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To Death

1. (Describe form and structure)

The Poem is written in couplets.  There are 8 sets of rhyming couplets in the rhyme scheme, aa/bb/cc/dd/ee/ff/gg/aa .  In other words, the first couplet and the last couplet follow the same rhyme.

2. (Details personify death? Effect? Attitude apostrophize? What request?)

Death is personified when it is called a king of terror.  The poet also refers to death as “thy” in other words, using a pronoun to give it lifelike qualities.  This give death a life-like quality, making it more realistic to the reader.  It also helps establish the foreshadowing of the death of the poet.  The poet seems to be accepting death, saying that soon it will be time for her to join his kingdom as another soul, saying his business is to kill and hers is to die.  She calls herself his prey and seems accepting of her fate, welcoming it even.  She tells him to take her, to kill her.

3.  (Paraphrase, turning everything to literal meaning)

Dear frightening figure whom/all must follow/ even kings, priests and prophets die/ a mortal God could not resist death./ my time is coming/ I must die./ I don’t fell afraid of death/ but I am afraid of certain methods of death/ like illness which brings us out of our minds/ and poisons or disease that keeps people at our deathbeds./ That’s not how I want to go but take me when it’s my time/ I, as a human, must die/ Let me die when I should/ And let me die peacefully, the way it should be.