I Have a Rendezvous With Death

2 Pages 446 Words

Sometimes a person's love for something can be so strong it can overcome anything. Hate, lust, and even fear can all be examples of this. In most cases, an author of a poem will create it to express his love for something. Many times the author uses different figures of speech to enhance that feeling in the reader such as personification, illiteration, and imagry.
The poem "I Have a Rendevous with Death" by Alan Seegar uses many figures of speech to demonstrate his devotion to his country. In order to understand this theory, the reader must first keep in mind that the poem was written right before the first world war, which helps the them to understand the theme of the poem. The poem itself was created as an allegory to symbolize Seegar representing his country in the war.
Throughout the poem, death is personified so the reader can better relate to it. For example, in the lines "It may be he shall take my hand and lead me into his dark land and close my eyes and quench my breath" he doesn't just personify death as leading him, he also uses enjambment. Not only is death personified, in line three Seegar personifies spring and contrasts it and apple blossoms with shade and death. The contrast between these two opposites hints to the reader that dispite his love for his country, there are still other things that he may not want to part with. He confirms those suspicions by giving us reasons that he may not want to make this aquaintence. When he says "God knows 'twere better to be deep pillowed in silk and scented down" he tells the reader not only will he miss the sweet comforts of everyday life, but further elaborates on that. In the lines "Where love throbs out in blissful sleep, pulse nigh to pulse and breath to breath, where hushed awakenings are dear..." Seegar intimates that there might be someone who he does not want to leave, perhaps a girlfriend or wife.
The author's devotion to his country is most clearly supp...