APPRECIATION OF THE POEAM DEATH THE LEVELLER

Death the Leveller� is a wonderful poem by James Shirley. This

poem tells us that mortality is a power that haunts any human being. It�s what
helps readers care about their brief life on Earth. Death levels everyone in this
world. He�s treating us the same. Death is still going to hover over us. The theme
of this poem is that death is a fact that everybody can face in their lives. This
poem lets the reader embrace this fact without any defence.
In the opening lines of the first stanza, the poet tells us
of the futility of the glory of war and victory. The kings and the peasants are
reduced to ashes. Death is indeed imminent for all, and it always serves as a great
leveller. The glory, our birth and our state are just like shadows, not
substantial, not concrete. They�re not going to last long. We can not avoid the
cold hand of death. He would not deem someone to be a high birth or low birth. And
we must be gracious enough to acknowledge the truth of life.
Some men fight bravely and capture lands, destroy people
and become triumphant. But sooner or later, all their strength is lost. By the end
of the day, they became prisoners of death. The successes and glories of one�s life
can linger only until the moment of death. The honour and pride of men winds up in
the cemetery. Any earthly success has been short-lived. People can only remember
our good deeds and our acts. These good deeds and acts are like roses. Thus, the
author implicitly encourages the reader to do virtuous deeds. All that do good
things are going to have a nice smell. Positive deeds are blossoming in the ashes.

The poem has used fine imagery. There are figures of speech like personification as
in �Death lays his icy hands on kings�, and metonymy is used in �sceptre and crown�
and �scythe and spade�. Oxymoron is used in �victor-victim bleeds� and metaphor is
used in the line, �glories are shadows� and actions of the just to flowers. The
poem employs a beautiful rhyme scheme ababccdd.

Thus all the images and devices used by the poet provide a lot of clarity for the
readers to realize the message of the poem. It applies to everybody to lead a good
life doing good deeds. In my opinion, the poet has succeeded in making the point,
�Death is the Leveller�.

Justification of Title
The first four lines of each stanza address the notion of human triumph and the
notions of man-made success. They also identify in both of these settings that the
shadow of death looms. With the declaration that death is the endpoint for all we
do, hence the title, �The Great Leveller,� the second four lines of each stanza
undercuts all human progress. Shirley claims that this is the essential component
in the poem�s symbolic sense that death is something that plagues mortals and is
inevitable.

Central Idea
Death is a great leveller. It is a universal truth. It comes to all and spares
none. The might and weak, the rich and the poor cannot escape the icy hands of
death. Therefore, it is useless to boast of the glories of one�s birth, caste,
religion, and position. The only thing which remains after death are just and noble
deeds. So, man is remembered by his good actions. Therefore, we should always be
right in our actions.