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Summary Of William Cullen Bryant's To A Waterfowl

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Summary Of William Cullen Bryant's To A Waterfowl
In reading William Cullen Bryant’s three poems in chronological sequence, I observed a slight and yet significant change in his beliefs regarding spirituality. It appears, Bryant’s thoughts regarding death become more spiritual and mellowed as time passes. As an example, in the first poem by Bryant “Thanatopsis”, his writings are much more matter of fact almost brazen. Bryant writes about tree roots invading your grave and possibly not finding the eternal resting place you may envision. Generally speaking, do not expect a spiritual afterlife. However, Bryant was only 17 when he wrote “Thanatopsis”, many teens have a dark view of death. “To a Waterfowl”, brings forth a deeper spirituality in Bryant’s poetry. Here is an example from William
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