Death is Unpredictable but Certain Essay Example

Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau, displaying a tender respect towards nature.

Stafford's poetry shares similarities with Hemingway's approach, as both poets employ metaphors, symbolism, and personification. In "The Black Snake," Stafford uses the sudden death of the snake as a metaphor to convey the fragility and inevitability of life's end (Oliver, 2007).

Once again, Oliver demonstrates her keen insight into finding parallels between human life and nature, inviting readers to discover these comparisons in her poem. The snake mentioned by Oliver, referred to as "a dead brother," symbolizes the snake in Genesis associated with death (Oliver, 2007). Stafford also employs metaphor in his poem, likening the road to the journey of life. In his work, the illuminated section of the road can be seen as the present moment. Additionally, the fawn represents life, forever remaining within its mother's womb.

According to one of my sources, the man stops along the road because of the deceased deer, which is similar to how humans stop and take time for decision-making when faced with death (traveling, enotes, 2007). This pause to make decisions can be seen as nature waiting while he contemplates what to do with the deer. Stafford's writing style is often characterized as more realistic and less focused on revering or having a "nature-consciousness" approach compared to Oliver.

The text highlights the contrasting perspectives on nature held by Stafford and Oliver. Stafford's approach is more logical and focused on ensuring the safety of other drivers, while Oliver demonstrates greater concern for creatures in their environment. It is important to clarify that these observations are solely based on the individual poems and

do not seek to pass judgment. Personally, I struggle to believe that the narrator in "The Black Snake" would intentionally harm a pregnant deer and her unborn fawn by pushing them off a cliff.

While some may argue that "Traveling through the Dark" and "The Black Snake" have differing perspectives based on gender, I believe William Stafford and Mary Oliver actually share similar views on nature. The distinction lies in their unique approaches to conveying these thoughts and the choice of words they employ, potentially stemming from variations in their individual outlooks on nature.