Ryan ChanMs. FriedrichENG 2DYMay 28, 2014Society's attitude toward deathEven before the Renaissance, poets explored the theme of death in an attempt to understand and cope with it. However, poets' attitudes toward death are constantly evolving to reflect society's values ​​and beliefs. During the Renaissance, death was seen as an adversity that faith in God could overcome, as demonstrated by John Donne's "Hymn to God, My God, in My Sickness" and "In Time of Plague (Farewell, Farewell, Earth's Bliss) )” by Thomas Nashe. . While the Romantic period dominated literature, death was an escape to a better world if God chose to bring you to heaven, as Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Epitaph" and Anna Lætitia Barbauld's "Life" reveal. Finally, the modern period brought a gradual shift toward a secular society, exemplified by "Going to Heaven!" » by Emily Dickinson. and “Yee Bow” by Edgar Lee Master. As the ages go by, society becomes more and more secular in the way it interacts with death. Renaissance poetry reflects the dynamism of Europe at the time, where poets wrote many beautiful pieces about overcoming death with unwavering faith in God. John Donne, one of the most prominent English poets of the time, wrote "Hymn to God, my God, in my Sickness" while suffering from a life-threatening fever in 1623. Through the poem, he reaffirms his belief in God, in the resurrection. after death, and wrote a “sermon to my own [soul]” (Donne 29). Additionally, Donne clearly believes he is about to die; if he is part of the choir of heaven, he will “tune the instrument here at the gate [of heaven]” (Donna 4). The poem is written exclusively in iambic pentameter, which makes the poem resemble a very formal sermon, or even a testament. Regardless, the middle of paper does not pray for him, and the locals refuse to pray for him. These two poems emphasize the bitterness that death has left the speakers and the fact that faith offers no consolation. The poetic perspective on death has evolved to embrace society's beliefs; from the fervent Christianity of the Renaissance to the secular worldviews of today. The Renaissance believed in using religion to combat death because death was something that came early and unexpectedly. The Romantic period saw new forms of expression and therefore new ideas. They believed that death was simply a passage to heaven, as the poets expressed it. Finally, as the modern period revolutionized the arts and church attendance plummeted, poets saw religion as useless for helping people cope with death. In truth, poetry not only expresses the poet's opinions, it reflects the beliefs of society..