Artifacts and Theme
Ashley Allen
HUM200
Cultural Artifacts
The very first masterpiece of art I chose was Billy Collins' "The Art of Drowning." He talks
about what you might see and what would flash before your eyes if your life were to end in this
1995 poetry. The piece is poetry, and as such, it has a more dramatic impact. The copy I'm
reading right now is "The Art of Drowning" from Billy Collins' 1995 book by the same title. The
University of Pittsburgh Press has approved this reproduction. The second piece of art I chose
was Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not halt for Death." Written in the 1860s, this poem's
use of uppercase and dashes throughout heightens the sense of impending death that it conveys.
The poetry that makes up this work has a particular tone thanks to Dickinson's phrasing. THE
POEMS OF EMILY DICKINSON: READING EDITION, edited by Ralph W. Franklin,
Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Copyright 1998,
1999 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College, is the edition I'm fully concentrating on.
Common Theme
Death and what you want to do before it happens are the common themes I've observed in both.
All of us will eventually die, but the question is whether we will be content with our lives when
that time arrives. All the things you pass by or that pass by you are discussed by Dickinson. How
you are approaching the finish line undetected. Collins describes how you will consider
everything you would miss, but that in an ideal world, when you are dying, you won't think
about anything at all.
Personal Experience
I assume the theme is connected to my personal experience since I occasionally doubt whether I
am obtaining what I want. I want to experience a life where I have accomplished what I have set
out to do. Death is a somber subject, yet it is one we must consider in order to live our lives fully
and create the life we imagine for ourselves.
