English 2610

Elegy really made me think about the dead and what it means to be dead. "The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing horn, No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed." This is such an eerie thought. These lines really portray what it is to be dead. When I read this I imagined someone who still looks alive but doesn't respond to anything. I think it will really make me think about the actual bodies in the ground next time I go to a cemetery.

Lines 43 and 44 also had an effect on me. "Can Honor's voice provoke the silent dust, Or Flatt'ry soothe the dull cold ear of Death?" Even though the dead can't physically hear anymore, this makes me think of what is left of the dead; what might still be lingering behind or around their bodies. When we talk about those that have passed away, even though their ears are cold, do our words really have an effect on them? Can they hear what we say about them? I went to a funeral once that didn't complement the man that had passed away. A few people even said negative things about him. I couldn't help but feel bad for this man who may have never even heard some of the negative things that were being said at his funeral. I was hoping he wasn't hearing the different things being said. I personally think the dead can hear things that are said about them. I really enjoyed this poem. I think having the pictures to look at before reading helped me to really visualize the poem.