How is the fear of dying portrayed in Betjemans poems Essay Example

How is the fear of dying portrayed in Betjemans poems? Essay Betjeman is not afraid of death, but is intrigued by the situations in which it occurs, and also what may happen afterwards. He finds the idea of death sad, but for the people left behind, not the person who is dying, or has died. Devonshire Street is about a mans feelings, and the attitude of his wife, having discovered he has only a short time to live. The first stanza describes the setting for the poem, a rich affluent area of London, where a doctor practices. The heavy mahogany and wrought-iron screen indicate wealth, but this is ironic because all the wealth in the world will not be able to help this man with the terminal illness. The area is pleasant and scenic, a contrast to the news the man has been given. The second stanza shows this bleakness in the first two words; no hope, the view may be pessimistic, but the X-Ray photographs show the undeniable facts . The surroundings, brick built house is calm, unlike his thoughts, and the urban environment is enclosed, and comparison with his life, which has now also been enclosed. The iron knob is a symbol of permanence, something he no longer has, and he notices this in the passing of other people down the street. We will write a custom essay sample on How is the fear of dying portrayed in Betjemans poems? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How is the fear of dying portrayed in Betjemans poems? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How is the fear of dying portrayed in Betjemans poems? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer He calls them merciless', as they show to him that other life is carrying on, and he questions his fate. His wife tries to comfort him by reminding him of the good times: Kensington dances. This shows his life was affluent, but all his money and connections can do nothing for him now. This brings a connection from whatever status he held to any other human being, who can try to understand the way he feels being told he will die soon. His wife also tries to comfort him by talking about mundane, everyday things such as how to get home, which is the cheapest way. He should take comfort in the fact that although to the majority of people isnt significant, he is important to his wife. Before the Anaesthetic is the worries of someone about to go for an operation, and frightened of what will happen if they dont wake up. Their fear centres around the bells they hear from a nearby church, reminding them that they have not really been close to God, and this scares them. The poet describes the landscape around the hospital he is in, which he knows well, but never looked at in the same way. He is questioning what happens at death, is it extinction, meaning no afterlife, or does God judge you, and send you to an appropriate place. The bells seem to echo the poets thoughts, and question his faith as he admits I never knew God at all . This scares the poet, and he realises that perhaps he doesnt deserve a reward at all, and without God he will have to make what he sees as his journey alone. He believes that death would be much easier to take if he had some comforting presence he had faith in. had I Faith, Thered be no fight with kindly Death. The subject of Felixstowe has a different outlook on death. As a nun she has a great deal of faith in what God will do for her after death. She knows she is about to die, as she puts her final shilling in the meter, but is not saddened by her own death as she knows that she will be re-united with her loved ones and her friends. However, until then she is still lonely, and the last shilling makes this all the more poignant . The third stanza describes her history, and the history of her friends and Order. The history makes the audience like the woman, she has done much good work with children in the past, but now she is alone, not physically, but all her contemporaries have died, leaving her to keep the rule. But she is looking forward to something better, she describes how she is now as winter, but death will allow her into a sun-lit kingdom where her memory of winter dies, and she is looking forward to this. This woman has such faith, and such self assurance in the future for her sh e is not frightened by anything now. It does not matter whether she does just die and that is the end, or whether there is an afterlife, because she has either eventuality covered. She is confident in her life that God will be kind to her, and if there is no afterlife, it doesnt matter, you wont know, and at least you die happily. These poems show the different ways that people see death, and their different reactions to it, comparing those with faith to those without, and the reactions from people to death. Other poems touch on the subject of the fear of coming too close to death, and what follows, such as Chelsea describing the city in terms of hell and the way this effects the people there. Betjemans own fear about death is that history will be lost and the characteristics of the generation will die too.