Comparative Elegies~similar or Different?

An elegy is a poem of lament, usually formal and sustained, over the death of a particular person; also, a meditative poem in plaintive or sorrowful mood. Through an elegy authors are able to convey their deepest remorse and grief through the eloquent use of the English language. Three elegies in which show the possible interpretations and moral convictions of death are "Elegy for Jane", "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard", and "A Satirical Elegy".

Jane's unfortunate death in an equestrian accident prompted one of her professors, the poet Theodore Roethke, to write a moving poem, "Elegy for Jane," recalling his young student and his feelings of grief at her loss. It is very interesting that Jane's death is not the subject of the poem; rather, her death presents an occasion for calling up a certain emotional state in which Roethke's feelings of grief and pity transcend the occasion.

This spiritual epitaph is laced with imagery; painting an extremely vivid picture given the details about her image. Roethke associates the deceased with elemental aspects of nature--the plant tendrils, the pickerel smile, trembling twigs, whispers turning into kissing etc. His lines create an amazingly tranquil atmosphere. Her voice is described as if it were perfectly toned; touching everyone that crosses her path of wind.

Roethke compares Jane to a wren, a sparrow, a pigeon--all birds which draw forth an emotion. Birds naturally symbolize peace, freedom, and love. The wren represents joyful times, the high moments in Jane's life; the sparrow however usually represents those who feel they are not worth anything; and pigeons I personally think are trite birds.

"Elegy for Jane" is not the only elegy which incorporates nature into its meaningful lines. "An Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" by Thomas Gray is a similar elegy to "Elegy for Jane" in that it incorporates mother nature and the animal which is most unique to her--the bird: "The breezy call of incense-breathing morn,

The swallow twittering from the straw-built shed, The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing horn, No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed." Not only are these elegies similar because of their richness of the language and comparative nature with the outside world but also in that it mourns the death not of great or famous people, but of common men.

The speaker of this poem sees a country churchyard at sunset, which impels him to meditate