Nothing to Fear Essay

Submitted By trittylou
Words: 703
Pages: 3
Open Document
Nothing to Fear, Nothing to Focus On Shakespeare penned sonnets that have serenaded lovers, plays that have been the subject of study in countless classrooms, and captured one balcony scene that has induced "ooh"s and "awh"s from many enraptured audiences. Yet, when King Lear dies of a broken heart, Shakespeare paints the moment with only two words: "He dies." Shakespeare wrote such a simple sentence for such a dreaded phase of life. Prior to my Papaw's death, this perplexed me. How could the close of one's life be summed up so curtly? However, after watching my seventy-six year old Papaw slip silently away, I understood why death was nothing to be feared, and was nothing to be focused on. The room was dimly lit, cool, and smelled faintly of an interesting mixture of antibacterial hand sanitizer and my memaw's soft perfume. My papaw lay as he had for weeks, silent and still, covered by white sheets in the white room, his complexion nearly as pail as all that surrounded him. The only true contrast to the white room was the massive pile of my family's coats that lay in a heap in the corner, and the large brown door of the hospital room. Our voices stayed low, as if noise would disturb him, when even the nurses poking him with needles and constantly prodding him had yet to stir him. His feeding tube clicked as predictably as a second hand, though not as often, as it fed him. His chest rose and fell, and sometimes stopped. When this happened, a silent tension would fall over the room like a shadow, our eyes would lock on him, lying completely still, and my memaw would reach her hand down to rub his shoulder until he took his next breath. We never acknowledged the moments outwardly, but merely stayed hushed through them. Then, we tried our hardest to continue the conversation smoothly once the anxiety had passed. He was fading; we all knew it. We had all known it for years. Nine years had passed since his first stroke stole the use of his entire left side, and we had all lost track of the number of strokes that had plagued him in the years since the first. Yes, death was near. It had been lingering near, taunting us, for years. No sad or daunting background music played to queue us to the imminent event. The dimmed lighting in that tiny room did not adjust as it does in the movies just before a tragedy occurs. Our steady hum of dialogue neither increased nor decreased to make way for death to creep into that chilly hospital room, but death
Show More

Related Documents: Nothing to Fear Essay

Epicurus's Views On Death Is Nothing To Irrational Fear

A philosopher named Epicurus argued that death should not be feared and everyone should get rid the irrational fear of it. He thinks that this fear is often based upon nervousness about having an unpleasant afterlife, such as being punished in hell for all the bad sins that people may have committed during when they were living- However, Epicurus stated, “Death is nothing to us”. We fear of passing the most- but death is the privation of sense perception. It makes us the mortality of life a matter…

Words 366 - Pages 2

Presidential Inaugural Address

Deacon Carson Woolhouse ENG-7A 8 March 2024 Informative essay This essay is about the allusion ‘’we have nothing to fear but itself’’. An allusion is a saying that someone has a book and someone else puts it in their book. This allusion "We have nothing to fear but fear itself” is a quote from The Presidential Inaugural address and it is alluded to in the book A Wrinkle In Time. The Presidential Inaugural Address is a speech by Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Address was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s plan for…

Words 320 - Pages 2

When I Have Fears That I May Cease To Be Analysis Essay

"Do not go gentle into that good night"! (Book 2841) "When I have Fears that I may cease to be" by John Keats will be the poem placed under the microscope . John Keats had fears of not living long and not fulfilling his great talent. Furthermore, this poem is a cry of a person stuck in fear of the unknown and what is not to be accomplished . The last line of his Sonnet ‘Of the wide world I stand alone, and think/ Till Love and Fame to nothingness do sink." stands out. With this in mind it shoes…

Words 989 - Pages 4

Theme Of Isolation In Lord Of The Flies

Imagine an isolated island overrun by fear of a strange beast. All who are on the island act on their fear instead of thinking logically, and chaos breaks loose. This is a horrifying scene presented in Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Similar scenarios also appear in The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The main characters, Ralph and Liesel, are in places where fear is the ruler and no one dares stand up to it. In BT Liesel is separated from her birth family in Nazi Germany and is taken in by a family…

Words 653 - Pages 3

Jaul's Politician Or Romney As A President Or Both?

both? John B. Judis who was the author of “Passing the People’s Religious Test: Mitt Romney’s Mormonism is Nothing to Fear,” has an effective use of rhetoric for his audience. His rhetoric was effective because he explained to them that Romney’s Mormonism, just like it says in the title of his article, is nothing to fear. The audience of Judis’s article are people who have doubts or fears about the Mormonism of Romney. In attempt to help his audience no longer be fearful of Romney’s Mormonism…

Words 1893 - Pages 8

Gun Violence In Schools Research Paper

lot of issues around the world right now. With war and pollution to income and cost of living. There is something much more controversial and hurtful to talk about. Gun violence in schools has been a big issue since the 90’s and still is this day nothing has really happened about it. Parents are confused and concerned about where to send their child to school, just because some people want to keep guns on them for protection. If guns were banned in a way that only people older than 30 can get them…

Words 786 - Pages 4

Analysis of Hamlet's Soliloquy: To Be or Not To Be Essay

contemplating to himself the meaning of existence and posing the question of whether or not to suffer life or to cut it short and cease the pain. In this highly recognized soliloquy by prince Hamlet is speaking upon the idea of cowardice towards ones fears and troubles and the question of is it worth actually fighting one’s problems in life or remaining inactive and simply existing and in a near frivolous life and reality, hence his the famous statement, “To be, or not to be: that is the question:” This…

Words 530 - Pages 3

Fear Vs Reality Research Paper

Fear- an unpleasant feeling caused by the belief that someone or something is going to cause pain or a threat; from that we can conclude that fear is nothing but an emotion that is Preeminent in the animal kingdom to signal there's danger we can sense because it's unrealistic to our perception or because we're unfamiliar with its presence. For me my fear wasn't because I was in a life threatening situation or I felt that I was going to be physically harm but because the concept of me never succeeding…

Words 333 - Pages 2

How Does Shakespeare Create Tension In Romeo And Juliet

The author uses character to create more fear and suspense. There was a disease spreading through the village. The Prince knew that half of the village had died from the red death. He took only his healthy friends and took them to one of his palaces. In the text it states, “ When half the people of his land had died, he called to him a thousand healthy, happy friends, and with them went far away to live in one of his palaces.” They went away from the disease and had a huge party.The character…

Words 388 - Pages 2

Warriors Dont Cry Analysis

This is madness! Why would you vote for such people? They are the voice of nothing. They sell nothing but the promise of violence. I fear the same danger which you fear. Wars, the horror of mothers.If you could sell ignorance I want drilling rights on my opponent’s heads. They are not brave men worthy of being praised. Blind leading the blind. Work conquers all things. We need equal rights for everyone not just the wealthy and politicians. We need all voices to not only be heard but to make a difference…

Words 449 - Pages 2