Death is all around us. Nobody can avoid it, nor escape it. It comes in all shapes and forms and affects everyone. In Spoon River Anthology, Yee Bow, Chase Henry, and Judge Somers all suffered the effects of death. The common denominator for these three people is that, death. Death comes to everyone in society such as the disliked, low classed people and also to the people with power, fame, and that are high in society.
Yee Bow was one of those who were not liked in society because he believed in Confucius, and not Jesus. “No children shall worship at my grave.” This is what Yee Bow said in his epitaph after he was killed by the minister’s son by getting punched in the ribs. His ribs caved in and punctured his lungs which caused Yee Bow to suffocate to death. Yee Bow was disliked and different, those two things together made him the victim to death.
Chase Henry was also a guy that was very low in society and who was also not liked very much in society. Henry was the town drunk and nobody really cared about him. He asked if he could be buried in the cemetery, but was denied burial by the priest because he wasn’t high enough in society, and also because he had sinned too many times. “When I died, the priest denied my burial in the holy ground.” In Henry’s luck, Protestants bought the cemetery lot, and he got his wish to be buried in the holy ground. His luck only grew when he was buried by the banker and his wife, which had excellent souls. And it is to be said that if you are buried next to good souls that they will bring honor to the dead who lived in shame and that is exactly how Chase Henry lived, in shame. Even though the souls brought honor to Chase Henry, he still wasn’t liked when he was living, drinking, or being drunk, and death also saw him as prey and killed him.
The Term Paper on Death And Society part 1
DEATH AND SOCIETY (1) The issue of death in Western society has traditionally been considered as inappropriate topic of public discussion. People are unwilling to admit to themselves that they will cease to exist as individuals, after they die. This is because European mentality is best defined by its strive towards immortality, which is represented in works of art, literature and science. Peoples ...
Judge Somers, well known, liked by every, and a very famous lawyer was also a victim of death. Even though he knew many famous people, even though he made the greatest speech known at that time, he also won the praise of Justice Brees, death still affected him, his family and friends. After Somers was buried, everyone seemed to forget him. Even his grave stone was unmarked, therefore made him even more angered and frustrated. He was highly liked and very famous, but death does not care how well one’s life is going, it just cares that you die when you are supposed to.
The three citizens of Spoon River Anthology could not escape or avoid dying and either can anyone else. It is honestly everywhere, in all shapes and forms. Death does not just affect the person it is killing, but also the people that knew them, it even affects the people that did not care for the disliked very much, it still did its damage. So just because you are high in society, or you are a hated drunk that nobody cares about, or a different religious person than everyone else, death still finds you and takes you.
