2-17-15

In both the fictional novel, Dandelion Wine, written by Ray Bradbury and “Sonnet 73,” written by William Shakespeare, the idea of death and the effect it has on people is presented. In Dandelion Wine, the reader views death through the eyes of wise, elderly people, as well as through youth, who are often confused about the concept. Bradbury provides the reader with three examples of elderly people coming to their time and place to die and how they handled the situation and how they were affected, along with how people of a younger generation handled it. Similarly, in “Sonnet 73” Shakespeare describes death by comparing the changing of seasons, day becoming night, and fire. He also proclaims how love is the solution to the sting of death. Death is not preventable and must happen to everyone, and the only way to eliminate the fear of death is to realize the time will come to die and by feeling the greatness of love. The similarity between the idea of death in the novel and the poem can be seen through the ideas of the process of aging, time, and uncertainty.

Both Shakespeare and Bradbury discuss their ideas of death through the process of aging and describe how the process of aging is significant to death. Through each piece of literature analogies are used to show how the process of aging relates to death. For example, in “Sonnet 73” Shakespeare explains day becoming night; “In me thou seest the twilight of such day.” (line 5.) This analogy of day turning into night represents how each person will make the transition from youth to an elderly age, eventually leading to death, “black night doth take away.” (line 7.) Shakespeare translates to his beloved that the process of aging will occur throughout life and the upcoming of death will surely be experienced. The reader gets the full understanding of how aging is apart of life and point in the direction of death, and there is no prevention of this. Similarly, Bradbury gives the reader an example of an elderly person who is in the midst of the crisis of rapid increase in age. When contemplating her issue, Mrs. Bentley remembers the words of her deceased husband: “No matter how hard you try to be what you once were, you can only be what you are here and now. Time hypnotizes.” (75.) Just like Shakespeare presenting his beloved with metaphoric ideas relating to the process of aging, Bradbury shows the reader through example that aging increases each day in a person, and there’s no returning to days once experienced in youth; “She could see the children racing off under the cavernous trees with her youth in their frosty fingers invisible as air.” (72.) Therefore, both pieces of literature describe how the process of aging only gets greater with time, and the answer is death itself.

Both pieces of literature examine how time is a crucial aspect of life and connect how time plays a critical role in the significance of death. For example, in “Sonnet 73” Shakespeare explains the process of fire, “In me thou seest the glowing of such fire, that on the ashes of his youth doth lie,” (lines 9&10) and depicts to the reader how time is significant to death. Shakespeare displays to his beloved how time never slows down, and how he is approaching the last days of his life. Shakespeare’s purpose for this is to convey to the reader to live life to the fullest because it is impossible to take time back. The reader gets a full understanding that just like fire will lose its once full energy, time will also eventually expire, “As the death-bed whereon it must expire,” (line 11) which means the end of life. Likewise, Bradbury captures Shakespeare’s idea of time being significant to death by giving an example of a boy losing a close friend who is moving, and the two friends only have limited time together; “For John was running, and this was terrible. Because if you ran, time ran.” (106.) Doug didn’t want to rush his final day spent with John. Through this example, Bradbury, like Shakespeare, is able to show the importance of time because without time there is nothing, whether it be simple friendship like Bradbury describes, or on a bigger scale no lifer at all, meaning death. When William Forrester is talking to Mrs. Loomis, she states: “In a few days I will be dead.” (150.) Just like Shakespeare and the idea of fire, Bradbury again shows through example how critical time is and depicts to the reader to always live life the best way possible no matter how much time is left in life. In the end, both pieces of literature express the thought of time being significant to the overall concept of death, and furthermore explain how loss of time could mean death.

Shakespeare and Bradbury also reflect on the idea of uncertainty and discuss how uncertainty is significant to death. Both authors clearly display how they are both curious as to what will happen after death. For example, after translating to his beloved how “black night’’ (line 7) consumes life, Shakespeare presents his mindset of the afterlife, “Death’s second self.” (line 8.) Through this idea of death having a second side, Shakespeare is able to effectively hint at the thought of eternity. Uncertainty is obviously felt by Shakespeare’s beloved, as he is stretched between what he might think is the consequence of death. Whether it be when death occurs there will be no sort of hope after death; “which thou must leave ere long,” (line 13) or will a person be able to continue living after death in some sort of afterlife. Similarly, Bradbury also makes it known to his reader how he is uncertain of what will happen after death, as he provides examples through his characters. For example, Helen Loomis states to Mr. Forrester how they may meet again in another life: “For I don’t know how long they will let you linger on the other side. Perhaps they send you back immediately.” (152.) Just like Shakespeare, Bradbury is able to, through example, convey to the reader how he is uncertain as to whether or not there might be a second life after death. Both authors come to the conclusion that they are uncertain and also curious at what happens next after death, whether there is another life, “the next spin around, wheels might function right again,” or no second life at all.
Both authors propose many similarities between each other over the significance of death. In both pieces of literature, the authors are speaking to another person, “In me thou seest,” (line 5) with Shakespeare speaking to his beloved and Bradbury speaking to his younger self. Both authors use a sensitive tone when speaking as well. The main comparison between the authors is that they both discuss the complex idea of death, have the similar beliefs that death isn’t preventable and must happen. Both authors agree that death is significant and not preventable. Therefore, both authors use similar techniques to explain their thoughts on death and describe how aging, time, and uncertainty are all significant to the concept of death.