The Unexplained Romance Between Life and Death Essay -- Eliot Wastelan

The Unexplained Romance Between Life and Death Humans have always been fascinated with the unexplained, life and death being two of the most popular. Much of the culture of the United States, as well as the cultures of other countries, is devoted to these two themes. Television shows, books, poems and even movies have fueled our romance. In T.S. Eliot’s most famous poem The Wasteland, he says, "I will show you fear in a handful of dust" (l. 30). Our romance with death does not just include the finality of the process, but also the realization of our need to improve our lives, because we finally realize just how precious they are. It is often said "you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone." In his book No Past, No Present, No Future, Yulisa Amadu Maddy tells of the life and times of three boys, and how they learn this to be true. Early on in his life, each boy has an incident with death, and raises his own questions about each. Joe Bengoh loses his parents, Santige loses his father, and Ade faces the death of a girl named Mary. Their questions come from the hurt of not knowing what is to happen in their future. Each boy has something to struggle with during these deaths, and must learn how to overcome their difficulties. Santige wonders about the legacy of his father, Joe about his mistakes with Mary, and Ade is cold to the whole situation. Joe wants to die when Mary dies, because he feels responsible for everything, including Santige and Ade. However responsible each boy feels, they find something new to live for, and rebuild the tatters of their broken past lives. Be it for good or bad, each decides to go their own separate way and make a new life in England. Joe finds he can excel in school and even finds a... ...ww.c-span.org/campaign2000/bushspeech.asp. Brooks, David. Bobos in Paradise : The New Upper Class and How They Got There. New York: Simon, 2000. Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land, Prufrock and Other Poems. New York: Dover, 1998. Gore, Albert Jr., Concession Speech. C-Span.Org: Public Affairs on the Web. 13 Dec. 2000: 24 Jan. 2001. http://www.c-span.org/campaign2000/gorespeech.asp. Jin, Ha. Waiting. New York: Vintage, 2000. Maddy, Yulisa Amadu. No Past No Present No Future. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann- Reed, 1996.. Sparks, Nicholas. The Notebook. Warner Books Inc. new york. 1996 Tanksley, Charlie. Speech on the Proposed New Flag. Ajc.com. 30 Jan. 2001. < http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/flag/tankspeech.html>. Taylor, Mark. Remarks on the New Flag. Ajc.com. 30 Jan. 2001. http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/flag/taylor0130.html The Unexplained Romance Between Life and Death Essay -- Eliot Wastelan The Unexplained Romance Between Life and Death Humans have always been fascinated with the unexplained, life and death being two of the most popular. Much of the culture of the United States, as well as the cultures of other countries, is devoted to these two themes. Television shows, books, poems and even movies have fueled our romance. In T.S. Eliot’s most famous poem The Wasteland, he says, "I will show you fear in a handful of dust" (l. 30). Our romance with death does not just include the finality of the process, but also the realization of our need to improve our lives, because we finally realize just how precious they are. It is often said "you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone." In his book No Past, No Present, No Future, Yulisa Amadu Maddy tells of the life and times of three boys, and how they learn this to be true. Early on in his life, each boy has an incident with death, and raises his own questions about each. Joe Bengoh loses his parents, Santige loses his father, and Ade faces the death of a girl named Mary. Their questions come from the hurt of not knowing what is to happen in their future. Each boy has something to struggle with during these deaths, and must learn how to overcome their difficulties. Santige wonders about the legacy of his father, Joe about his mistakes with Mary, and Ade is cold to the whole situation. Joe wants to die when Mary dies, because he feels responsible for everything, including Santige and Ade. However responsible each boy feels, they find something new to live for, and rebuild the tatters of their broken past lives. Be it for good or bad, each decides to go their own separate way and make a new life in England. Joe finds he can excel in school and even finds a... ...ww.c-span.org/campaign2000/bushspeech.asp. Brooks, David. Bobos in Paradise : The New Upper Class and How They Got There. New York: Simon, 2000. Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land, Prufrock and Other Poems. New York: Dover, 1998. Gore, Albert Jr., Concession Speech. C-Span.Org: Public Affairs on the Web. 13 Dec. 2000: 24 Jan. 2001. http://www.c-span.org/campaign2000/gorespeech.asp. Jin, Ha. Waiting. New York: Vintage, 2000. Maddy, Yulisa Amadu. No Past No Present No Future. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann- Reed, 1996.. Sparks, Nicholas. The Notebook. Warner Books Inc. new york. 1996 Tanksley, Charlie. Speech on the Proposed New Flag. Ajc.com. 30 Jan. 2001. < http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/flag/tankspeech.html>. Taylor, Mark. Remarks on the New Flag. Ajc.com. 30 Jan. 2001. http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/ajc/flag/taylor0130.html