Poem- "Two Thoughts of Death" by Countee Cullen

[Ms. Knarr]

Read poem here: www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse/29/2#20575782

[caileighidell]

1. This poem, by Countee Cullen, takes the writer's thoughts on death and shows a personal opinion that is rather unusual. The first segment of this piece portrays one who does not care to be mourned over, however, is awaiting their lover. The second segment of this piece has a much simpler meaning. This meaning is the thought process of a suicidal being. The author writes presuming death will provide an escape for being treated as a fool.

2. I personally enjoyed this piece because I found it to be very honest. Even though the theme was dark, this piece provided an interesting point that not many would seem to think about. As a reader I fully understood what the author was trying to put out there. This was that death can be interpreted in many different ways.

3. *Did the author intend on making a specific point about death?
*Was the second segment of this piece truly a suicidal outlook on death?
*Is the first segment directed at a specific person?

[trevorsocarras]

I completely agree with Caileigh. This poem shows that the author has two totally different opinions on the concept of death. According to the first part of the poem, the author writes as if he could care less about dying and shows a lack of compassion towards his own death. The author makes it clear that mourning is something that the author does not care about. The author also writes that the only thing that can disturb or awake him from his eternal sleep is a kiss from a lover. In the second part of the poem the author has a different type of opinon on death. The author describes being a martyr, which I think can be defined as dying for a cause in which one deeply believes. I agree with Caileigh that Culle's piece provides an escape for being treated as a fool. Dying for a cause compared to dying for no reason is something the author would think one can choose for themselevs.

I personally liked the second part of the poem. I felt that the author made a clear point for dying for a cause to escape, as Caileigh said, from being a fool. The author allowed one to ponder about two different ideas of the concept of death, and I liked how the poem was very straight to the point about the writer's thoughts. I thought that the first part of the poem was to depressing for me in the fact that it had a melancholy kind of feel. If I were to die I hope that people would weep and care about my death.

To answer Caileigh's thrid question, I believe that the first part of the poem is directed toward a specfic lover. I think that the author doesn't care who mourns or weeps for him, except for that one special person. The writer states that it is the one kiss that is desired and that is what he is truely looking for to completely be at peace in the after life. The one person's kiss is the only thing that can awake him from eternal sleep.

1.What can you infer about the authors personallity according to the second part of the poem?

[caileighidell]

(I need one more question for my first reaction! Sorry!) *What could possibly have inspired the author to write a poem about death?

1. I am pleased to see that Trevor had a similar opinion on Cullen's work. I strongly hold to my original opinion on this poem. This was that the first segment is directed specifically to the man's lover who will bring him satisfaction to move on to the afterlife. Also, the second stanza promotes an idea of suicidal behavior that causes death to many.

2. In response to Trevor's question, I was able to infer from Cullen's writings here that he has a hardworking personality. People who choose to write about controversial topics put a lot of effort in their work in order to convince their readers that they are truly correct. Cullen also seems to have a wholesome personality because of his take on the suicidal aspect of death. When Cullen wrote using a suicidal theme in his second segment of this poem he showed that this suicide how been brought about by bullying. Those who choose to share the issue of bullying to their readers have wholesome personalities because they write about it in order to prevent it in the future.

3.(my question) *What inspired Countee Cullen to write about death in the first place?

[abigaildolan]

1) I totally agree with Caileigh and Trevor in teh beginning part of the poem he shows no care for being dead and does not care who mourns for him. It is as though he is almost glad he is dead so he can be rid of the stress of the world. He talks of past loves (of which he apparently had many) with so little care as if life was nothing but a game for him. Something to do that meant nothing. I can't say I agree with their opinion of the second part. It sounds as though he is not suicidal or actually a martyr. It sounds more as though he died doing something that was perhaps foolish and for some reason those still alive see him as a martyr. Maybe he was actually very selfish in what he did. He died for something that was nothing like what they think he died for. He knows this. When he says 'To Death; I'll be no more a fool' perhaps he means that Death (the Grim Reaper perhaps) knows he's not a fool and his true motives and thus will not treat him as those did while he was alive.

2) I liked this poem. I like how the first part contradicted the second. I also like how despite how long the first part was it told us little of anything. White the second part, considerably shorter, gave us much more about the dead man. It goes to show how much someone can say in only a few words. I also enjoyed the second part more than the first because it seemed far deeper. The man is putting his thoughts into what he wrote not just going on about how he doesn't care he's dead.

3) In response to Caileigh's fourth question. I think that perhaps the Author wrote about death because he saw death. Or maybe he just wondered what happened when one died and felt the need to write about what he thought someone might think. Death is an intriguing topic because no one really knows what happens after death until they are dead.

My Question - There are two separate thoughts on death in this one poem. Do you think that the Author meant for it to be two people or just one person with two thoughts?

[timhoffman]

1. Cullen's piece brings a feeling of sadness at the one whom he could not impress in life, as well as an indifference to most of the others who would weep at the author's death. He tells the audience that even in death he is prepared to meet his love.

2. Two Thoughts of Death was and still is a very well written piece that I would gladly read again. It has an interesting way of bringing the truth to the reader .

3. (Abby's Question): I believe the this poem was meant for only one person, however it may have been trying to tell them more than one thing.

[alexmaravic]

1. I completely agree with what Caileigh stated. I think that the poem was a little hard to understand and I had to read it a couple times. I feel like the beginning of the poem is about the author dying and how she doesn't care what happens to her physical body because that's not really her anymore. I also think the second part of the poem refers to suicide. The author seems to think that by committing suicide, she's outsmarting Death when she says, "To Death; I'll be no more a fool".

2. Although it was a little hard to understand, I actually really liked this poem because of the style and way it was written. This piece was very honest and someone many people could probably relate to it. I think the author didn't want people mourning her death. It really caused me to think a little more about death and what happens to us afterwards.

3. (Answering Trevor's Question) I think the author must think about death and suicide frequently. Maybe they had personal experiences where they were surrounded by death in their family or friends. Maybe the author suffered from depression and often thought about suicide. I think the author was intrigued by death and what would happen to them after and that's why she wrote about it.

Question:
What do you think the author was content to be a martyr for in the second part?

[trevorsocarras]

I agree with Alex's response to my question. I too think that the author thought of death and suicide frequently. The author makes the reader think of what could have happened and what may have caused the character to feel so gloomy about life. I still stick to my first interpretation of the poem and say that the author could care less about dying in the first segment of the poem. I also now believe after reading other posts, the author may have changed at a point in this life due to the second segment of the poem. At first he doesn't care about death, and then he is willing to die. There can be many different opinions and interpretations about death and what one considers a good, bad, or indifferent reason to die.

To answer Alex’s question, I think that the author was willing to die for a lover. I think this because of the author’s words in the first segment of the poem. The author writes about a kiss that he desires while in eternal sleep. The author also writes that the only thing that can disturb or awake him from his eternal sleep is the kiss from a lover. So maybe the author was in a certain situation where he died for this lover to live and never got the chance to completely say goodbye to her. If the author describes this kiss in such detail and then doesn’t care for anything else, what else can he possibly die for? Dying for someone probably in the author’s view was his way of dying and escaping from the world, absent being a fool.

1.Do you consider death a way to escape from this world?