"The Death Deal," by Ron Padgett. At The Writer's Almanac.
So, what is the deal with the last line here? What does that do to the poem? What relationship, if you see any, do you think that line has to the idea of him struggling "against this eventuality"?
Describe the line lengths here and line breaks. What effect does that choice have, as you read it?
What else?
I think the last line is there to show you that death is something that you shouldn't dwell upon. It's gonna happen no more what you do. The line shows how he doesn't give death the power to scare him.
ReplyDeleteI think that this poem is very interesting because he starts listing all the ways that we could do, or him i guess. I have thought about that before but not in such detail. I think its very interesting how at the end he says, "now for lunch." It's so out there from what he was talking about but shows that he is not that concerned yet with which one it will actually be.
ReplyDeleteI think that when Ron was younger he was going through some rough times so he was thinking about death and he was afraid of Death. Now when he is old he does not think about dying, but instead he is thinking about how much longer he will be living.
ReplyDeleteI thought this poem was very insightful. The speaker reveals that he didn't actually think about his death until his thirties which is possibly due to a midlife crisis. And the numerous ways he thought of how he would die, ranging from brutal and painful to peaceful, demonstrate the concept that everyone dies eventually in all different ways. I also think that the man thought up of this list to make himself feel special. He believes that if he were to suffer some type of catastrophe that he will gain some kind of recognition, even if it is after he is dead. However, his reoccurring thought was that "He died in his sleep." This though delineates his awareness that he may not be special after all. That he is just another person who will dwindle away rather than going out with a bang. The speaker emphasizes this point when at the end of the poem he states "now for lunch." His simple transition from a heavy and dark concept of death to the daily routine of lunch underline his acceptance of death.
ReplyDeletei think that his worry about death foreshadows what could possibly happen to him. I agree what everyone is saying, but what if when he goes to eat his lunch something he didn't list off happens? he chokes on his food? would he be prepared for that kind of ending like he appears to be prepared for the others? probably, considering his indifference about the whole idea about death itself. just a thought.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, the various ways in which the author describes his death is quite interesting. He has so many possibilities on how he can die, and there are still so many more. I think he shouldn't be thinking about ways to die, because that seems like a lot of stress that he would have to go through. I think the last line was put in there to address this problem. It gives a feeling of detachment, that maybe he shouldn't be so gloomy. He does make the point that everyone will die at some point, so he is aware of that. For me the line breaks were planned perfectly. After each line a knew question came to my mind. This would cause me to keep reading, trying to answer my question. However I as soon as one question would be answered, another would pop up. Great writing style.
ReplyDeleteThe poem goes through a progression of his life. When he was young, he struggled to prevent death because most people who are young are not ready for death and fear it. When he began to get older he saw growing weaknesses from age, and it concerned him making him think about how this weaknesses would cause his death, but at the end he realizes he is old, although he still believes his mind is playful. He seems almost eager to learn how he will die. This indicates that he now is content with his accomplishments and does not fear death because he feels fulfilled in life. The ending phrase signifies why death is not a concern because we will all die and worrying about it will not change that fact, but fulfilling our lifes to the fullest is something to be concerned about.
ReplyDelete