In today's class, we did some text analysis and I chose the poem "Death Is Nothing At All" written By Henry Scott-Holland.
Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.
Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you,
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!
"Death Is Nothing At All" is a poem that offers a unique perspective on death. Written by Henry Scott Holland, an Anglican priest, it was originally delivered as a sermon in St. Paul's Church, London, in 1910. The poem has since become a popular funeral reading, often chosen to provide comfort and reassurance to those who are grieving. The poem opens with the lines, "Death is nothing at all. / It does not count." The speaker is immediately dismissing the idea of death as something significant or noteworthy. This is a bold claim, as death is typically seen as a major event in a person's life. By asserting that death "does not count," the speaker is suggesting that it is not the end of everything, but rather a transition to a different state of being. The speaker goes on to describe death as a kind of "passing away" or "moving into the next room." This metaphor suggests that death is not something to be feared, but rather a natural progression from one stage of life to another. The idea of moving into another room also implies that there is something waiting on the other side, something new and possibly even exciting. The poem continues with the lines, "Everything remains exactly as it was. / I am I, and you are you." Here, the speaker is emphasizing that even though someone has died, life goes on. The world and the people in it continue to exist, and the person who has passed away remains themselves. This is a comforting thought, as it suggests that the person who has died has not been completely erased from the world, but rather continues to exist in some way. The poem concludes with the lines, "Call me by the old familiar name. / Speak of me in the easy way which you always used. / Put no difference into your tone. / Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow." These lines are a reminder to the living that the person who has died would not want them to be sad or mournful forever. The speaker is urging the living to remember the person who has passed away in a positive and loving way and to continue to live their lives as normally as possible. In summary, "Death Is Nothing At All" is a poem that provides a unique perspective on death. The speaker dismisses the idea of death as something significant and emphasizes that life goes on even after someone
Reference
This is very minimal analysis here with no research or referencing please have another go at this
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