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Analysis of When Death Comes. There is a stream of consciousness feel to this poem as the speaker, presumably Oliver, considers what happens to someone after his or her life ends. The fact that there is no set rhyme or meter, and that the stanzas are all of varying lengths, adds to this feeling of the continuous flow of thoughts.
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Mary Oliver’s poem “When Death Comes” begins with a varied description of how “death” may appear and a meditation on the nature of death. This kind of pondering on the coming of death proves to be bold on the poet’s part.
Oliver, Mary. “ When Death Comes .” 1991. Virginia Quarterly Review. Summary. The speaker begins this lyric poem discussing how they will eventually be greeted by death. They speculate that death might come as a “hungry bear” (Line 2), from illness, or similar to “an iceberg” (Line 8).
Mary Oliver's poems are remarkably consistent in their approach. She experiments with several styles in terms of line breaks and structure and length, and takes on the big themes of life and death...
“When Death Comes” is a poem that deals with how one chooses to live once they realize they must die. There’s an almost fantastical quality to death in the opening stanzas. Death is not clinical or manmade, but natural, a next step in the journey of life.
In her poem "Brother," celebrated poet Mary Oliver eloquently expresses the ever-lasting presence of a brother, even in their absence. Oliver's words encapsulate the delicate balance between grief and gratitude. An excerpt from the poem reads: "There is nothing to do but to praise.
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