sound. The letter ‘b’ has been repeated in this line for almost all of the words which looks like an alliteration.

    An ode to death Summary

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  1. Daanish Malik
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    Daanish Malik

    The main idea revolves around the fragility of life. Death and dying is indeed bleak and morose and macabre but that shouldn’t scare one away. Life is incomplete without death. It doesn’t matter which one of them is out to deceive as at the end everyone will get to taste death. The poet highlights tRead more

    The main idea revolves around the fragility of life. Death and dying is indeed bleak and morose and macabre but that shouldn’t scare one away. Life is incomplete without death. It doesn’t matter which one of them is out to deceive as at the end everyone will get to taste death. The poet highlights the temporality of materialistic life including the human body. With time everything decays and goes back to dust, indicating one goes back to one where it came from. The circle of life takes a complete turn. Life after death is unknown to everyone but so is life. No one knows what will happen tomorrow and whether one will be alive or not. But that doesn’t stop one from dreaming or setting out to achieve their goals. Similarly one shouldn’t worry about death but shoulder on with their lives. 

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