30min Essay: "Metaphors & Death"

Death is inevitable. It is an act that connects us to every single person that has ever lived and will ever live. However, the greatest lesson death provides is in the metaphors with which we can understand it and can find solace when it occurs to someone we know. With this solace a profound connection to the human spirit transcends. 

A person’s impact is not limited to the physical presence. This is one of the earliest lessons death teaches. Under this teaching, a person’s influence continues to exist regardless of their body. Intuitively, this makes sense. A person can be alive and on the other side of the globe and their influence still affects lives. For example, an author won’t meet all their readers, but their work can hugely impact a reader’s life. Quote 3 explores this idea, and describes this influence as coming around in “another form”. Typically, this form exists as the value and morales that the person imparts on those around them - their memory presents an opportunity to think deeply about what we find important. Under this metaphor, our impact doesn’t exist as one physical facet but can transcend beyond it. Looking deeper, this then gives us meaning as no work or passion is futile. Take for example the suffragettes, many of whom did not live to see the fruits of their efforts but the value of their beliefs and drive transcended their ephemera. Beyond the protests and lobbying now exists the 21st feminism movement and feminist ideals that exist in most people. Metaphorically, death allows us to understand that our lives purpose is not always connected to the immediate reinforcements of money, success and fame, but that they can also exist beyond our finite lives with the ability to continuously impact people. 

Death provides us the strength to live. When a person around us dies, the value of our lives becomes more pronounced. Under this metaphor, we recognise the beauty and wonder in our smaller achievements and continue to live in awe of our world. Quote 2 explores this idea but highlighting that even when a person’s light ceases to exist, the strength it instills in those left behind can be uplifting. This is one the biggest lessons that death teaches us, and is often explored in movies as it is a capstone of the human spirit and is something we all innately understand. Movies like, “A Walk to Remember” present this idea as after the death of one of the protagonists every other character fundamentally changes because of the strength they needed to accept the death. This acceptance came in the form of multiple bad habits and life-choices changing, as every character was deeply moved by the radiance the protagonist brought. This metaphor helps us understand death by providing the lens to appreciate our lives more deeply. When death occurs near us, we correct bad habits and begin to live life more deeply as we recognise the fleeting nature of it. By seeing the humanity in death, and recognising the capacity for change that it brings, we are able to honour the individual one last time by becoming better people. 

Metaphors are how we understand the world, and as such, are hugely important tools with which we understand death. By moving beyond seeing death as a person’s final frontier, and acknowledging the influence that remains after life, we are not only able to fully honour the individual but recognise the humanity in dying. This humanity is what connects us to everyone around us, as we understand the power that exists within everyone, and how every human is more than just their physical presence.