Essay on MA 1 Rough Draft

Submitted By shmorgan
Words: 989
Pages: 4

Morgan Auld
Amanda Mayer
English 102 B
12 February 2015
MA 1 Rough Draft
When thinking about funerals and death, what are some of the first thoughts that come to mind? Are they thoughts of sadness, thoughts of relief, and thoughts of anger? No matter how one feels when it comes to losing a loved one, everybody reacts and responds differently. For some they shut out the rest of the world and grieve in solitude, while others may even throw a party in order to celebrate the life of the recently deceased. But what is a funeral without those words spoken upon remembrance, or a celebration of life without some music to help us relive that life lost. In today’s society, poetry and music hold high value in regards to funerals and other specific occasions you see every day. Poetry and music are so important to us when it comes to funerals and saying goodbye because even though everyone is different and mourns for their losses in their own way, there will always be a poem or a song that someone can relate to and help them during their coping process. “We’ll Meet Again” by Johnny Cash and “Gone Away” by the Offspring are just two songs that show the significance of poetry and music when it comes to funerals, as well show the differences that the music can have when still pertaining to the same occasion. Most of the poetry and music that is written for or about the specific occasion, funerals, hold a pretty high standard in today’s society. It holds such a high standard because this is typically the music or words spoken to reflect on and remember the recently deceased’s life. For some, they may prefer a gloomier, contemporary song playing at a funeral, while others may prefer a happier, more cheerful song to help lighten the mood. The poetry or music that one is going to prefer is going to depend on the traditions that one is used to when it comes to funerals and death. Someone who is having a really hard time coping with the death of a loved one isn’t going to want to listen to a song where they sound cheerful and okay with the passing of life, rather they would prefer a poem or song that goes more with their mood and how they are feeling so that they can have something to better relate to. In “We’ll Meet Again” by Johnny Cash, the speaker is talking to someone who has recently passed, telling them that everything is going to be alright, that we may not have each other at the moment, but we will soon see each other “some sunny day” (insert citation). This would be a song that one would expect to see at a funeral where people are more tolerable of the passing of a loved one. They look at the brighter side of death, keeping in mind that their loved one may not be with them anymore, but they know that one day, they will meet again. “Keep smiling through, Just like you always do, 'Til the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away” (insert citation) explains that it is okay for one to be sad over the loss of a loved one but to keep on pushing though the tough, that you will see the bright side of life again soon. This song holds to our standards of poetry and music written for or about the occasion of funerals because almost everybody that has lost a loved one can relate to this song. Everybody knows that times may be tough at the moment, but you have to keep on living life, things will get better in time. Some people pass at a more