Pattern Poems 2

"Death, be not proud" uses diction to present the effect of death. The speaker is not afraid of death. He actually seems to be challenging it, or enticing it. He says that "nor yet canst thou kill me" and thou art slave to fate", showing that even death is not invincible. His use of words such as "poison, war, and sickness" shows the negative side of death, but not necessarily it's power. In the last line of the poem, he says that eventually even death will die. This made me think that the poem may have had religious undertones. Christians believe that death will be destroyed and we will have everlasting life. Because of this, we say that we should not fear death, even though everyone still does. Maybe the speaker is just trying to call death's bluff, but he really is still afraid of him.