Pg.13
Szymborska depicts the stages of a funeral to portray the reality within it. By describing the procession and steps of a funeral, it easily leads to a celebration of their own lives. The concept of death is easily incomprehensible. But, the hope that arises to the funeral, leads to their own reflection of death. The permanent state of death is avoided through the existence of new memorials or bridges for loved ones. Nonetheless, we still go on living not considering the fact that we are on our way towards our own death bed.
“They read off index cards:
He will be missed
Go on, band play the march
Too bad he can’t see this”
(Lines 6-10)
Simile
“Still full of blood and hopes the people turn away, not knowing that bell ropes …show more content…
Through life’s moments, not everything is guaranteed to be everything you have planned for. Instead, improvise through those moments.
Our Ancestors’ Short Lives
Pg. 194-195
“Our Ancestor’s Short Lives” approaches life before the modern advancement. The things we take for granted now, are fundamentals that our ancestors applied to live their daily lives.
“Time so generous to ward any petty star in the sky, offered them a nearly empty hand and quickly took it back, as if the effort were too much.”
(Lines 18-20)
Personification
“Wisdom couldn’t wait for gray hair.”
(Line 30)
Gratitude is a major theme that expresses the purpose of “Our Ancestor’s Short Lives. Szymborska elaborates on these two contrasting ideas of our ancestors’ lives and ours, to advise us to be attentive and thankful to the accomplishments we have achieved.
Hitler’s First Photograph Pg.196
Through the flagitious acts that Hitler committed during his lifetime, Szymborska looks beneath the childhood that led to the infamous