facing death essay questions

Facing Death by August Strindberg: Summary | Questions and Answers | Class 12 English

Facing Death by August Strindberg

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This one-play 'Facing Death' was written by Johan August Strindberg, a Swedish writer. This play is about a bankrupt man named Monsieur Durand and his heroic sacrifice for the sake of his daughters. This play was published in 1892. This play has various themes such as fatherhood, financial hardship, strained family relationships, the relentless struggle for survival, love, sacrifice and the inevitability of death.

Monsieur (n.):   (in countries where French is spoken) a title used before the name of a   man to refer to him, or used alone as a formal and polite form of address 

sous (n.):  coins in Switzerland. 100 sou coin is equal to five Swiss franc coin, a four  sou coin is twenty Swiss-centime

mortgage (n):  an agreement by which money is lent by a building society, bank, etc. for  buying a house or other property, the property being the security 

reproach (v.):  to blame or criticize somebody/oneself, especially in a sad or disappointed  way, for failing to do something

privation (n):  a lack of basic comforts and things necessary for life

promenade (v.):  to take a relaxed walk or ride in public, especially in order to meet or  be seen by others 

francs (n.):   the currency of Switzerland

impudence (n.):  rudeness; lack of respect; insolence

prerogative (n):  a right or privilege, especially one belonging to a particular person or  group

scaffold (n):  a platform on which people are executed

scamp (n.):  a child who enjoys playing tricks and causing trouble

abyss (n.):  a hole so deep that it seems to have no bottom

draughts (n.):  cracks from where air flows into a house

veiled (adj.):  partly hidden

incendiary (adj.):  designed to set buildings, etc. on fire

conscription (n.):  the act of forcing somebody by law to serve in the armed forces

spook (n.):  a ghost

retrogrades (v.):  to get worse; to return to a less good condition

exalted (adj.):  in a state of extreme spiritual happiness

divulge (v.):  to make something known, especially a secret

chiffonier (n):  a high chest of drawers, often having a mirror at the top

ABOUT THE PLAY

This one-play "Facing Death" was written by a Swedish writer, playwright, and painter, Johan August Strindberg (1849–1922).

This play, "Facing Death," presents the story of Monsieur Durand, a former railroad worker and widower in financial ruin. Durand has three daughters: Adèle, Annette, and Thérèse. But he doesn't have prospects for their futures.

In the play, he has tried his best to provide for his daughters, even giving his house to renters, but his every effort is met with scorn and derision.

But Monsieur Durand has a plan to ensure his daughters' financial futures, even if it means he must face his own death - a prime example of European dramatic naturalism. Facing Death is the story of a father's love for his children, even when it means sacrificing everything.

In Facing Death, Strindberg dramatizes a heroic sacrifice made by a bankrupt man for the sake of his daughters. 

MAIN SUMMARY

This play has presented the main character as Mr. Durand, who is a former railroad employee, widower, and pensioner. In this play, he is presented as a financially ruined person. Mr. Durand is spending his life living with his three daughters. His three daughters are:

Adele (27 years)

Annette (24 years)

Therese (24 years)

The relationship between the father and his three daughters is not good. They are completely bankrupt. They have been facing a financial crisis for the last ten years. They have turned their home into a lodge for the rest of their lives. Adele works in the kitchen, and Mr. Durand engages himself in other kinds of work such as serving guests, cleaning, delivering and bringing food items, etc.

In the lodge, Mr. Darund's two daughters only try to seek others' attention. They don't help with other tasks in the lodge except playing, singing, and flirting with the customers.

The entire Durand family has been living and spending their lives borrowing money from others for years. The family is dealing with financial hardships. With bills piling up, Durand is trying to figure out how to provide for his three daughters after their mother's death.

Mr. Durand has to pay several bills. He has to pay everyone, like the baker, the butcher, and the grocer. Their workboy, Pierre, comes up empty-handed when he goes for bread. Rather, he brings only unpaid bills. Durand buys candles to light on the death anniversary of his late (Zariia) son, René, who died in infancy. He still loves him and misses him.

At their lodge, he has the only paying guest, Antonio (an Italian army lieutenant). Durand tells Antonio that, due to bankruptcy and a lack of supplies, they can no longer house him. Antonio offers to pay in advance and let him stay for another month, but Durand refuses. He also says that last spring he had no guests for three months, and finally an American family came and helped him. When Durand goes for coffee, Therese flirts with guest Antonio, and they kiss.

Durand is quite surprised to see them kissing when he appears at the door. Enraged, he angrily drives Antonio away from his house. He also throws away the money given to him. Therese and Annette are unhappy to see their father's act. They want the guest (Antonio) to be there. Both girls misbehave with their father. They even snatched the glass of milk from him, as he could not bring bread. By compulsion, they make him drink only a glass of water. As he prepares to light his bribery pipe, Therese snatches the match.

Mr. Durand has been hungry for a long time and eats rats' feed too. But he luckily survives because it isn't poisonous. All three of his daughters accuse him of spoiling the condition of the house. They claim that if the mother had been alive, the condition of the house would not have deteriorated. When their mother was alive, she did not have a good relationship with their father, Durand. The daughters seem to take the mother's side and only blame the father. Actually, their mother used to waste money on the lottery. Most of the time, she was scolded. She was threatened with working as a prostitute.

When the wind blows, Mr. Durand tells his daughters to put out the stove fire and take care of the insurance documents properly. He also says that he is going to bring money from insurance for them. Now the daughters start behaving well with him. Seeing Therese's unhappiness, he allows her to marry Lieutenant Antonio if he truly loves her. Hearing this, Therese is now overjoyed and returns the match to him.

He calls his eldest daughter, Adele, and asks if there are candles. He tells Adele to hide documents from a fire insurance policy and begins to reveal the secrets he has kept inside his heart. He was born in France. He had fallen in love with a woman even before the age of recruitment. In order to be able to marry, they came to Switzerland and obtained native citizenship. During the final war, he joined the Swiss Army and fought against the French army. It means that he took up arms against his own country. To hide that shame, he lies, saying that he was born in Switzerland.

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ALL PLAYS IMPORTANT QUESTIONS' SOLUTION PACK

He also states that due to his mother's carelessness and foolish speculations, he lost the ancestral property and the maternal property. In this way, they ran out of their inheritance.

While his wife was alive, she taught the children to hate their father, Durand. She made them obey herself. Most of the time, she blamed her husband and became successful in making the children fight against their father. After her death, Mr. Durand remained silent all his life because he did not want his daughters to doubt their mother's goodness.

Mr. Durand suggests Adele take maternal care of her sisters. He suggests finding a teacher's place for the youngest daughter, Annette, so that she can be in good company and keep insurance documents properly. In the end, he drinks the poison from the glass, and the house is seen burning. Thus, Durand set the house on fire and poisoned himself so that his daughters could receive 5000 francs as compensation from the fire insurance.

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Before reading.

Answer the following questions:

a. Have you ever observed your parents in a financial crisis? If yes, what was it like?

Answer:  

Yes, I have observed my parents in a financial crisis. It was the worst experience for them.

b. Have you ever appreciated their selfless act for your sake? If yes, how?

Yes, I appreciated their selfless acts for my sake. I appreciated them for making me educated and capable in this world.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT  

a. Where does the play take place?

The play takes place in the dining room of Monsieur Durand, a former railroad worker, widower, and owner of the boarding house who lives there with his three daughters.

b. Why do the grocery, the baker and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household?

The grocery store, the bakery, and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household because the Durand household hasn't paid their bills for a long time. Therefore, they are unable to deliver even more goods until the bills are paid.

c. Why does Monsieur Duran spend money on candles when he doesn’t have money to buy even bread? 

Monsieur Durand spends money on candles when he doesn't have money to buy even bread because he wants to light the candles on the death anniversary of his late dear son, René, who died in his infancy. Durand is saddened by his passing and still has a feeling of affection for the dead child. Durand has another intention: to set his house on fire and get fire insurance money to make up for his daughters' fortunes as they grapple with financial troubles.

d. Why did Monsieur Duran sell his life insurance?

Monsieur sold his life insurance to pay off the debtor's loan. His condition was so miserable, whereas the debtor was quite angry with him for not paying the dues.

e. Why has Monsieur Duran paid fire insurance?  

Monsieur Durand has paid fire insurance to make a compensation claim later on. He intends to get compensation from the fire insurance by burning his house so that the money given as compensation will help his daughters.

f. How did Monsieur Duran and Mrs. Duran run out of their inheritances from both the sides?

Monsieur Durand and Mrs. Durand ran out of their inheritances from both sides because of Mrs. Durand's carelessness and foolish speculation. Both of them lost paternal and maternal inheritance, which was used in raising their daughters.

g. Why does Monsieur Durand tell a lie about his birthplace?

Monsieur Durand tells a lie about his birthplace for two different reasons.

▪︎  He fell in love with a woman before his age. He wanted to marry that lady. So he left his birthplace and moved to Switzerland. To save his and his wife's reputations, he tells a lie.

▪︎  He fought against his own motherland, France, from the side of Switzerland. To hide this shame, he tells a lie.

h. What business is Monsieur Durand running to make a living? 

Monsieur Durand is running a boarding house to make a living. He has converted his house into a lodge to earn money. He provides lodging and dining services to his guests. There is quite a good facility, like a homestay.

i. What plan does Monsieur Durand have to help his daughters with money?

Monsieur Durand plans to commit suicide and set his house on fire. He hopes to get compensation from the fire insurance policy so that he can help his daughters with the money. He wants to sacrifice his life for the sake of his three daughters. 

j. How does Monsieur Durand die?

Monsieur Durand dies, committing suicide at last. He drinks poison to help his daughters with the amount of compensation from the insurance policy.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

a. Sketch the character of Monsieur Durand.

Monsieur Durand is the main character of the play "Facing Death." He is a widower, the lodge owner, and a former railway worker. He is a financially ruined person who has three daughters. All of them live in the lodge. The relationship between Durand and his daughters isn't good. Here, in this play, we find him a loving, caring, and protective father. Due to his bankruptcy, he is spending his miserable life with his three daughters. His daughters hate him and blame him most of the time. But he keeps on thinking about the well-being of his daughters. He sacrifices his life for the welfare of his daughters, who hate him. He is quite an enduring man who endured injustice from his late wife and remained silent for the rest of his life, blaming her for the financial ruin. He is also a loving husband. He is a patriot too, who loves his native France, although he is forced to live in Switzerland. He is a tragic hero who faces financial difficulties and eventually ends his life tragically by committing suicide for the well-being of his three daughters.

b. How do we know that the Durand family has reached a dead end?

We know that the Durand family has reached a dead end after seeing their miserable state in their lodge. This family is completely bankrupt. When Mrs. Durand was alive, both husband and wife had lost their maternal and paternal inheritances. Mr. Durund and his daughters spend their miserable lives in an economic crisis. Due to their miserable economic status, they have converted their living house into a lodge. Mr. Durand's household has been borrowing money from others for years. There are numerous bills in the name of the Durand household that must be paid to different debtors. Among all family members, the condition of Durand is so bad. We find him living a tolerant life. He doesn't have a good relationship with his daughters. His daughters hate him and blame him for many reasons. We even find that the family doesn't have money to buy bread for coffee. Due to hunger, we find Durand eating the rat's bait. This family has reached a dead end due to this financial crisis. Due to this financial hardship, Durand has planned to kill himself and burn down his lodge for the welfare of his daughter. Here, we find Durand successful in his deadly plan at last.

c. ‘The mother, though already dead, seems to have had a great influence on the daughters, especially Theresa.’ Do you agree? 

Yes, I agree with this statement. Here in this play, we find that the mother has had a great influence on her daughters, especially Theresa. While their mother was alive, she used to teach the children to hate their father, Durand. She made them obey herself. Most of the time, she blamed her husband and became successful in making the children fight against their father. After her death, Mr. Durand remained silent all his life because he did not want his daughters to doubt their mother's goodness. He is a much more enduring person who endured injustice from his late wife and remained silent for the rest of his life, blaming her for the financial ruin. Due to the mother's teaching, all three daughters hate their father. They think that their father was the main cause of their financial ruin. Theresa is the one who has been greatly influenced by her mother. She shows her rude behaviour most of the time. She snatches the matches away from her father when he is about to inhale tobacco with a briar pipe. Similarly, she seizes the glass of milk from him. She seems so unkind towards her father. Among the three sisters, she is the one who is filled with much anger against her father.

d. Discuss the relationship between Monsieur Duran and his wife. 

The relationship between Monsieur Durand and his wife was not so good. While Mrs. Durand was alive, she used to blame Mr. Durand, though she herself had ruined the ancestral property. Due to her negligence and foolish conjecture, she ruined the ancestral property. She used to spend household money on lottery tickets. After being abused, she threatened her husband with becoming a prostitute for money. He called her a lone soldier. She taught all her daughters to hate their fathers and filled their minds with all the negativity. She had become successful in diverting her daughters' minds and turning them against their father.

e. ‘Money determines the relationship between characters in this play.’ Elaborate this statement with examples from the play.

Here in this play, "Facing Death," money has played a very vital role in the lives of Mr. Durand and his daughters. Money is the first and foremost thing that has become the sole cause behind all the problems in this drama. The economic hardships of Mr. Durund's family have forced the entire family to live a miserable life with a lack of various essential needs. This family has been presented with agony due to hunger. Due to the economic crisis, the family is unable to buy bread. Mr. Durand has had to live with hunger for a long time. He is even seen eating rats' bait in the drama. Mr. Durund is unable to provide for the basic needs of his daughters due to this economic crisis. The relationship between Mr. Durand and Mrs. Durand also deteriorated due to the struggle to lose wealth. The daughters do not like the father because he doesn't have enough money to support the family. The economic crisis leads them to convert their living house into a lodge. Here, we find that money determines the relationship between the characters. Mr. Durand's three daughters hate and blame him most of the time. They show their rude behaviour towards him. The daughters do not even give a glass of milk because the father cannot bring bread. They snatched the glass of milk from him. They snatch the matches from him when he goes to smoke. They show their kind behaviour to their father when their father says, "I'll bring you money." They even kiss him lovingly. They use the words kindness and love. They even apologised for their rude behaviour.

f. Monsieur Durand kills himself so that his daughters would get 5000 francs as compensation from the insurance company. What does his plan tell us about him? 

In the play "Facing Death," Mr. Durand is presented as a tragic protagonist who commits suicide by drinking poison and sets fire to his house to get compensation from the fire insurance company to improve the financial condition of his daughters.

Mr. Durund has been spending his life in extreme poverty. Due to the financial crisis, he has been blamed most of the time by his daughters. He has been considered a failed and irresponsible father. His plan for the welfare of his daughters tells us that he is a caring and loving father who keeps on thinking about his children's future. He is the man who sacrifices his life for the bright future of his three daughters.

g. Discuss Facing Death as a modern tragedy.

By modern tragedy, we mean a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.

The play "Facing Death" is a modern tragedy as it ends with the tragic death of the protagonist, Mr. Durand. Modern tragedy deals with realistic representations and common problems. Realism and naturalism are the main features of modern play.

The protagonist of a modern tragedy is a common man. Furthermore, modern tragedy deals with the problems of the modern individual, such as dysfunctional family relationships, socio-cultural problems, loneliness, etc. Characters become victims of their sociocultural environment, fate, economic class, gender, external environment, etc.

Here in this play, we find the exact features of modern tragedy. This play has presented the life of a common modern man with an immense crisis in his life. Due to economic hardships, he has been suffering a lot, along with his three daughters. In the play, we can easily find problems with bad relationships and poor economic status. Mr. Durand, a common modern man, has suffered a lot due to economic difficulties. This play also ends with the tragic downfall of the main character, Mr. Durand. He kills himself and even burns his house for the welfare of his three daughters. This play has presented realism as well as naturalism.

REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT

a. Write a few paragraphs describing the role of the father in the family. 

Our country, Nepal, is a country of patriarchal norms and values where we find the vital roles of fathers in families. In most Nepalese families, fathers are considered the heads, who lead the entire family.

In the context of a Nepali family, the position of the father is at the top; he decides the overall activities of the family members. The father in the family is the responsible person who takes care of his family and members. He is regarded as the breadwinner who performs his duties, being responsible for the welfare of his family members. The entire family feels a sense of security in the presence of the father. The following are the roles of a father in the family:

A father is one who teaches and guides righteousness to his family members.

▪︎  Father is the pillar of the family and faces a lot of hardships for the welfare of his family.

▪︎  Father plays a very vital role in the development of a child’s emotional well-being.

▪︎  Father provides a feeling of security to his children, both physical and emotional.

▪︎  Father plays supportive roles in his children's studies.

▪︎  Father sets the bar for relationships with others. He is the man who shares the culture, tradition, and rituals of the family with his children.

▪︎  Father develops the confidence of his children.

▪︎  Father sets rules for children's bright future.

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5 moving, beautiful essays about death and dying

by Sarah Kliff

It is never easy to contemplate the end-of-life, whether its own our experience or that of a loved one.

This has made a recent swath of beautiful essays a surprise. In different publications over the past few weeks, I've stumbled upon writers who were contemplating final days. These are, no doubt, hard stories to read. I had to take breaks as I read about Paul Kalanithi's experience facing metastatic lung cancer while parenting a toddler, and was devastated as I followed Liz Lopatto's contemplations on how to give her ailing cat the best death possible. But I also learned so much from reading these essays, too, about what it means to have a good death versus a difficult end from those forced to grapple with the issue. These are four stories that have stood out to me recently, alongside one essay from a few years ago that sticks with me today.

My Own Life | Oliver Sacks

As recently as last month, popular author and neurologist Oliver Sacks was in great health, even swimming a mile every day. Then, everything changed: the 81-year-old was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. In a beautiful op-ed , published in late February in the New York Times, he describes his state of mind and how he'll face his final moments. What I liked about this essay is how Sacks describes how his world view shifts as he sees his time on earth getting shorter, and how he thinks about the value of his time.

Before I go | Paul Kalanithi

Kalanthi began noticing symptoms — "weight loss, fevers, night sweats, unremitting back pain, cough" — during his sixth year of residency as a neurologist at Stanford. A CT scan revealed metastatic lung cancer. Kalanthi writes about his daughter, Cady and how he "probably won't live long enough for her to have a memory of me." Much of his essay focuses on an interesting discussion of time, how it's become a double-edged sword. Each day, he sees his daughter grow older, a joy. But every day is also one that brings him closer to his likely death from cancer.

As I lay dying | Laurie Becklund

Becklund's essay was published posthumonously after her death on February 8 of this year. One of the unique issues she grapples with is how to discuss her terminal diagnosis with others and the challenge of not becoming defined by a disease. "Who would ever sign another book contract with a dying woman?" she writes. "Or remember Laurie Becklund, valedictorian, Fulbright scholar, former Times staff writer who exposed the Salvadoran death squads and helped The Times win a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1992 L.A. riots? More important, and more honest, who would ever again look at me just as Laurie?"

Everything I know about a good death I learned from my cat | Liz Lopatto

Dorothy Parker was Lopatto's cat, a stray adopted from a local vet. And Dorothy Parker, known mostly as Dottie, died peacefully when she passed away earlier this month. Lopatto's essay is, in part, about what she learned about end-of-life care for humans from her cat. But perhaps more than that, it's also about the limitations of how much her experience caring for a pet can transfer to caring for another person.

Yes, Lopatto's essay is about a cat rather than a human being. No, it does not make it any easier to read. She describes in searing detail about the experience of caring for another being at the end of life. "Dottie used to weigh almost 20 pounds; she now weighs six," Lopatto writes. "My vet is right about Dottie being close to death, that it’s probably a matter of weeks rather than months."

Letting Go | Atul Gawande

"Letting Go" is a beautiful, difficult true story of death. You know from the very first sentence — "Sara Thomas Monopoli was pregnant with her first child when her doctors learned that she was going to die" — that it is going to be tragic. This story has long been one of my favorite pieces of health care journalism because it grapples so starkly with the difficult realities of end-of-life care.

In the story, Monopoli is diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, a surprise for a non-smoking young woman. It's a devastating death sentence: doctors know that lung cancer that advanced is terminal. Gawande knew this too — Monpoli was his patient. But actually discussing this fact with a young patient with a newborn baby seemed impossible.

"Having any sort of discussion where you begin to say, 'look you probably only have a few months to live. How do we make the best of that time without giving up on the options that you have?' That was a conversation I wasn't ready to have," Gawande recounts of the case in a new Frontline documentary .

What's tragic about Monopoli's case was, of course, her death at an early age, in her 30s. But the tragedy that Gawande hones in on — the type of tragedy we talk about much less — is how terribly Monopoli's last days played out.

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Facing Death Exercise: All Questions Answers and Summary For Class 12 English

Facing Death is a one-act play by the father of Modern Swedish Literature, Johan August Strindberg. Although Johan passed away…

• Author Pragyan Subedi
• Published July 17, 2022
• 0 comments Join the Conversation

Facing Death is a one-act play by the father of Modern Swedish Literature, Johan August Strindberg . Although Johan passed away at the young age of 63, his plays are renowned across the world including, Facing Death.

In this article, we’ve listed all the question answers as well as the summary of the Facing Death Exercise as part of class 12 English curriculum. Here is the table of contents:

Facing Death Exercise: All Question and Answers For Class 12 English

Facing death exercise: reference to the context for class 12 english, facing death exercise: reference beyond the text for class 12 english, facing death: summary for class 12 english.

Listed below are all the questions and answers for the Facing Death exercise for Class 12 English.

1. Where does the play take place?

The play, Facing Death, takes place in the dining room of Monsieur Durand, a former railroad worker, widower and pension owner who lives with his three daughters, Adele, Therese and Annette.

b. Why do the grocery, the bakery, and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household?

The grocery, the bakery and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household because the Durand household hasn’t paid its bills for a long time. To avoid further delays and unpaid invoices, they are unable to provide more services.

c. Why does Monsieur Durand spend money on candles when he doesn’t have money to buy even bread?

Monsieur Durand spends money on candles when he doesn’t have money to buy even bread because he wants to burn candles on the death anniversary of his late son, Rene who died in his childhood. Mr. Durand is grief-stricken due to his demise and still has the sense of affection towards the dead child. Durand’s another intention is to burn his house on fire and get the money of fire insurance to make the fortune of his daughters since they are battling the economic crisis.

d. Why did Monsieur sell his life insurance?

Durand sold life insurance because he had to repay someone’s debt / loan through the sale of life insurance because the debate intensified because he hadn’t paid the debt that was due.

e. Why has Monsieur Durand paid fire insurance?

Monsieur Durand paid fire insurance for the house by mortgaging his house. His intention is to get compensation from the fire insurance company by burning his house so that the money given as compensation benefits his daughters.

f. How did Durand and Mrs. Durand run out of their inheritances from both the sides?

Due to Mrs. Durand’s carelessness and foolish speculation, they lost paternal inheritance. Maternal inheritance was used in raising daughters. In this way, they ran out of their inheritances.

g. Why does Monsieur Durand tell a lie about his birthplace?

Monsieur Durand said that he was born in Switzerland although he was born in France. He tells a lie about his birthplace because of two reasons:

• not ruining his and his wife’s prestige
• it looked as if he fought against his own birth country during the war although he fought against the Germans.

h. What business is Mr. Durand running to make his living?

Mr. Durand is running a pension to make his living. He has converted his house into a lodge for the sake of earning money. He provides the guests with the services of lodging and fooding.

i. What plan does Monsieur Duran have to help his daughters with money?

Monsieur Duran has a plan to burn his house in a fire and get compensation from the fire insurance to help his daughters with money at the cost of his own life.

j. How does Monsieur Durand die?

Monsieur Durand dies by poisoning himself and burning his own house for the sake of compensation from the fire insurance to make a fortune for his penniless daughters.

Listed below are the answers to the ‘Reference to the context’ part of Facing Death exercise.

a. Sketch the character of Monsieur Durand.

Monsieur Durand is a pension owner, former railroad worker, and widower who lives with his three unkind daughters. He is a loving, caring, and protective father. He sacrifices his own life for the sake of the betterment of his daughters who despise(hate) him. He keeps quiet throughout his life bearing injustice from his late wife who put all the blames of financial ruin on him. He is a loving husband too. He is a patriotic person who loves his birth country, France too although he is obliged to live in Switzerland. He is a tragic hero who faces financial hardships and ends his own life tragically.

b. How do we know that the Duran family has reached a dead end?

The Durand family is bankrupt. They have lost their paternal and maternal inheritances. There are piles of bills to be paid off. Due to economic hardship, they have converted their house into a pension. Daughters have been filled with negativity and despise towards their father by their late mother. They don’t even have bread to eat with coffee. Durand eats the rat’s bait due to hunger. Daughters think they have come to the verge of bankruptcy due to their father’s mistake.

c. ‘The mother, though already dead, seems to have had a great influence on the daughters, specially Theresa.’ Do you agree?

The mother has had a great influence on her daughters in this play. Due to mother’s teaching, all the daughters hate their father. They think that their father was the main cause behind their financial ruin. Especially, Theresa has had more impact from her mother. She snatches the matches away from her father when he is about to inhale tobacco with briar pipe. Similarly, she seizes the glass of milk from him. She is ruder than her other sisters.

Mr. Durand has been maltreated by his daughters. They don’t even let him drink a glass of milk. When all the doors of hope are closed, he is obliged to poison himself and burn the house in order to get compensation from the fire insurance to his daughters. Hence, all these evidences prove that the Durand family has reached a dead end.

d. Discuss the relationship between Monsieur Durand and his wife.

The relationship between Monsieur Durand and his wife was not good. She put all the blames on him though she herself ruined the inheritances. Because of her carelessness and foolish speculation, they ruined their paternal property. She used to spend money on lottery tickets. When she was scolded, she used to threaten by saying that she would be a prostitute for money. She called him a deserted soldier. She taught her daughters to dislike their father.

e. Monsieur Durand kills himself so that his daughters would get 5000 francs as the compensation from the insurance company. What does his plan tell us about him?

Mr. Durand is a tragic hero in the play who poisons himself and burns down his house for the sake of compensation from the insurance company to uplift his daughters’ financial condition. The Durand family is having a difficult time due to the economic crisis. He is being judged as an unsuccessful and irresponsible father by his three daughters. Hence, he plans to compensate his daughters for the fire insurance at the cost of his life than be called an unsuccessful father.

e. “Money determines the relationship between characters in this play.” Elaborate this statement with examples from the play.

Money is the first and the foremost thing valued in the play. Money is the root cause of all the problems in the play. The Durand family is starving due to a lack of money. Mr. Durand has been unable to fulfill the basic needs of his daughters due to the economic crisis. The relationship between Mr. Durand and Mrs. Durand is also ruined just because of the conflict regarding the loss of inheritances.

Daughters hate their father just because he can’t improve the family’s economic condition. They behave well with their father when he says “I am going away to get money for you”. They even give him loving kisses. They use the words of kindness and love. They ask for forgiveness for their rude behaviors. When the father is unable to bring bread, his daughters don’t even give him a glass of milk. They seize it from him. They snatch the matches from him while going to smoke tobacco. Thus, money determines the relationship between the characters in this play.

g. Discuss “Facing Death” as a modern tragedy.

Tragedy is a kind of drama that ends with death, separation, destruction, tears or failure of the protagonist. This play is a tragedy because it ends with the tragic death of the hero Durand. Modern tragedy deals with the realistic representation and common problems. Realism and naturalism are the main features of the modern play.

Modern tragedies deal with the problems of a modern man such as dysfunctional family relationship, socio-cultural problems, loneliness, etc. Characters become the victim of their socio-cultural environment, fate, economic class, gender, external environment and so on. Hence, in this play too, the protagonist has a dysfunctional relationship with his family members. He is an ordinary man and it deals with the financial hardship of a modern man. It realistically represents the modern world. Hence, it is a modern tragedy.

Listed below are the answers to the ‘Reference beyond the text’ part of Facing Death exercise.

a. Write a few paragraphs describing the role of the father in the family.

Fathers undoubtedly play an important role in the family. Fatherhood is a responsibility, not simply a position. A father, in my opinion, is someone who adopts or accepts the role of parenthood and behaves as a parent to another at any point in time. A father in the family is loaded with an unspecified amount of roles and responsibilities. 

A father’s role in the family is critical to the psychological and physical well-being of his or her kid or children. When a child has a positive relationship with a loving father, he or she is more likely to have good psychological health and stronger relationships later in life.

The primary responsibility of the father in the family is to provide, to secure a home for the family, to supply necessities, to fund academics, health bills, and other expenses. The father is responsible for raising his children in accordance with moral and societal standards. It is the father’s responsibility to train his children so that they have a strong foundation for smoother stepping and rising stones. The father has a responsibility to uphold his own reputation and integrity. The father also plays an essential part in decision-making.

Certain judgments are better made with the father’s accent, both culturally and socioeconomically.

b. In his famous essay “The Experimental Novel,” Emile Zola says: This is what constitutes the experimental novel: to possess a knowledge of the mechanism of the phenomena inherent in man, to show the machinery of his intellectual and sensory manifestations, under the influences of heredity and environment, such as physiology shall give them to us, and then finally to exhibit man living in social conditions produced by himself, which he modifies daily, and in the heart of which he himself experiences a continual transformation. To what extent do you agree with Zola’s idea that human beings’ intellectual as well as emotional capacities are determined by their environment and heredity? Discuss with examples including Facing Death.

I definitely agree with Emile Zola’s idea that human beings’ intellectual as well as emotional capacities are determined by their environment and heredity.

In the play “Facing Death”, Monsieur Durand is portrayed as a widower, the owner of the lodge, and a former railway worker. He is a financially drained man with three daughters. They all reside in the lodge. Durand’s relationship with his daughters is fragile. In this play, we see him as a loving, caring, and protective parent. He is living a difficult life with his three daughters as a result of his bankruptcy.

His daughters despise him and frequently blame him. But he keeps worrying about his daughters’ well-being. He gives up his life for the sake of his daughters, who dislike him. He is a patient man who suffered injustice at the hands of his late wife and kept mute for the rest of his life, blaming her for his financial downfall. He is also a devoted husband. He, too, is a patriot who adores his beloved France, although he is compelled to reside in Switzerland. He is a sad hero who confronts financial hardships before tragically committing suicide for the sake of his three daughters.

Here is the summary for Facing Death for class 12 English.

Mr. Durand is a former railroad worker, widow, and pensioner of collapse. He lives with three daughters, Adele (27), Annette (24) and Therese (24). The relationship between his father and his three daughters is dysfunctional (not good) and they are bankrupt.

Over the last decade, they have been hit by an economic crisis and have turned their homes into lodges to survive. Adele works in the kitchen and Durand does other chores such as servicing guests, cleaning, and doing errands himself.

Therese and Annette’s two daughters publicly draw the attention of others, sing and flirt. They do nothing to help their father. The Durands borrowed money from others. They have to pay everyone, for example. B. Go to a bakery, butcher, or grocery store. I have a pile of invoices that I have to pay. Her errand boy Pierre comes empty-handed when he goes to get bread. Rather, he only brings in unpaid invoices. Durand buys candles to burn on the anniversary of the death of his late son, Rene, who died at an early age. He still loves and misses him.

They have only one paid guest, Antonio, a lieutenant of the Italian army, as a guest of the house. Durand told Antonio that bankruptcy and lack of supplies made him unable to stay home. Antonio offers Durand a prepayment and asks if he can stay for another month, but Durand refuses. He also says that last spring they had no guests for three months, and finally an American family came and helped them. When Durand goes out for coffee, Therese flirts with guest Antonio and kisses him.

Mr. Durand appeared in the door and was surprised to see them kissing. Last time, Therese was found kissing an American guest. Angry, he drives Antonio out of the house. He also throws the money given by him. When Therese and Annette see this, they are not happy. They want guests to stay. They behave rudely to their father. They even confiscated a glass of his milk because he didn’t bring the bread. He is forced to drink only a glass of water. When he’s ready to light the thorny pipe, Therese grabs the match.

Durand has been hungry for a long time and is also eating rat food. Fortunately, it’s not poisoned. All three daughters blame their father for ruining the condition of their home. They claim that if the mother is alive, the condition of the house will not be compromised. When her mother was alive, she did not have a good relationship with her husband. Her daughter also stands by her mother and blames only her father. Her mother wasted money on her lottery and threatened to work as a prostitute when she was abused in her words.

When the wind blows, Durand tells his daughters to turn off the gas stove and keep their insurance records in place. He also says he brings them insurance. Now the daughters are starting to behave well.

Durand sees Therese’s misfortune and allows her to marry Lieutenant Antonio if she really loves her. Therese is happy to hear it and returns the match. He calls his eldest daughter, Adele, and asks if there are candles. He tells Adele to hide her fire insurance documents and she begins to reveal the secrets he kept. He was born in France. He fell in love with a woman before the draft era. They came to Switzerland and naturalized to be able to get married. During the last war, he joined the Swiss army and fought the French army. That means he was armed against his own country. To hide this shame, he lied that he was born in Switzerland.

Durand also told her daughter that due to her mother’s carelessness and stupid speculation, she lost her father’s property and her mother’s property was used to raise her daughter. I informed you. So they ran out of inheritance. Their mother taught the children to hate him, and the daughters believed what their mother said. She blamed her husband and taught her daughters to hate her father. He didn’t want her daughters to doubt his kindness to his mother, so he remained silent for the rest of his life.

Durand suggests that Adele take care of her sister and keep her insurance records organized. Eventually, he drinks poison from the bottle, and the house burns. In this way, he sets the house on fire and poisons himself, allowing his daughters to receive compensation of CHF5,000 from the fire insurance company.

Conclusion: Facing Death Exercise and Summary

That covers our article on ‘Facing Death Exercise: All Questions Answers and Summary For Class 12 English’. If you have any questions, please write to us in the comments below.

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Facing Death Exercise : Summary and Question Answers

Share this article, facing death, understanding the text, answer the following questions., a. where does the play take place, b. why do the grocery, the baker and the butcher send their bills to the durand household, c. why does monsieur duran spend money on candles when he doesn’t have money to buy even bread, d. why did monsieur duran sell his life insurance, e. why has monsieur duran paid fire insurance, f. how did monsieur duran and mrs. duran run out of their inheritances from both the sides, g. why does monsieur duran tell a lie about his birthplace, h. what business is monsieur duran running to make a living, i. what plan does monsieur duran have to help his daughters with money, j. how does monsieur duran die.

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Reference to the Context

A. sketch the character of monsieur duran., b. how do we know that the duran family has reached a dead end, c. ‘the mother, though already dead, seems to have had a great influence on the daughters, especiallytheresa.’ do you agree, d. discuss the relationship between monsieur duran and his wife., e. ‘money determines the relationship between characters in this play.’ elaborate this statementwithexamples from the play., f. monsieur duran kills himself so that his daughters would get 5000 francs as the compensation from theinsurancecompany. what does his plan tell us about him, g. discuss facing death as a modern tragedy., reference beyond the text, a. write a few paragraphs describing the role of the father in the family., don't miss our nepali guide.

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How death shapes life

As global COVID toll hits 5 million, Harvard philosopher ponders the intimate, universal experience of knowing the end will come but not knowing when

Colleen Walsh

Harvard Staff Writer

Does the understanding that our final breath could come tomorrow affect the way we choose to live? And how do we make sense of a life cut short by a random accident, or a collective existence in which the loss of 5 million lives to a pandemic often seems eclipsed by other headlines? For answers, the Gazette turned to Susanna Siegel, Harvard’s Edgar Pierce Professor of Philosophy. Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Susanna Siegel

GAZETTE: How do we get through the day with death all around us?

SIEGEL: This question arises because we can be made to feel uneasy, distracted, or derailed by death in any form: mass death, or the prospect of our own; deaths of people unknown to us that we only hear or read about; or deaths of people who tear the fabric of our lives when they go. Both in politics and in everyday life, one of the worst things we could do is get used to death, treat it as unremarkable or as anything other than a loss. This fact has profound consequences for every facet of life: politics and governance, interpersonal relationships, and all forms of human consciousness.

When things go well, death stays in the background, and from there, covertly, it shapes our awareness of everything else. Even when we get through the day with ease, the prospect of death is still in some way all around us.

GAZETTE:   Can philosophy help illuminate how death impacts consciousness?

SIEGEL: The philosophers Soren Kierkegaard and Martin Heidegger each discuss death, in their own ways, as a horizon that implicitly shapes our consciousness. It’s what gives future times the pressure they exert on us. A horizon is the kind of thing that is normally in the background — something that limits, partly defines, and sets the stage for what you focus on. These two philosophers help us see the ways that death occupies the background of consciousness — and that the background is where it belongs.

“Both in politics and in everyday life, one of the worst things we could do is get used to death, treat it as unremarkable or as anything other than a loss,” says Susanna Siegel, Harvard’s Edgar Pierce Professor of Philosophy.

Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

These philosophical insights are vivid in Rainer Marie Rilke’s short and stunning poem “Der Tod” (“Death”). As Burton Pike translates it from German, the poem begins: “There stands death, a bluish concoction/in a cup without a saucer.” This opening gets me every time. Death is standing. It’s standing in the way liquid stands still in a container. Sometimes cooking instructions tell you to boil a mixture and then let it stand, while you complete another part of the recipe. That’s the way death is in the poem: standing, waiting for you to get farther along with whatever you are doing. It will be there while you’re working, it will be there when you’re done, and in some way, it is a background part of those other tasks.

A few lines later, it’s suggested in the poem that someone long ago, “at a distant breakfast,” saw a dusty, cracked cup — that cup with the bluish concoction standing in it — and this person read the word “hope” written in faded letters on the side of mug. Hope is a future-directed feeling, and in the poem, the word is written on a surface that contains death underneath. As it stands, death shapes the horizon of life.

GAZETTE: What are the ethical consequences of these philosophical views?

SIEGEL: We’re familiar with the ways that making the prospect of death salient can unnerve, paralyze, or derail a person. An extreme example is shown by people with Cotard syndrome , who report feeling that they have already died. It is considered a “monothematic” delusion, because this odd reaction is circumscribed by the sufferers’ other beliefs. They freely acknowledge how strange it is to be both dead and yet still there to report on it. They are typically deeply depressed, burdened with a feeling that all possibilities of action have simply been shut down, closed off, made unavailable. Robbed of a feeling of futurity, seemingly without affordances for action, it feels natural to people in this state to describe it as the state of being already dead.

Cotard syndrome is an extreme case that illustrates how bringing death into the foreground of consciousness can feel utterly disempowering. This observation has political consequences, which are evident in a culture that treats any kind of lethal violence as something we have to expect and plan for. A glaring example would be gun violence, with its lockdown drills for children, its steady stream of the same types of events, over and over — as if these deaths could only be met with a shrug and a sigh, because they are simply part of the cost of other people exercising their freedom.

It isn’t just depressing to bring death into the foreground of consciousness by creating an atmosphere of violence — it’s also dangerous. Any political arrangement that lets masses of people die thematizes death, by making lethal violence perceptible, frequent, salient, talked-about, and tolerated. Raising death to salience in this way can create and then leverage feelings of existential precarity, which in turn emotionally equip people on a mass, nationwide scale to tolerate violence as a tool to gain political power. It’s now a regular occurrence to ram into protestors with vehicles, intimidate voters and poll workers, and prepare to attack government buildings and the people inside. This atmosphere disparages life, and then promises violence as defense against such cheapening, and a means of control.

GAZETTE: When we read about an accidental death in the newspaper, it can be truly unnerving, even though the victim is a stranger. And we’ve been hearing about a steady stream of deaths from COVID-19 for almost two years, to the point where the death count is just part of the daily news. Why is the process of thinking about these losses important?

SIEGEL: It might not seem directly related to politics, but when you react to a life cut short by thinking, “If this terrible thing could happen to them, then it could happen to me,” that reaction is a basic form of civic regard. It’s fragile, and highly sensitive to how deaths are reported and rendered in public. The passing moment of concern may seem insignificant, but it gets supplanted by something much worse when deaths are rendered in ways likely to prompt such questions as “What did they do to get in trouble?” or such suspicions as “They probably had it coming,” or such callous resignations as “They were going to die anyway.” We have seen some of those reactions during the pandemic. They are refusals to recognize the terribleness of death.

Deaths can seem even more haunting when they’re not recognized as a real loss, which is why it’s so important how deaths are depicted by governments and in mass communication. The genre of the obituary is there to present deaths as a loss to the public. The movement for Black lives brought into focus for everyone what many people knew and felt all along, which was that when deaths are not rendered as losses to the public, then they are depicted in a way that erodes civic regard.

When anyone dies from COVID, our political representatives should acknowledge it in a way that does justice to the gravity of that death. Recognizing COVID deaths as a public emergency belongs to the kind of governance that aims to keep the blue concoction where it belongs.

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How to Deal With Death and Dying as You Age

 Mark Stibich, PhD, FIDSA, is a behavior change expert with experience helping individuals make lasting lifestyle improvements.

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

Nils Hendrik Mueller / Cultura / Getty Images

Feelings About Death

Physical aspects, emotional aspects.

• Spiritual Aspects

Practical Aspects

Whether you are confronting the end of your own life or the loss of a loved one , death is a certainty of life that everyone will face. Even so, knowing that it's inevitable doesn't mean you'll feel prepared for dealing with death and the grief that follows.

A paradox of living is that healthy aging and increased longevity mean you'll have more experiences with death throughout your life.   As we age, so too do the people around us. Over time, many of the people that we know and care about will develop chronic or terminal illnesses. Some of them will die during our lifetimes.

The consequence of living longer is that we will continue to lose friends and loved ones to accidents, illnesses, and, as we reach our later years, simply "old age."

While death is a natural part of life and an unavoidable consequence of aging, that doesn't mean you won't be deeply affected by it. In fact, the ongoing exposure to death is one reason depression is common in older adults.  

However, knowing that death will eventually touch your life in some way means you can be proactive about learning to cope with the dying and grieving process. While you may not be able to predict how it will feel to experience grief (for your own life or someone else's), having a support system in place and the skills necessary to care for your mental health will give you a solid foundation to work from.

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Some people seem to be inherently more at peace with death; whether premature or at the end of a long life.   Others find the dying process difficult to face no matter how old they get or how often they experience the death of a loved one.

While your unique personality and experiences influence how you think and feel about death, there are also other factors. For example, the culture you were raised in, as well as the one you are living in at any given time, will shape your beliefs and perceptions of death.   The way other people in your life perceive and react to grief will also affect your feelings.

Your perceptions may also change as you have more experiences with death; this may be felt most strongly if and when your own life is threatened, such as by a serious injury or illness.

When we talk about coping with death and dying, there are several components of the process to consider. In addition to the emotional experience, there are also the spiritual or existential elements, as well as physical aspects of death (especially if we are in the position of confronting our own mortality).

Each component of the dying process requires a different set of tools for coping but having the skills you need to approach each facet individually will come together to help you move through your unique experience of grief.

What death looks and feels like in the body will depend on the underlying cause. How long death takes, whether it causes pain or other symptoms, and even the appearance of the body throughout the process will vary.

Sometimes, the physical process of dying is quick and virtually painless—such as in a sudden accident that causes fatal injury. In other cases, such as with cancer, death may be a prolonged process that requires constant care for managing pain.

While the timeline and experience might be different from one person to the next, the steps in the physiological process of dying are fairly consistent. For death to happen, certain systems in the body need to stop working. 

If a person is in a fatal car accident, they may die right away from an injury to vital organs. For example, when if the spine and skull are involved, damage to the brain can cause the person to lose consciousness, cut off blood supply to the body, and interrupt communication between the brain and vital organs.

When someone is dying from a terminal illness, the organ systems of the body will shut down more slowly. They gradually become less aware of what’s happening around them and may start sleeping more.

A person who is dying may begin to eat and drink less or stop taking nourishment at all. The closer death is, the more shallow a person's breathing becomes, sometimes making a distinct “rattling” sound. 

Whether it happens gradually or suddenly, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that clinical death occurs when all vital functions of the body (including brain activity, blood flow, and breathing) have stopped.  

End-of-Life Care

Addressing physical pain and discomfort of death will be a priority. Although it can be difficult to have conversations about end-of-life care, it’s important that you and your loved ones discuss preferences before the time comes. 

Interventions like hospice or palliative care are designed to alleviate pain and help someone who is dying be as comfortable as possible during the process. Medicine used to treat pain, induce relaxation and sleep, and treat anxiety are often given, in addition to non-pharmaceutical methods to meet these needs.

Which interventions are chosen, when they are started, and how long they are used will depend on the preferences expressed by the person who is dying, as well as the recommendations of the physicians overseeing their end-of-life care. 

If you’re caring for someone who is dying, your experience of the physical part of the process will likely depend on your senses: the things you see, hear, smell, and can touch.

For example, if you are gently washing your loved one’s face, you may notice that they appear very pale and their skin feels clammy. If you were to move your loved one to change their bedding, you might notice the bottom side of their body appears discolored, almost like bruising, from where blood is pooling. 

A person who is dying sometimes loses control of their bowels and urinary system, which can produce sights, smells, and sounds that you may find it difficult to deal with. If the person is conscious when these accidents occur, the physical sensations will likely be uncomfortable or alarming to them. 

There are also other sights and smells associated with death that you may be experiencing for the first time. You should know that while these are a natural part of the dying process, it’s also normal for them to make you feel afraid, sad, and even repulsed.  

If you are overwhelmed with providing physical care to a loved one who is dying, you may want to hire a compassionate and trained hospice care worker or private hospice nurse to assist your family.

The way you feel about death, whether someone else’s or your own, is unique to you and informed by your experiences and beliefs. Ultimately, there are some common feelings that people experience in the process of death and dying.

The established stages of grief are often referenced, though they needn't be strictly followed. You might want to think of them as a nonlinear guide or roadmap.

When someone has reached old age, there are many years of life to reflect on when contemplating death. The process takes time and, as life generally is, will be full of ups and downs. 

While people will not necessarily experience the stages of grief in the same order or intensity, there are specific emotions that tend to be associated with death and dying. 

Denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance are generally accepted to be the core emotional components of the grieving process.   Some people experience these emotions in order, but it’s also possible for people to revisit stages or spend more time in one stage than another. 

The initial stage of grief is considered denial, wherein a person struggles or refuses to comprehend that your loved one is dying. They may go to great lengths to ignore the reality of the situation or even discuss it with their loved ones or doctors. The denial phase of grief is often an immediate reaction, and a person begins to move through it once they have had time to process the information.

When a person reaches the anger stage, they may experience and express these feelings inwardly, outwardly, or both. They may be angry because they feel they aren’t ready to die or that they don’t “deserve” it.

They may process these angry feelings inwardly and prefer to avoid interacting with others. A person may also take their anger out on the people around them including friends, family, and even doctors and nurses. 

Eventually, most people move into a stage of bargaining. If they are religious, a person may ask their higher power to save their life. They may pray and promise “to be good” or “better” if only God will spare them. 

Conversations with others during the bargaining stage of grief may feature a lot of statements that start with “If only…” These comments may be directed at what a person wishes they could undo about the past ( “If only I hadn’t started smoking…” ) or focus on the things they are realizing they will miss out on ( “If only I could live to see my grandchildren grow up…” ).

Most people experience depression at some point in the dying and grieving process, though it may take different forms. When someone is dealing with the death of a loved one, a period of mourning is an expected reaction to the loss. 

Alternatively, when a person is in the process of dying themselves, the mourning is preemptive. Anticipatory grief can involve more than just the loss of their life; as death gets closer and they become more dependent on others, a person may mourn the loss of their independence and their identity. 

The final stage of grief is acceptance. While it’s usually described as a person being “at peace” with death, that doesn't necessarily mean it's an easy stage to be in and that a person will feel relieved or unafraid once they reach it.

In fact, it’s not uncommon for someone in the last stage of grief to feel nothing at all , and the numbness may help people cope with death.

It can take a long time to reach a stage of acceptance and reaching acceptance doesn’t mean that a person won’t return to a previous stage if their situation changes. 

Having a support network of family and friends at each stage of the grieving process can provide guidance and comfort, but it’s also not uncommon to seek professional help when facing a loss. 

People commonly turn to grief counseling, support groups, and clergy to help them process and cope with their grief. 

Social Changes

Another emotional aspect of dying is the concept of “social death,” which can start long before a person experiences any physical signs of imminent death.   When someone knows they are likely to die within a specific timeframe, such as after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis, it inevitably affects their social life.

In some cases, a person withdraws from others. If they are very ill, they may be forced to leave work or school and may lose social connections as a result. They may also isolate themselves from friends and family as they try to “come to terms” with their imminent death and take time to reflect on their life.

Sometimes, a person who is dying may become isolated not because they are withdrawing, but because the people around them are not sure what to say or do. 

Friends and loved ones may find it difficult to acknowledge the reality of death (especially when it reminds them of their own mortality) and might avoid being in a situation that forces them to confront it. 

Whether or not a person has a wider network of community support also makes a difference. People living in rural areas or far from their families may not have many social resources and may not be well enough to travel elsewhere.

Similarly, older adults living in long-term care facilities and nursing homes may experience “social death” for years if they rarely have visitors.   If you are caring for someone who is dying, social support is an important part of caring for yourself throughout the process. 

Caregiver Stress

If you have never been in a situation where you have had to consider death, you may be overwhelmed by the need to process your feelings about both the loss of your loved one as well as the reminder that you will die someday. 

If you have experienced the death of someone close to you in the past, caring for a loved one going through that process may bring back old memories and grief. While the needs of your loved one who is dying may feel demanding at times, remember that your own well-being is still your priority.

If you are emotionally and physically well, you will have the energy, strength, focus, and patience to be fully present with your dying loved one and attend to their needs. Still, it is not easy to deal with a loved one dying, and being their caregiver, so it's important to also care for yourself and get help.

"One inspirational sentiment about death I keep coming back to is a story about a little boy who passed away. The little boy's mother said a prayer that went: "Dear Sam, Thank you for the honor of being your mom. We had a lot of fun. I love you. Please pray for us."

I return to this story because I appreciate this way of thinking about death. I hope that, when faced with the death of a loved one, I will be able to reach this level of peace and understanding. It just seems healthy to me." — Mark Stibich, PhD

Spiritual and Existential Aspects

Religious and spiritual needs throughout the dying process will be highly individual, but even someone who has not engaged with religion or spirituality throughout their life may find themselves thinking about these concepts more deeply when they are confronted with death. 

When we talk about thinking about life on a bigger level, it's referred to as existential thinking or, sometimes, an existential crisis. Any major change or trauma , including serious illness or injury, death, and bereavement, can bring up these thoughts and feelings.

The spiritual and existential aspects of the dying and grieving process are natural, but they can also be intense, exhausting, and distressing.   A person may feel a sense of desperation or as though time is running out as they race to take stock of their lives and make plans for their death.

They may reflect back on decisions they made in their lives, question their choices, and wrestle with guilt about things that they said or did. They may ask “What if?” and try to imagine how their life might have played out differently. 

Depending on their spiritual and religious beliefs, a person may desire to feel closer to their higher power. They may want to attend religious services more often or have a spiritual leader visit them to provide guidance and comfort. 

On the other hand, if they are grappling with anger about their death, they may feel distanced from their spiritual center and may not wish to engage with their religious practice. If a person’s religion has traditions for the dying, they may wish to begin taking part in them.

They may also want to discuss how they would like their spiritual life to be reflected throughout the dying process and the period after. The spiritual and existential needs of people who are caring for loved ones who are dying must also be considered.  

Just as a person who is dying might seek comfort from religious leaders or texts, those who are caring for them may benefit from reaching out to their spiritual or religious community.

Although it might not be foremost on someone's mind, addressing the practical aspects of death, dying, and grief is an important part of the process. It's also one that you can plan ahead for.

People often find it difficult to discuss end-of-life plans, living wills, and funeral arrangements, but these are elements of the dying process that you can discuss long before they are needed.

Once you and your loved ones have spoken openly about your preferences, you can involve professionals such as accountants, funeral directors, lawyers, doctors, and other healthcare professionals to ensure that your wishes will be honored.

While the conversation and documentation involved can be overwhelming, and the requirements will depend on where you live, there are many resources available to help you get started. Once the task is done, you'll hopefully feel reassured that you have what you need to make the process as easy as possible when the time comes.

Setting up a system of friends, neighbors, and community support ensures you are prepared for the time you have left with your loved one. Your mind will likely be far from thoughts of laundry and grocery shopping during this time, but these practical concerns still need to be addressed.

Having someone to help with cleaning and meal prep will allow you to focus your time and energy on being with your loved one in their final days.

A Word From Verywell

We all will have experiences with death, but we won't all experience death and dying in the same way. Our unique experiences may even change as we age and are confronted with death more often.

How we feel about death, what we will need and want during the dying process, and the way we grieve when we lose someone we love is influenced by our beliefs and experiences.

What's important to know is that many of the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of dying that are distressing and confusing are actually normal.

While you can't always control the circumstances or even know for sure how you will react in a situation, there are aspects of the dying process that you and your family can plan for.

Discussing your preferences for end-of-life care, setting up a support network, and reaching out to your spiritual community are all ways you can empower yourself to face death openly and honestly.

Whether you are confronting your own mortality or caring for a loved one who is dying, it's also important to remember that you don't have to do it alone. In addition to your friends and family, grief counselors, support groups, religious communities, and health care providers can also provide resources and support.

If you or a loved one are struggling with grief or anxiety contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database .

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Lekalakala-Mokgele E. Death and dying: Elderly persons’ experiences of grief over the loss of family members .  South African Family Practice . 2018;60(5):151-154. doi:10.1080/20786190.2018.1475882

Cicirelli V.  Death Attitudes and the Older Adult . (Tomer A, ed.). Psychology Press; 2000:187-189.

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Wisman A, Shrira I. The smell of death: Evidence that putrescine elicits threat management mechanisms . Front Psychol. 2015;6. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01274

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115 Death Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Death is an inevitable part of life that has been contemplated and explored by humans throughout history. It is a subject that evokes a wide range of emotions and thoughts, from fear and sorrow to curiosity and acceptance. Writing an essay about death can be a profound and thought-provoking experience, allowing individuals to reflect on their own mortality and explore existential questions. To inspire your writing, here are 115 death essay topic ideas and examples.

• The concept of death in different cultures.
• The role of death in religious beliefs.
• The fear of death and its impact on human behavior.
• Death as a theme in literature and poetry.
• The portrayal of death in art and cinema.
• The psychology of grief and mourning.
• The stages of grief according to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.
• How to cope with the loss of a loved one.
• The impact of death on family dynamics.
• The connection between death and existentialism.
• Near-death experiences and their implications.
• The debate between the existence of an afterlife and oblivion.
• The significance of death rituals and funeral customs.
• The ethics of euthanasia and assisted suicide.
• The right to die: exploring the concept of death with dignity.
• The role of death in philosophical thought.
• Death as a catalyst for personal growth and transformation.
• The impact of death anxiety on mental health.
• Exploring the concept of a "good death."
• The portrayal of death in popular culture.
• Death and the meaning of life.
• The portrayal of death in ancient mythology.
• Death and the concept of time.
• The impact of death on medical ethics.
• The portrayal of death in children's literature.
• The intersection of death and technology.
• Death and the fear of the unknown.
• The impact of death on social media and digital legacies.
• The acceptance of death: exploring different perspectives.
• The role of humor in coping with death.
• Death and the concept of justice.
• The impact of death on religious beliefs and practices.
• The influence of death on artistic expression.
• Death and the concept of free will.
• The portrayal of death in different historical periods.
• Death and the concept of fate.
• The impact of death on the concept of identity.
• Death and the concept of soul.
• Death and the concept of pain.
• The impact of death on medical advancements.
• Death and the concept of forgiveness.
• The portrayal of death in video games.
• Death and the concept of sacrifice.
• The impact of death on cultural traditions.
• Death and the concept of legacy.
• Death and the concept of beauty.
• The portrayal of death in religious texts.
• Death and the concept of morality.
• The impact of death on social structures.
• Death and the concept of justice in different societies.
• The portrayal of death in different artistic mediums.
• Death and the concept of love.
• The impact of death on the concept of time.
• Death and the concept of truth.
• The portrayal of death in different musical genres.
• Death and the concept of suffering.
• The impact of death on the concept of freedom.
• Death and the concept of redemption.
• The portrayal of death in different dance forms.
• Death and the concept of rebirth.
• The impact of death on the concept of beauty.
• Death and the concept of forgiveness in different cultures.
• The portrayal of death in different architectural styles.
• Death and the concept of fate in different societies.
• The impact of death on the concept of identity in different periods.
• Death and the concept of pain in different cultures.
• The portrayal of death in different fashion trends.
• Death and the concept of sacrifice in different religions.
• The impact of death on the concept of legacy in different civilizations.
• Death and the concept of beauty in different art forms.
• The portrayal of death in different culinary traditions.
• Death and the concept of justice in different historical eras.
• The impact of death on the concept of morality in different societies.
• Death and the concept of love in different cultures.
• The portrayal of death in different sports.
• Death and the concept of suffering in different religions.
• The impact of death on the concept of freedom in different periods.
• Death and the concept of redemption in different belief systems.
• The portrayal of death in different circus acts.
• Death and the concept of rebirth in different mythologies.
• The impact of death on the concept of beauty in different civilizations.
• Death and the concept of forgiveness in different cultural practices.
• The portrayal of death in different gardening styles.
• Death and the concept of fate in different belief systems.
• The impact of death on the concept of identity in different societies.
• Death and the concept of pain in different historical periods.
• The portrayal of death in different interior design trends.
• Death and the concept of sacrifice in different cultural practices.
• Death and the concept of beauty in different fashion trends.
• The portrayal of death in different music genres.
• The impact of death on the concept of morality in different periods.
• The portrayal of death in different film genres.
• The impact of death on the concept of freedom in different societies.
• The portrayal of death in different theater styles.
• The portrayal of death in different dance styles.
• The portrayal of death in different visual art forms.
• Death and the concept of beauty in different architectural styles.
• The portrayal of death in different literary genres.

Whether you choose to explore the philosophical, cultural, psychological, or artistic aspects of death, these essay topic ideas provide a wide range of possibilities to delve into this profound subject. Remember to approach the topic with sensitivity and respect, as death is a deeply personal and meaningful experience for many individuals.

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Death #1 – Facing Death & What Makes Life Worthwhile

Lesson Plan

This lesson plan can be read in conjunction with “Chapter 2. Death” (pp. 29-43) in the freely available teaching resource Coping: A Philosophical Guide (Open Book Publishers, 2021) with discussion questions (pp. 122-3) and additional teaching materials (p. 119). 

1. Foreknowledge

I suggest the following opening question for discussion: Would you prefer to see death coming, say at the end of a terminal, but relatively painless, illness, or would you prefer death to come unbeknownst to you, say, while you are sleeping or in a sudden fatal accident? What we want to know is whether students find the foreknowledge of death a good thing or not. I have found classrooms divided on this question and it is interesting to see how students offer reasons for their positions.

Here are some variants of this questions . Suppose that some oracle could tell you precisely when and how you are going to die and there is nothing you can do to change it. Would you like to know? Or, more realistically: There is a particular genetic disease in your family for which there is no cure. People with the fateful gene will die when they are young, say, typically in their mid-thirties. You have a 25% chance of being a carrier of the gene. Would you choose to get tested? Why? Or why not?

2. A Worthwhile Life

Those who want to see death coming may see a value in taking stock of their lives. Ask students to imagine themselves at the end of life. Looking back, what would make them think that their life was worthwhile?

The following leading question has the same purpose. Can you think of anyone (whether famous or not) who lived in such a way that you would say: If I were to have lived like that, then I would die easy (as in the Blind Willie Johnson gospel blues song “ In my Time of Dying ”)? What kind of life would you look back upon in a contented manner? And what makes such a life a meaningful or a good life?

Once there are some answers on the table, you can draw distinctions. Some students will focus on achievements, while others will focus on a particular mode of living, such as living an honest life. As to achievements, some will think that having some enduring legacy is important, others will point to things that make a difference here and now. And finally, some will want to see their contributions as grand and exceptional, while others will focus on the importance of small differences.

If you want to bring out the importance of making contributions that are enduring, here is a leading question. Suppose that people have become infertile for some unknown reasons (as in P.D. James’s novel Children of Men ) and it is becoming clear that we will be the last generation on earth. How would this affect humanity? Would we live differently? Would we still be able to find meaning in our endeavors? Or you can vary the case with an incoming meteor strike that is bound to wipe out humanity in a month’s time.

If you need a counterpoint to students focusing on illustrious lives, you may ask them to reflect on Emily Dickinson’s “ If I can stop one heart from breaking ” and “ I’m Nobody! Who are you? ”

3. A Good Death

Students will be familiar with stories of top athletes who died while competing at the highest level. These deaths are often reported as tragic deaths of young people whose lives are cut short. But one might ask, isn’t there some consolation in such a death that is absent when a young person dies due to disease or in a car accident? How so?   

I would expect students to say something like the athlete died doing what they liked to do best, doing something that they excelled at, that they believed in, that they stood for in life, that brought honor to their country, that brought joy to sports fans, etc.

You could compare these observations with Aristotle’s observation in the Nicomachean Ethics (Bk 3, Ch 6) that death on the battle field is the most honorable death, while dying from disease or dying by drowning as a passenger in a ship wreck are unenviable deaths. Why would Aristotle think that death on the battlefield is the most honorable death? How does it compare with what we would say about a death in a sporting event?

For an additional activity, you could connect this image of a good death with a policy debate in places where euthanasia is legal: Should people who choose for euthanasia be able to choose to be organ donors? What arguments might we envision for and against such a policy? An argument against is that people may feel pressured to ask for euthanasia by unscrupulous doctors who want their organs. An argument in favor is that some people may regard organ donation through euthanasia as a good death, because it allows them to benefit others in death.

• Chapter 2. Death in Coping: A Philosophical Guide
• Blind Willie Johnson, "In my Time of Dying"
• Emily Dickinson, "If I can stop one heart from breaking"
• Emily Dickinson, "I'm Nobody! Who are you?"

If you would like to change or adapt any of PLATO's work for public use, please feel free to contact us for permission at [email protected] .

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• How are you feeling?

Facing death personally can often feel like an emotional rollercoaster, with grief, love, fear, anger, hope, peace and despair all finding a place at one time or another. A range of emotions is normal, but if you find yourself feeling constantly numb, help is available.

In this section

• Making the most of now
• Helping your loved ones

Facing death

The process of coming to terms with a life-limiting condition is as unique as your fingerprint. It might sound obvious, but when facing death everyone’s experience is different. As a result, there are no rights and wrongs to how you ‘should’ be feeling or behaving.

You may have good days and better days. Some days, it may feel like one step forward and two steps back. On other days, you may not even be able to explain how you feel. That’s OK.

Your emotions and mood

It’s not surprising that the prospect of dying or facing death will have an effect on the way you feel and on your mood. The process of dying marks the end of a journey: your life on this earth. That inevitably involves sadness, grief, and a sense of loss.

Research into grief has shown that people’s reactions to loss may not just be in feelings that come and go but can even be felt in every fibre of their being.

Grief in body and mind

The Handbook for Mortals , written for people dealing with terminal illness, puts it this way:

“Grief, like other emotions, can make its presence known both in body and mind. You may lose your appetite, experience aches and pains, sleep too long or not enough. Feel depressed, melancholy, hopeless, feel angry at the world, yourself or your loved one. Feel guilty for things left unsaid or undone, or feel unable to concentrate.

“All of these feelings and sensations are grief’s way of making its presence known. These reactions are the normal, human response to loss.”

And in fact, you may feel like you are experiencing a series of losses – of your independence, social life, activities and so on. Grieving those losses will take time, but is a necessary part of coming to terms with death.

Big changes and feeling sad

It’s perfectly understandable to find, as an illness or conditions stops you from doing things that were important to you, that you will feel sad. Many people feel that the loss of going to work, or being able to play energetically with children in the family, or drive the car, or move about freely, are big changes to deal with.

These changes can be like bereavements, and sometimes they come one after another, which can make people feel very sad and frustrated. This is all normal – it’s normal to feel emotional and to take time to adjust to the changes.

Amid the ups and downs, however, you may find that there can be moments of happiness too.

Finding hope and joy in uncertainty

For several years, science journalist Ivan Noble blogged on the BBC website about his ongoing battle with a brain tumour. When he realised he was facing a losing battle, in one of his last entries he wrote:

“I do not have the life I want. I would love to be able to plan for birthdays and Christmases to come. My daughter is almost three and I still cannot believe she will share her third birthday with me very soon. But I have hope and joy in the uncertainty. I have great hope and faith that I have much to achieve before the end.”

He added: “I reached the age of thirty-five without calamity and only a freak accident of genetics blew me off course. My life now is hard but it is fulfilling and I am happy in my short-term way.”

Some surprising research

One of the surprising discoveries of research into the process of dying is that many people who are in the last weeks and months of their lives feel emotionally comfortable.

In other words, it is entirely possible to feel contented and to enjoy life, right up to the very end. Of course, getting to that place is by no means straightforward, nor is it something that everyone is able to do.

Maintaining mental well-being

There are many reasons for this. One of them is that people who are facing death can sometimes find that their mental health is more seriously affected. Research has shown that while many terminal cancer patients suffer from depression, most don’t receive any kind of treatment for it.

It’s important to know that help is available, including counselling. If you’re really struggling, it’s important to both ask for – and to accept – such help.

Getting help

If you find that you are feeling numb or feeling indifferent to life, it’s worth asking for help from your doctor. Among other things, he or she may be able to refer you to a psychotherapist or, in some cases, prescribe medication.

Psychotherapists may offer cognitive behavioural therapy – or ‘CBT’ for short – which many dying people have found helpful. Cognitive behavioural therapy involves talking through the way you think and act with a trained professional.

It is possible to enjoy the last weeks and months

Palliative care consultant Dr Kathryn Mannix sums it up: “I have been offering CBT to palliative care patients for 25 years. At first, other professionals thought I was crazy – surely it’s normal to feel depressed if you are dying?

But I knew from my hospice work that most dying people are not depressed, and in my clinic many depressed people have made themselves better, and lived to enjoy the last weeks and months of their lives. It’s wonderful to see them regain their enjoyment of life again, when they simply expected to remain miserable until they died.”

It is possible to calm your fears by understanding more about what may happen in the final weeks and days. Read more here .

In the Catholic tradition, devotion to the emotional life of Jesus – known as the ‘Sacred Heart’ – has a special place. Writing about the inner life of Christ, Pope Pius XII spoke about his natural fear of death and how – when dying on the cross – Jesus’ Sacred Heart “was strongly moved by different emotions – burning love, desolation, pity, longing desire, unruffled peace.” In a moving prayer which demonstrated Jesus’s agony, he said: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” (Matthew: 26: 39)

May 3, 2023

Contemplating Mortality: Powerful Essays on Death and Inspiring Perspectives

The prospect of death may be unsettling, but it also holds a deep fascination for many of us. If you're curious to explore the many facets of mortality, from the scientific to the spiritual, our article is the perfect place to start. With expert guidance and a wealth of inspiration, we'll help you write an essay that engages and enlightens readers on one of life's most enduring mysteries!

Death is a universal human experience that we all must face at some point in our lives. While it can be difficult to contemplate mortality, reflecting on death and loss can offer inspiring perspectives on the nature of life and the importance of living in the present moment. In this collection of powerful essays about death, we explore profound writings that delve into the human experience of coping with death, grief, acceptance, and philosophical reflections on mortality.

Through these essays, readers can gain insight into different perspectives on death and how we can cope with it. From personal accounts of loss to philosophical reflections on the meaning of life, these essays offer a diverse range of perspectives that will inspire and challenge readers to contemplate their mortality.

The Inevitable: Coping with Mortality and Grief

Mortality is a reality that we all have to face, and it is something that we cannot avoid. While we may all wish to live forever, the truth is that we will all eventually pass away. In this article, we will explore different aspects of coping with mortality and grief, including understanding the grieving process, dealing with the fear of death, finding meaning in life, and seeking support.

Understanding the Grieving Process

Grief is a natural and normal response to loss. It is a process that we all go through when we lose someone or something important to us. The grieving process can be different for each person and can take different amounts of time. Some common stages of grief include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. It is important to remember that there is no right or wrong way to grieve and that it is a personal process.

Denial is often the first stage of grief. It is a natural response to shock and disbelief. During this stage, we may refuse to believe that our loved one has passed away or that we are facing our mortality.

Anger is a common stage of grief. It can manifest as feelings of frustration, resentment, and even rage. It is important to allow yourself to feel angry and to express your emotions healthily.

Bargaining is often the stage of grief where we try to make deals with a higher power or the universe in an attempt to avoid our grief or loss. We may make promises or ask for help in exchange for something else.

Depression is a natural response to loss. It is important to allow yourself to feel sad and to seek support from others.

Acceptance is often the final stage of grief. It is when we come to terms with our loss and begin to move forward with our lives.

Dealing with the Fear of Death

The fear of death is a natural response to the realization of our mortality. It is important to acknowledge and accept our fear of death but also to not let it control our lives. Here are some ways to deal with the fear of death:

Accepting Mortality

Accepting our mortality is an important step in dealing with the fear of death. We must understand that death is a natural part of life and that it is something that we cannot avoid.

Finding Meaning in Life

Finding meaning in life can help us cope with the fear of death. It is important to pursue activities and goals that are meaningful and fulfilling to us.

Seeking Support

Seeking support from friends, family, or a therapist can help us cope with the fear of death. Talking about our fears and feelings can help us process them and move forward.

Finding meaning in life is important in coping with mortality and grief. It can help us find purpose and fulfillment, even in difficult times. Here are some ways to find meaning in life:

Pursuing Passions

Pursuing our passions and interests can help us find meaning and purpose in life. It is important to do things that we enjoy and that give us a sense of accomplishment.

Helping Others

Helping others can give us a sense of purpose and fulfillment. It can also help us feel connected to others and make a positive impact on the world.

Making Connections

Making connections with others is important in finding meaning in life. It is important to build relationships and connections with people who share our values and interests.

Seeking support is crucial when coping with mortality and grief. Here are some ways to seek support:

Talking to Friends and Family

Talking to friends and family members can provide us with a sense of comfort and support. It is important to express our feelings and emotions to those we trust.

Joining a Support Group

Joining a support group can help us connect with others who are going through similar experiences. It can provide us with a safe space to share our feelings and find support.

Seeking Professional Help

Seeking help from a therapist or counselor can help cope with grief and mortality. A mental health professional can provide us with the tools and support we need to process our emotions and move forward.

Coping with mortality and grief is a natural part of life. It is important to understand that grief is a personal process that may take time to work through. Finding meaning in life, dealing with the fear of death, and seeking support are all important ways to cope with mortality and grief. Remember to take care of yourself, allow yourself to feel your emotions, and seek support when needed.

The Ethics of Death: A Philosophical Exploration

Death is an inevitable part of life, and it is something that we will all experience at some point. It is a topic that has fascinated philosophers for centuries, and it continues to be debated to this day. In this article, we will explore the ethics of death from a philosophical perspective, considering questions such as what it means to die, the morality of assisted suicide, and the meaning of life in the face of death.

Death is a topic that elicits a wide range of emotions, from fear and sadness to acceptance and peace. Philosophers have long been interested in exploring the ethical implications of death, and in this article, we will delve into some of the most pressing questions in this field.

What does it mean to die?

The concept of death is a complex one, and there are many different ways to approach it from a philosophical perspective. One question that arises is what it means to die. Is death simply the cessation of bodily functions, or is there something more to it than that? Many philosophers argue that death represents the end of consciousness and the self, which raises questions about the nature of the soul and the afterlife.

The morality of assisted suicide

Assisted suicide is a controversial topic, and it raises several ethical concerns. On the one hand, some argue that individuals have the right to end their own lives if they are suffering from a terminal illness or unbearable pain. On the other hand, others argue that assisting someone in taking their own life is morally wrong and violates the sanctity of life. We will explore these arguments and consider the ethical implications of assisted suicide.

The meaning of life in the face of death

The inevitability of death raises important questions about the meaning of life. If our time on earth is finite, what is the purpose of our existence? Is there a higher meaning to life, or is it simply a product of biological processes? Many philosophers have grappled with these questions, and we will explore some of the most influential theories in this field.

The role of death in shaping our lives

While death is often seen as a negative force, it can also have a positive impact on our lives. The knowledge that our time on earth is limited can motivate us to live life to the fullest and to prioritize the things that truly matter. We will explore the role of death in shaping our values, goals, and priorities, and consider how we can use this knowledge to live more fulfilling lives.

The ethics of mourning

The process of mourning is an important part of the human experience, and it raises several ethical questions. How should we respond to the death of others, and what is our ethical responsibility to those who are grieving? We will explore these questions and consider how we can support those who are mourning while also respecting their autonomy and individual experiences.

The ethics of immortality

The idea of immortality has long been a fascination for humanity, but it raises important ethical questions. If we were able to live forever, what would be the implications for our sense of self, our relationships with others, and our moral responsibilities? We will explore the ethical implications of immortality and consider how it might challenge our understanding of what it means to be human.

The ethics of death in different cultural contexts

Death is a universal human experience, but how it is understood and experienced varies across different cultures. We will explore how different cultures approach death, mourning, and the afterlife, and consider the ethical implications of these differences.

Death is a complex and multifaceted topic, and it raises important questions about the nature of life, morality, and human experience. By exploring the ethics of death from a philosophical perspective, we can gain a deeper understanding of these questions and how they shape our lives.

The Ripple Effect of Loss: How Death Impacts Relationships

Losing a loved one is one of the most challenging experiences one can go through in life. It is a universal experience that touches people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. The grief that follows the death of someone close can be overwhelming and can take a significant toll on an individual's mental and physical health. However, it is not only the individual who experiences the grief but also the people around them. In this article, we will discuss the ripple effect of loss and how death impacts relationships.

Understanding Grief and Loss

Grief is the natural response to loss, and it can manifest in many different ways. The process of grieving is unique to each individual and can be affected by many factors, such as culture, religion, and personal beliefs. Grief can be intense and can impact all areas of life, including relationships, work, and physical health.

The Impact of Loss on Relationships

Death can impact relationships in many ways, and the effects can be long-lasting. Below are some of how loss can affect relationships:

1. Changes in Roles and Responsibilities

When someone dies, the roles and responsibilities within a family or social circle can shift dramatically. For example, a spouse who has lost their partner may have to take on responsibilities they never had before, such as managing finances or taking care of children. This can be a difficult adjustment, and it can put a strain on the relationship.

2. Changes in Communication

Grief can make it challenging to communicate with others effectively. Some people may withdraw and isolate themselves, while others may become angry and lash out. It is essential to understand that everyone grieves differently, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. However, these changes in communication can impact relationships, and it may take time to adjust to new ways of interacting with others.

3. Changes in Emotional Connection

When someone dies, the emotional connection between individuals can change. For example, a parent who has lost a child may find it challenging to connect with other parents who still have their children. This can lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection, and it can strain relationships.

4. Changes in Social Support

Social support is critical when dealing with grief and loss. However, it is not uncommon for people to feel unsupported during this time. Friends and family may not know what to say or do, or they may simply be too overwhelmed with their grief to offer support. This lack of social support can impact relationships and make it challenging to cope with grief.

Coping with Loss and Its Impact on Relationships

Coping with grief and loss is a long and difficult process, but it is possible to find ways to manage the impact on relationships. Below are some strategies that can help:

1. Communication

Effective communication is essential when dealing with grief and loss. It is essential to talk about how you feel and what you need from others. This can help to reduce misunderstandings and make it easier to navigate changes in relationships.

2. Seek Support

It is important to seek support from friends, family, or a professional if you are struggling to cope with grief and loss. Having someone to talk to can help to alleviate feelings of isolation and provide a safe space to process emotions.

3. Self-Care

Self-care is critical when dealing with grief and loss. It is essential to take care of your physical and emotional well-being. This can include things like exercise, eating well, and engaging in activities that you enjoy.

4. Allow for Flexibility

It is essential to allow for flexibility in relationships when dealing with grief and loss. People may not be able to provide the same level of support they once did or may need more support than they did before. Being open to changes in roles and responsibilities can help to reduce strain on relationships.

5. Find Meaning

Finding meaning in the loss can be a powerful way to cope with grief and loss. This can involve creating a memorial, participating in a support group, or volunteering for a cause that is meaningful to you.

The impact of loss is not limited to the individual who experiences it but extends to those around them as well. Relationships can be greatly impacted by the death of a loved one, and it is important to be aware of the changes that may occur. Coping with loss and its impact on relationships involves effective communication, seeking support, self-care, flexibility, and finding meaning.

What Lies Beyond Reflections on the Mystery of Death

Death is an inevitable part of life, and yet it remains one of the greatest mysteries that we face as humans. What happens when we die? Is there an afterlife? These are questions that have puzzled us for centuries, and they continue to do so today. In this article, we will explore the various perspectives on death and what lies beyond.

Understanding Death

Before we can delve into what lies beyond, we must first understand what death is. Death is defined as the permanent cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. This can occur as a result of illness, injury, or simply old age. Death is a natural process that occurs to all living things, but it is also a process that is often accompanied by fear and uncertainty.

The Physical Process of Death

When a person dies, their body undergoes several physical changes. The heart stops beating, and the body begins to cool and stiffen. This is known as rigor mortis, and it typically sets in within 2-6 hours after death. The body also begins to break down, and this can lead to a release of gases that cause bloating and discoloration.

The Psychological Experience of Death

In addition to the physical changes that occur during and after death, there is also a psychological experience that accompanies it. Many people report feeling a sense of detachment from their physical body, as well as a sense of peace and calm. Others report seeing bright lights or visions of loved ones who have already passed on.

Perspectives on What Lies Beyond

There are many different perspectives on what lies beyond death. Some people believe in an afterlife, while others believe in reincarnation or simply that death is the end of consciousness. Let's explore some of these perspectives in more detail.

One of the most common beliefs about what lies beyond death is the idea of an afterlife. This can take many forms, depending on one's religious or spiritual beliefs. For example, many Christians believe in heaven and hell, where people go after they die depending on their actions during life. Muslims believe in paradise and hellfire, while Hindus believe in reincarnation.

Reincarnation

Reincarnation is the belief that after we die, our consciousness is reborn into a new body. This can be based on karma, meaning that the quality of one's past actions will determine the quality of their next life. Some people believe that we can choose the circumstances of our next life based on our desires and attachments in this life.

End of Consciousness

The idea that death is simply the end of consciousness is a common belief among atheists and materialists. This view holds that the brain is responsible for creating consciousness, and when the brain dies, consciousness ceases to exist. While this view may be comforting to some, others find it unsettling.

Death is a complex and mysterious phenomenon that continues to fascinate us. While we may never fully understand what lies beyond death, it's important to remember that everyone has their own beliefs and perspectives on the matter. Whether you believe in an afterlife, reincarnation, or simply the end of consciousness, it's important to find ways to cope with the loss of a loved one and to find peace with your mortality.

Final Words

In conclusion, these powerful essays on death offer inspiring perspectives and deep insights into the human experience of coping with mortality, grief, and loss. From personal accounts to philosophical reflections, these essays provide a diverse range of perspectives that encourage readers to contemplate their mortality and the meaning of life.

By reading and reflecting on these essays, readers can gain a better understanding of how death shapes our lives and relationships, and how we can learn to accept and cope with this inevitable part of the human experience.

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Why We Fear Death and How to Overcome It

You might be surprised by the factors that influence our attitudes toward death..

Posted September 2, 2020 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

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Death—what isn’t there to be afraid of? It’s the ultimate end! But while some people dread death, others accept it as inevitable. So why do some people fear it more than others?

It turns out that the way we think about death can affect how we think and act in daily life. For example, a 2016 study found that fear of death could amplify our desire for revenge and political violence. Palestinian, Israeli, and South Korean participants were prompted to think about personal pain or death, and then asked about their opinions about how specific political conflicts should be resolved. Those who were reminded of death were more likely to support military action than those who only thought about pain.

Fearing death also makes it harder for us to process grief . A recent study found that those who were afraid of death were more likely to have prolonged symptoms of grief after losing a loved one compared to those who had accepted death. For healthcare workers who care for dying patients, their own fear of death may get in the way of effectively communicating with patients and their families.

There are some things that may subtly, or not so subtly, affect how much we fear death.

1. Older people tend to fear death less. You might think this would be the opposite, but this pattern has been found time and time again in research studies. We tend to assume that the older someone is, the closer they seemingly are to death, and therefore the more afraid of it they should be. But interestingly, older age is associated with more acceptance of death .

This could be because older people have experienced more of life, so they have less fear of missing out. Or it might be because they have more experience with witnessing and handling the death of others.

2. Religious belief increases our fear (but it’s complicated). Here’s another counterintuitive one. You may think that religious belief, which usually includes confidence in an afterlife or a greater meaning to life, would make people feel better about the finality of death. But studies have found that those with stronger religiosity , regardless of culture or religion, have a stronger fear of death.

But it’s worth noting that there are also studies that show the opposite.

Some studies have found that, at least among Westerners, those who fear death most are moderately religious . Both non-believers and very religious people feared death less .

Perhaps being moderately religious puts people in the “existential sweet spot” for being afraid of death—they’re not as relaxed as non-believers, but they also don’t hold the same strong convictions about the afterlife that very religious people do. It’s also possible that the egg comes before the chicken—people who particularly fear death seek out religion as a coping mechanism, but they don’t end up being very religious.

3. Experience with danger. Your interactions with danger may also change your fear of death. Though some experiences make you fear death less, too much might increase your fear.

Here’s an example: In a very cool study, researchers recruited beginner, intermediate, and expert skydivers to share their feelings about death. Not surprisingly, beginner skydivers, with only an average of 1 jump under their belt, were scared of death. Intermediate skydivers, with an average of 90 jumps, were a lot less scared. But—and this is the interesting part—expert skydivers, who had jumped over 700 times, were more scared of death than intermediate skydivers.

This shows that simply risking death more doesn’t decrease your fear of it. There may be a learning curve, where getting some experience makes you feel less anxious (maybe because you gain a greater sense of control), but getting a lot of experience makes you more aware that you can’t cheat death after all.

4. Physical health. This one is less surprising: People with better physical health tend to fear death less. Researchers have found that those with better physical health tend to feel like there is more meaning in life. They also tend to have better mental health. These are the factors that make them fear death less . In a way, this can be encouraging even for those who cannot control their physical health. They may still be able to find meaning in life and work on their mental health to decrease their existential dread.

5. Attachment style. Attachment styles refer to ways we think about and behave in close relationships. These are shaped early in life so by the time we’re adults, we’re usually pretty settled into ours. Securely attached people tend to be confiding, dependable, and supportive partners. Insecurely attached people can be overly anxious and controlling, or distant and standoffish, or a mix of both.

When it comes to how they feel about death, people with secure attachment styles fear death less than people with insecure attachment styles. This is interesting because it shows that there’s a relationship and intimacy aspect to the way we think about death.

What can you do to become less afraid of death?

All of this research showing that fear of death may be fluid depending on our beliefs and experiences begs the question: What can we do to fear death less?

Some things that affect your fear of death, like your age, can’t be controlled. And most of us probably can’t (or won’t) go skydiving 90 times. But researchers have found some other things we may be able to do:

1. Help the next generation. The term “generativity” refers to a concern for younger people and a desire to nurture and guide them. When older people have a greater sense of generativity, they tend to also look back on their life without regret or anguish. This, understandably, leads to having less fear of death.

Even if you don’t have children or grandchildren, you can feed your generativity by mentoring younger people in a career or in life. You can volunteer with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, or tutor a neighborhood kid, or mentor someone in your career field.

2. Don’t avoid the topic. We try to avoid things, like death, that make us uncomfortable, but avoidance can make those things loom even larger in our minds.

An interesting study with funeral directors found that those who had directed more funerals feared death less. Among physicians, more years of experience, and more exposure to death, also led to less fear of death. But even if you’re not a funeral director or healthcare worker, you can still familiarize yourself with death by reading about it or volunteering with organizations that take care of those with terminal illnesses.

3. Have a (simulated) out-of-body or near-death experience. Here’s a fascinating one. Multiple research studies have found that having an out-of-body experience or near-death experience makes people less afraid of death. In the case of near-death experiences , it might be that the things we confront are less scary to us.

In the case of out-of-body experiences , it might give us the sense that we live on even when we are separated from our bodies. While you shouldn’t seek a near-death experience (we don’t want it to end up being not-so-near), you could try out a virtual reality program that simulates an out-of-body experience.

4. Cultivate your meaning in life. Now, this is the tip I think is the most important and impactful.

We know that reminding people of their own mortality tends to make them fear death. But if someone feels a strong sense of having meaning in life, this reminder doesn’t bother them .

Cultivating meaning in life is no simple task, but you can start by identifying your values, which are big-picture driving forces that guide how you move through life. Whether it be creativity , success, or serenity, brainstorm the values that are most important to you and govern your life with these ideas in mind.

Mark Twain said, “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”

This is very wise ! Based on the research, I think it would be more precise to replace “lives fully” with “lives meaningfully.” But for some people, perhaps these are the same. No matter what your meaningful life looks like, start to develop it now, and you’ll be too busy feeling fulfilled to be afraid of death.

A version of this post titled How to Master Your Fear of Death was originally posted on Quick and Dirty Tips.

Jade Wu, Ph.D., is a clinical health psychologist and host of the Savvy Psychologist podcast. She specializes in helping those with sleep problems and anxiety disorders.

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242 Death Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best death topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on death, 📌 most interesting death topics to write about, ✅ simple & easy death essay titles, 💡 good research topics about death, ✍️ death essay topics for college, ❓ interesting questions about death.

• The Death of My Grandmother and Lessons Learnt Often the loss of a grandmother is the first loss in life, which only complicates the feelings experienced. The loss of my grandmother was the biggest tragedy that has happened to me.
• Life After Death In many religions across the world, people belief in life after death and also being born again in the world after an individual. Life after death is the belief in the continuation of life after […]
• Death Ceremonies in Luhya Tribe This tribe is called the Luhya tribe and is one of the 42 tribes of the Republic of Kenya. This is because a clan might actually size to exist due to the death of a […]
• “Sylvia’s Death” by Anne Sexton The poem “Sylvia’s Death” by Anne Sexton is devoted, as the title suggests, to the death of poet Sylvia Plath. The poem itself is like a monologue or a short speech devoted to Sylvia and […]
• Plato on Death: Comparison With Aristotle Afterlife – Essay on Life After Death Philosophy On the other hand, religion has maintained that the soul is immortal and survives the death of the body. Plato argued that the soul is immortal and therefore survives the death of the body.
• Life After Death: Christianity and Islam Perspectives The afterlife, or the resurrection, is the purpose of most religions. This is the question we ask when we talk of the afterlife and the resurrection.
• Death, Dying, and Bereavement: Reflection End of life care for my mother took a toll on me, and I had to reevaluate my aspirations to see whether I treated life as an endless path.
• Are the Witches Responsible for Duncan’s Death? For example, Banquo was given good news by the witches about the likelihood of his children becoming kings and yet he did not rush to murder as it’s in the Macbeth’s case.
• The Epic of Gilgamesh: The Death and the Afterlife The main purpose of the Gilgamesh myth is to illustrate the weakness of man in the face of destiny. By the time this dream appears in the story, the reader is already aware Enkidu is […]
• Detailed Coronial Analysis of a Chest Pain Related Death The coroner’s report reviewed in this paper is for the patient AD who was brought to the emergency department by the Queensland Ambulance Service with the diagnosis of the acute coronary syndrome.
• Sea Otters’ Life Cycle From Birth to Death However, after the species had almost become extinct and their protection began, the species began to recover and towards the close of the 20th century, conservation had given rise to tens of thousands of sea […]
• “Dancing Skeletons: Life and Death in West Africa” The conflict is expressed in how the author describes her culture shock when introduced to the native women’s way of treating children or the procedure of female genital mutilation, for that matter.
• Analysis of Nagel’s Death: The Assumptions and Theories He explained death as the end of living; this meant the life of an individual would be terminated at the time of death.
• The Peculiarities of Discussing the Theme of Death in Poetry and Prose The question of this fringe helps to emphasize the problem of the lovers’ separation.”The separation of the soul from the body, and the separation of lovers from each other, is not an ending but the […]
• “Death” by Thomas Nagel: The Issue of Death and How People Think of It In a way, this contradicts his above reasoning that if there is no one to experience the loss of good life, then the absence of suffering and realization is not bad at all.
• Death and the Afterlife: A Spiritual World After Death The spiritual world for people means the immortality of their souls, which is in general highly important from the point of view of religion and philosophy.
• Forensic Psychology: Death Notifications Importance It is very important to surround the surviving relatives with compassion and understanding during the initial shock that follows the dreadful news. The purpose of delivering death notifications in person is to provide compassion.
• Late Adulthood and Death This paper examines ageism and the stereotypes associated with late adulthood; how individuals can promote health and wellness in late adulthood; the importance of relationships and social interactions; and personal attitudes towards death in late […]
• “Death and Justice” by Edward I. Koch Although the issue of the death penalty is quite controversial, it is the most effective deterrence and the fairest justice that can be done to the victims of the most serious offenses.
• The Probable Cause of Marilyn Monroe’s Death She had many lovers, many admirers, she associated with the rich and powerful, but in the end, she was so emotionally and psychologically troubled that when she died in 1962, with bottles of drugs beside […]
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Most of these studies focused on the incidences of SIDS, factors that are responsible for the condition, and the possible measures that could be put in place to reduce the incidence of the condition.
• From Birth to Death: Human’s Destiny The reason people seem to be so attached to Facebook and blogs is because they think this is their primary means of communicating and connecting to the world.
• The Theme of Death in the World of Literature Important is the fact that the death is personified in the poem and has the role of the gentleman. The death is presented as a powerful element of the poem and of the narrator’s life […]
• Philosophy: “Death” Essay by Thomas Nagel Therefore, the first element of viewing death is evil that the author examines is the contrast of this occurrence to life, which is perceived as good.
• Social Issue: The Death of the Whitney Houston In addition to giving a precise of the aforementioned story, the next discussion also elaborates the story by relating it to sociological imagination and the concept of social perspectives.
• Death and Dying From Children’s Viewpoint I can say that religion, the media, and my parents contributed to my early understanding of the concept of death. I developed a view that life expires at the death of my parents’ revelation that […]
• Life After Death: Scientific and Religious Answers Is there a life after death? In any way, there is no life after death.
• Buddhism: The Concept of Death and Dying Life is permanent but death is the transition of a human soul to either one of the six Buddhist realms. The purpose of this paper is to explain the concept of death from the Buddhist […]
• The Theme of Death in Literary Works The Duke reflects on the death of the Duchess and finding a new mistress to please him. The significance of the use of dramatic monologue is that it distinguishes the poet from the main speaker […]
• Cleopatra’s Life, From Her Ascension to the Throne to Solemn Death The bond between Antony and Cleopatra continued to strengthen and resulted in the return of most of Egypt’s empires that had been conquered by the Romans.
• Attitude Towards Death Essay: Life-Span Development Therefore, I try to maintain respect for this phenomenon and thereby try to enjoy every moment of life so as not to regret anything on my deathbed. It became an increasingly sensitive topic to me […]
• Death and Terminal Illnesses Some of the diseases under this category are heart diseases in the advanced stages and to some extent cancer.”In popular use, terminal conditions indicate diseases which will end the life of the sufferers in a […]
• Death and Dying in Christianity and Buddhism Birth and death are part of everybody’s life: birth is the beginning of living, and death is the end of it.
• Perspectives of Death In the different interpretations of death, there is a section of people that believe death is the final stage in the life journey of both human beings and plants.
• Death in The Shipping News In Proulx’s The Shipping News, death is the end of Quoyle’s silence and the beginning of his voiced, well-articulated future. Wavey is a point of connection between Quoyle and the new place he is in.
• Worldviews in Religions on the Aspect of Death and Afterlife The essay compares and contrasts the worldviews of Christianity, medieval Buddhist and Muslim on the aspect of death and afterlife and is covered as follows.
• Understanding of the Death Concept by Children The death component of irreversibility involves the child’s ability to conceptualize that death is permanent and the dead never return to life.
• Death and Suffering: War Opposing Viewpoints The number of human casualties is very much alarming Take the case of the Second World War. It is considered to be the worst and the most deadly war ever fought in the history of […]
• Reflection on Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “On Death” We are not aware what happens at the moment of death or after it and seek to find the answers to the questions raised by Shelley in the poem “On Death”.
• Modern Christianity View and Perspective on Death and Dying Some Christians believe that death is safe to the people of God and that it is a necessity to fit in the complete delight of God.
• Protests Over the Death of George Floyd The suspect was cooperating with the officers who instead treated him harshly and pinned him to the ground against the police conduct.
• Line-of-Duty Death (LODD) or Critical Injury A group of persons with knowledge on the insurance policies of the company should be appointed to render assistance to the family in the filing of claim forms.
• Why Are We Afraid of Death? However, it can be interesting to understand why the rest of the people are so afraid of death. People are afraid of the unknown.
• All Are Equal in Death Death refers to the lasting termination of all life’s tasks in a human being. Death chances on its prey in the middle of their actions and strikes equally to all.
• Death and Dying in Modern Christianity This is well elaborated in the bible as an explanation of the reward to the righteous and the justices that will be accorded to the evil.
• Experience With Death in Personal Life Facing death is an ordeal because it leads to nervousness, prolonged sadness, and pain of loss. Third, facing death is an ordeal because we feel the pain of loss.
• Magellan’s Death in the Philippines and Captain Cook’s Death in Hawaii Captain Cook was a surveyor in the royal navy and in 1778, he made his first trip to the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaiians were very hospitable to the captain and his crew.
• The Death of the Moth by Virginia Woolf It was as if they were mindful of what had happened to the moth but in truth these creatures were simply taking a break.
• The Concepts of Death and Afterlife in Religious Beliefs I find it most interesting how human societies tend to come up with the idea of the temporal nature of death due to the cycles of seasons and the day and night that they witnessed […]
• We Are Not Harmed by Our Own Death As such, in this case is the fetus at the time of its death and has not came to existence as a person yet.
• A Systematic Study of Suffering and Death in Christianity There exist six major perspectives that try to explain the meaning and existence of suffering in Christianity: First, the Bible exploits well the subject of suffering; it does not leave it to the believers’ own […]
• The Kind of Sara’s Death: Medical and Religious Aspects Sara Monopoli’s problems had started with a cough and a pain in her back and by the time, the doctors discovered that it was lung cancer; the disease had already spread to the lining of […]
• Self-Reflection on Life Values, Goals, and Death I want my life to be full of genuine relationships despite how challenging it is to find and cultivate such bonds in modern society.
• Death and Dying: How to Accept the End of Life Ideas Loss-related grief hurts and is frequently intolerable, and it can be challenging to maintain a good outlook on life when one is in pain.
• Atkinson’s Death Penalty Article: Rebuttal Argument Regardless of unrealistic and irrelevant assertions about therapeutic jurisprudence, the death sentence is an efficient deterrence and punishment mechanism when seen within the context of vigilante justice and as a part of the current legal […]
• Restorative Justice and the Death Penalty Draft thesis: The death penalty, when viewed under the retributive justice framework and as a part of the existing justice system, is an effective deterrent and punishment measure irrespective of impractical and irrelevant restorative justice […]
• The Death Definition and the Need for Euthanasia If the concept of the soul is to be believed in, then one’s death is simply a process that detaches the soul from the body.
• Capital Punishment and the Death Penalty Furthermore, the defense and, in the United States, the prosecution has the right of vexatious challenge, which allows it to confront several participants without providing a reason.
• Heracles’ Death in Women of Trachis and Modern Perspective The concept of a good death changes over time, and what was considered a good and glorifying death in ancient times may be terrifying today.
• Psychology: The Aftermath of a Death Thus it is necessary to analyze the emotions and experiences of others in order to have a general idea of the problems that occur in different people.
• The Wisdom of Silenus: The Meaning of Life & Death When thinking about this idea, it is difficult to take any specific point of view about it because the meaning of life primarily lies in the process of a lifetime; making any goal the meaning […]
• Can There Be Agreement as to What Constitutes Human Death From a biological point of view, death is considered a natural fact of the termination of life due to the exhaustion of the body’s vital resources.
• Medical Ethics and Life & Death Decisions I believe there is no need to use medical technology if the patient’s condition is too severe to react to treatment, such as attempting a prolonged treatment for metastatic cancer.
• Low Vitamin D and Risk of Premature Death Categories of clear communication index, including the Main Message and Call to Action, Language, Information Design, State of the Science, Behavioral Recommendations, Numbers, and Risks, will evaluate the general consumer publication.
• The Black Death: Causes and Reactions This paper discusses the causes of the Black Death, human contribution to the spread of the disease, and describes the responses to the Black Death.
• Media Journal Assignment: Elijah McClain’s Death The death of a young Elijah was quite a shocking revelation about injustice that is taking place in the country. It demonstrates the social solidarity of people on the injustice that has taken a place.
• The Impact of Martin Luther King’s Death Luther King’s personality, his life, and his death caused more significant changes in expanding the rights of the African American people.
• “Death on Demand Is Not Death With Dignity” by Debra Saunders The author uses the example of Brittany Maryland, who is diagnosed with terminal cancer and moves to Oregon as assisted suicide is legal there.
• Impact of Divorce vs. Death of Loved One On the contrary, suffering as a result of divorce is similar to experiencing a loved one’s death in many aspects. In my view, the impact of divorce and the death of a loved one should […]
• Social Causes of Suicide: Sex, Race, Ethnicity, Age Group, and Mechanism of Death Suicide is one of the top ten main causes of death in the United States, making it a major issue. The suicide rate in the West is higher than in the South, Midwest, and Northeast.
• Euthanasia: Nurses’ Attitudes Towards Death The weakest part of the article is that most of the participants did not clearly define the concept of euthanasia, which casts doubt on the reliability of the sampled data.
• Health Policy to Solve Premature Death Inequality Further, the policy will teach the community about the dangers of drug and substance abuse and how it relates to premature deaths.
• Newspaper Coverage of Adolf Hitler’s Death It marks the end of the era of the terrible events of the Holocaust, the seizure of Poland, the extermination of millions of people.
• Impact of Intentional Death Problem Moreover, the negative consequences of euthanasia are the devaluation of human life, violation of the equality of people before the law, medical duty, and the structure of the doctor-patient relationship.
• Tyler Skaggs’s Death Reminding About Opioid Crisis The case of Tyler Skaggs serves as a reminder of the problem that is crucial in the United States nowadays the opioid crisis.
• Death Case Insanity: Application of a Treatment to a Convict It is possible that this forcible application of a treatment to a convict may find expressions elsewhere in the future, using the case discussed in the article as a catalyst.
• Medical Error as Causes of Preventable Death One of the notable examples of significant damage to patient health due to a medical error in our hospital was the case of LIS caused by rapid correction of hyponatremia.
• The Investigation of Rigor Mortis: Method to Determine the Time of Death One of the methods to determine the time of death is the investigation of rigor mortis. Considering the state of the body, it is possible to determine the time of death using the progression of […]
• Death and Funeral Customs of the Ainu and Nuer Peoples The high level of interest in the thematic is due to transformations in the rituals that indicate changes in the social order and conditions of its existence.
• Death and Stages of Grief However, such an understanding can be questioned due to the invention of life support devices and the development of the death of the brain concept.
• Experiences of the Death of Spouse In order to elaborate the appropriate one, it is crucial to address Maslow’s Human Motivation and Hierarchy of Basic Human Needs.
• Regulated Cell Death Induced by Membrane-Interacting Peptide Amphiphiles Media from the cells will be removed and replaced with the fluorescent dilution media and incubated for 45 minutes. For visualization, the PA solution with 1 wt% of a fluorescent analog will be used.
• Death Perspectives in Epicurus’ Theory Starting with the assumptions that fear of this phenomenon is one of the most important stimuli in the life of people and ending with the suggestions that death is not bad for the deceased, thinkers […]
• Researching of Why Human Beings Fear Death From the religious perspective, some people know about their sins committed on earth in their life and are afraid of the punishment for those sins as opposed to people who believe in God and His […]
• Atherosclerosis: St. Louis Cardinal’s Death The function of the arteries is to carry oxygenated blood from the heart to other parts of the body, while the function of the veins is to transport deoxygenated blood from other organs to the […]
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Or check our popular categories..., summary of the play: facing death by august strindberg | class 12 english.

One-Act Play: Facing Death by Johan August Strindberg Summary Class 12 English

About the Author:

Johan August Strindberg (1849–1912) was a Swedish writer, playwright, and painter. Ranked among Sweden’s most important authors, his works fall into two major literary movements, Naturalism and Expressionism. His theatre tries to create a perfect illusion of reality through detailed sets, an unpoetic literary style that reflects the way real people speak, and a style of acting that tries to recreate reality. Miss Julie (1888), Facing Death (1892), A Dream Play (1902), and The Ghost Sonata (1907) are some of his notable plays. In Facing Death, Strindberg dramatizes a heroic sacrifice made by a bankrupt man for the sake of his daughters.

Characters:

1. Monsieur Durand

Monsieur Durand is the main character of the play who is a former railroad employee, widower and pensioner. He has been portrayed as a financially ruined individual. Mr Durand spends his life living with his three daughters.

Adèle, Annette and Thérèse are the daughters of Monsieur Durand.

Antonio is an Italian army lieutenant who is the only paying guest at their lodge.

Pierre is the work boy of the Durand family.

Short Summary:

Facing Death, a one-act play by August Strindberg tells the story of Monsieur Durand, a former railroad worker and widower in financial ruin. Durand has three daughters, Adèle, Annette, and Thérèse, who have no future prospects. Despite his efforts to provide for his children, including renting out his home to lodgers, he has been received with ridicule and derision. Monsieur Durand, on the other hand, has a strategy to secure his daughters’ financial prospects, even if it means facing his own death. A classic example of dramatic naturalism in Europe. The story of Facing Death is about a father’s love for his children, even if it means sacrificing everything. Strindberg dramatizes a heroic sacrifice made by a bankrupt father for the sake of his daughters in Facing Death.

Main Summary:

Monsieur  Durand, a former railroad employee, widower, and pensioner, is the primary character in this play. In this drama, he is portrayed as a financially ruined individual. Durand lives with his three daughters, Adele (27 years), Annette (24 years), and Therese (24 years). The relationship between the father and his three daughters is fragile. They’re absolutely out of money. For the past ten years, they have been in a financial crisis. For the rest of their lives, they have converted their home into a lodge. Adele works in the kitchen, while Durand does a variety of other tasks such as serving visitors, cleaning, delivering and bringing meals, and so on.

Mr Durand’s two daughters only attempt to attract the attention of others in the lodge. Except for playing, singing, and flirting with customers, they don’t help with any other work at the lodge. For years, the Durand family has lived and spent their lives borrowing money from others. The family is experiencing financial difficulties. Durand is trying to figure out how to provide for his three kids after their mother’s death, with expenses piling up. Mr. Durand has various expenses to pay. He has to pay everyone, including the baker, butcher, and grocer. When Pierre, their work boy, goes to get bread, he returns empty-handed. He instead brings only unpaid bills. Durand purchases candles to commemorate the death anniversary of his late son, René, who died when he was a child. He still adores and misses him.

Durand’s lone paying guest at their lodge is Antonio (an Italian army lieutenant). Durand informs Antonio that they can no longer house him owing to poverty and a lack of supplies. Durand denies Antonio’s offer to pay in advance and stay for another month. He further claims that the previous spring he had no visitors for three months before an American family came to help him. Therese flirts with guest Antonio and they kiss as Durand goes for a coffee break. When Durand arrives at the door, he is shocked to see them kissing. He aggressively drives Antonio away from his house, enraged. He also discards the money he was given. Therese and Annette are dissatisfied with their father’s behaviour. They want the visitor (Antonio) to be present. Both girls are disrespectful to their father. They even took his glass of milk because he couldn’t bring bread. They force him to drink simply a glass of water. Therese steals the match as he attempts to light his bribery pipe.

Mr Durand has been hungry for a long time and also eats rats’ feed. He survives, though, because it is not harmful. His three daughters all accuse him of destroying the house’s state. They claim that if mother had still been alive, the house would not have been ruined. When their mother was alive, she did not get along with their father Durand. The daughters appear to side with the mother and only blame the father. In reality, their mother used to waste money by playing the lottery. She was scolded the majority of the time. She was threatened with becoming a prostitute.

When the wind blows, Mr Durand instructs his daughters to extinguish the stove fire and correctly handle the insurance documents. He also claims that he will deliver insurance money for them. The daughters are now behaving properly around him. Seeing Therese’s dissatisfaction, he agrees to let her marry Lieutenant Antonio if he sincerely loves her. When she hears this, Therese is thrilled and returns the match to him. He contacts his eldest daughter Adele and inquires about the availability of candles. He instructs Adele to hide documents from a fire insurance policy and begins to reveal the things he has held hidden within his heart. He was born in the country of France. Even before the age of recruitment, he had fallen in love with a woman. They came to Switzerland and gained Swiss citizenship in order to marry. During the final conflict, he served in the Swiss Army, fighting against the French army. It indicates the armed himself against his own country. To conceal his guilt, he claims to have been born in Switzerland.

He also claims that he lost the ancestral and maternal properties as a result of his mother’s carelessness and unwise ventures. They had used up all of their inheritance in this manner. Durand’s children were taught to dislike their father Durand while his wife was still alive. She was the one who made them obey her. She blamed her husband the majority of the time and was successful in turning her children against their father. Mr  Durand remained silent for the rest of his life after her death because he didn’t want his daughters to doubt their mother’s decency.

Durand advises Adele to look after her sisters like a mother. He proposes that Annette, the youngest daughter, obtain a teacher’s job so that she may be in excellent company and maintain track of her insurance paperwork. He takes the poison from the glass at the end, and the home is shown burning. Durand set the home on fire and poisoned himself in order for his children to get 5000 francs in fire insurance money.

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• Research article
• Open access
• Published: 04 December 2019

Learning and coping through reflection: exploring patient death experiences of medical students

• Travuth Trivate 1 ,
• Ashley A Dennis 2 ,
• Sarah Sholl 3 &
• Tracey Wilkinson   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-9904-7519 4  

BMC Medical Education volume  19 , Article number:  451 ( 2019 ) Cite this article

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Existing studies have explored many aspects of medical students’ experiences of patient death and propose the importance of faculty support for coping. However, UK-based literature on this subject and research concerning learning through reflection as part of coping are relatively limited. This study, through the lens of reflection, aims to explore students' experiences with patient death in a UK context. These include coping strategies, support from faculty following patient death and the relationship between these experiences and learning. Our research questions were:

How do medical students cope with and learn from their experiences?

How does support from ward staff and the medical school help them cope with and learn from these experiences?

How can students best be supported following patient death?

We employed narrative inquiry to explore how medical students made sense of their experiences of patient death. Twelve students participated in our study via an online narrative questionnaire. Thematic analysis and complementary narrative analysis of an exemplar were applied to address our research aim.

Coping strategies comprised internal and external strategies. Internal strategies included (1) re-interpretation of the death into a meaningful experience including lessons learned; (2) normalization; (3) staying busy and (4) enduring negative emotions. External strategies included speaking to someone, which was found to influence normalization, and lessons learned. Both satisfactory and unsatisfactory support from ward staff was identified. Satisfactory support was characterized by the inclusion of emotional and professional support. Unsatisfactory support was often characterized by a lack of emotional support. Narrative analysis further demonstrated how the experience with patient death was re-interpreted meaningfully. Students suggested that support should be structured, active, sensitive, and include peers and near-peers.

Many coping strategies, internal and external, were employed in students’ experiences with patient death. Student reflections, enhanced by support from ward staff, were shown to be important for learning from patient death. We encourage faculty to have regular sessions in which medical students can reflect on the death incident and discuss appropriately with others, including peers and near-peers.

Peer Review reports

During clinical placements, medical education literature suggests that the death of a patient can be an emotionally significant event for medical students [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. These emotions can be negative, such as fear [ 1 ], guilt [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ], sadness [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ], shock [ 2 , 7 , 8 , 9 ] and anger [ 3 , 8 ], or be positive, such as feeling uplifted [ 2 , 6 ]. First experiences with patient death have been reported to be the most memorable [ 7 ], moving, painful, and persistent in thoughts and memories [ 6 ]. The transition period from preclinical to clinical years is a factor that heightens the strong emotions evoked by patient death. This transition period may increase the difficulty for medical students in identifying their roles [ 5 ] and responsibilities [ 9 ] when encountering their first experiences of patient death. Learning to cope or to regulate emotions under stress [ 10 ] when faced with patient death is a key skill that medical students must learn [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Therefore, although potentially difficult, these early experiences also provide significant opportunities for learning.

Reflection: a way to learn from experiences in clinical practices

One way to explore these learning experiences is through the lens of experiential learning theory and reflection. Experiential learning theory supports clinical-based learning insofar as it suggests knowledge can be shaped through experiences [ 14 ]. In the experiential learning cycle as defined by Kolb, reflection is a fundamental component [ 15 , 16 ]. Atkins et al. [ 17 ] proposed that reflection involves first, the identification of uncomfortable feelings and thoughts; second, a critical analysis of those feelings and thoughts; and third, the development of a new perspective on learning [ 17 ]. Therefore, reflection may be a helpful mechanism to explore not only how individuals learn to cope, but also how they learn more generally from difficult clinical encounters such as patient death. According to General Medical Council outcomes for graduates 2018 [ 18 ], reflection is regarded as a coping strategy necessary for physicians to recover from difficulties in clinical practice.

Coping strategies when experiencing patient death

Various coping strategies adopted by medical students have been identified in the literature (see Table  1 ). However, there is limited medical education research that explores coping through the lens of learning. One example is Kelly et al. [ 2 ], who explore both the coping strategies and the learning experiences of medical students as they reflect on their early experiences of patient death. For example, they discuss both students’ professional emotional responses and academic knowledge that emerge through reflection.

Support from medical team and faculty

One main feature that can also be drawn from Table 1 is that a common coping strategy is speaking to someone (‘support seeking’ in the broader literature [ 10 ]). Talking to somebody, especially attending physicians or consultants, provides students with a chance to discuss and debrief [ 2 , 8 ]. A discussion after patient death does not always need to be initiated by the student to be of value for coping. Some studies have reported that a discussion that was actively initiated by the staff member was especially helpful for students [ 3 , 9 ]. Discussion has been found to lessen students’ emotional distress (e.g. fear, anxiety, guilt) [ 20 ] and bring a sense of closure [ 5 ]. Importantly, from an experiential learning perspective, the literature suggests that a discussion about patient death helps students reflect and learn from an academic perspective, from an emotional regulation perspective, and in the development of a professional identity [ 2 , 5 ]. For example, Ratanawongsa et al. [ 5 ] found that learning how other more experienced team members reacted to a patient death enabled medical students to compare their own responses and assess whether they were appropriate. Other literature suggests that, in terms of the development of professional identity, a discussion following patient death has supported students to “engage in the difficult tension between emotion and professionalism” ([ 2 ], p.426). In other words, team interaction enhances students’ reflexivity as an interactive and ‘feed-forward’ orientation process to support the development of mature and professional responses.

To enhance the richness of the literature, our study explores students’ experiences with patient death through the lens of reflection. These experiences include coping strategies, support from faculty following patient death and the relationship between these experiences and learning. Furthermore, we provide recommendations for the systems supporting students following patient death. Our research questions were:

Through reflecting on their experiences with patient death during clinical placements:

How can students be best supported following patient death?

Theoretical perspective

This qualitative study is underpinned by a social constructionist epistemology. Social constructionist epistemology means that knowledge is subjective in nature, and that multiple realities exist based on each individual’s way of knowing, or knowledge construction through his/her interactions with people [ 21 ]. Social constructionism is characterized as an interpretivist paradigm, which is a research paradigm that seeks to understand phenomena through gathering and interpreting people’s experiences [ 21 ]. A particular phenomenon can be experienced differently by different people based on their social-relational contexts; therefore, the interpretations can be varied [ 22 ]. For example, realities, or experiences with patient death in this regard, can be many according to different interactions between students and patients, relatives, ward staff, colleagues, etc.

Methodology: narrative inquiry

Narrative inquiry is a qualitative methodology that looks for an understanding of a particular experience through analyzing personal narratives or stories [ 23 ]. It is also seen as the first and foremost methodology for learning about personal experiences [ 24 ]. Narrative inquiry arguably aligns with an interpretivist research paradigm and with social constructionism, because it deals with an interpretation of life events, both from the narrator and the researcher perspective [ 25 ]. The essence of a narrative account is not about a truthful reproduction of the past world, but about an interpretation and a construction of the narrator’s world that connects his/her past, present, and imagined future [ 26 ].

Method: narrative questionnaire

Narrative data can be generated in many ways: interviews, naturalistic communication, field notes and narrative writing [ 27 ]. A narrative questionnaire is a form of narrative writing that, when carefully designed, can yield rich information full of various aspects of an experience through storytelling (e.g. the setting of the situation, emotion, memory and action) [ 22 ]. In their research study, Rees et al. [ 22 ] utilized a narrative questionnaire to ask medical students about professional dilemmas that they had experienced during their clinical years. Their questionnaire included items around the dilemma the participants had experienced. For example, they asked about a brief essence of the dilemma, the location, the people involved, the actions done and the feelings about the experience. Each question was followed by a free-text box for the participants to write their answers. We used their format to inform the design of our narrative questionnaire.

Questionnaire design

Adapting the questionnaire wording from previous studies concerning difficult experiences in clinical practice [ 7 , 22 ], the questions were centered around the “most memorable” experience following patient death. Prompts were provided with the questions to promote reflection and encourage self-awareness in the narratives [ 28 ]. Because we aimed to understand the experience with patient death through student reflection, our prompts included what the participants had learned from the experience. Participants also completed a few demographic questions to enable characterization of our participant sample. Please see Additional file  1 for the question items in our questionnaire.

Study procedure

After ethical approval was received from the University of Dundee, the study was conducted over the summer of 2016 (June–September 2016).

Sampling and recruitment

We used a convenience sample for this study where subjects were selected because of their convenient accessibility and proximity. Our subjects were 4th and 5th year medical students at the University of Dundee. In order to participate, they needed to have had at least one experience with patient death on their clinical placements. The definition for ‘experience of patient death’ was quite broad. For example, this could have been an experience where students were interacting with a dying patient or had interacted with a patient to find out later that they had passed away. The students were invited to participate through multiple recruitment strategies, including: (1) email; (2) e-notices on virtual learning environments; (3) physical notices on notice-boards; (4) snowballing (existing participants recommend or help recruit future participants) and (5) medical school social networking (e.g. Medblogs). Through the invitation, which provided information about the study, students could follow a link to the online questionnaire. The narrative questionnaire (with the participant information sheet attached) was created and disseminated within the online survey software Bristol Online Survey (BOS). The University of Dundee had a subscription to BOS enabling researchers free access to the easy-to-use platform where researchers can produce, distribute and analyze surveys. Participants were informed that by completing the questionnaire they were consenting to participate, and that confidentiality and anonymity would be maintained in any data reports. They were also provided with supportive resources and the researchers’ contact information on the debriefing page of the questionnaire.

Data analysis

Thematic analysis.

Thematic analysis is a systematic approach to a set of data to identify key issues, patterns or themes and the association among them [ 29 , 30 ]. This analysis allowed researchers to identify, sift and sort key issues in the data according to the research questions, or pre-existing interests [ 29 , 30 ]. Thematic mapping, which is a process in thematic analysis, also supported the visualization of links and associations between themes [ 29 , 30 ]. We used thematic analysis to explore reflections on coping strategies, the support students received, and the association between these issues and learning experience.

Initially, a sample of responses was used to identify themes and subthemes through discussion (TT and AD). Using these themes and subthemes, TT then developed an initial framework. The full team (TT, AD, TW, and SS) then met to discuss the data and the first draft of the coding framework. The framework was further iteratively revised to achieve the final framework, which was used to code the entire data set. After coding, TT explored patterns and connections between themes and subthemes to support the final interpretation of the data.

Narrative analysis

We chose to use Labov’s framework for narrative analysis because it is a widely recognized approach that equally emphasizes both the narrative content and the way the narrative is told [ 26 ]. In Labov’s framework [ 31 ], the narrative is organized into parts, including: (1) Abstract (the indication that there is something to tell); (2) Orientation (the description of time, place and person); (3) Evaluation (the narrator’s indication on why this is worth telling and his/her communication of emotions); (4) Complicating action (a sequence of actions representing the core of the story); (5) Resolution (the final event in the story) and (6) Coda (the indication that the story is finished and the effect of the story on the narrator). By this means, we put a particular focus on steps 3–6 in order to understand students’ reflections on their experiences and what they learned.

Additionally, narrative analysis can be further conducted by identifying emotional words and other dramatic devices such as negatives, intensifiers and repetitions to capture affective elements in the incident the student reflects upon [ 22 ]. Therefore, we applied both narrative analysis approaches informed by Labov [ 31 ] and Rees et al. [ 22 ] on one exemplar to complement the results derived from the thematic analysis.

Participants

Twelve medical students completed the online questionnaire, with narrative responses averaging around 400 words per narrative. Participants’ characteristics are shown in Table  2 .

Themes within students’ narratives about patient death experience

The findings from thematic analysis identified four major themes within students’ experiences of patient death that related to the overarching research questions. These themes included: (1) most memorable experience of patient death; (2) the aftermath of patient death; (3) perceptions of support following patient death and (4) suggestions for support. The findings from these themes will be discussed in the context of each research question.

Coping and learning from experiences with patient death

The deaths described by participants as the most memorable included their first patient death, unexpected deaths, and the expected death of a patient with whom the student had a personal connection. When confronted with the patient death, participants identified their affective responses towards both the patient and the other individuals involved, such as co-workers and family members of the patient. There were a range of affective responses towards patients. Some of these feelings were negative (e.g. sadness, guilt), some were a mix of both positive and negative, while others were ambiguous and could be interpreted as either positive or negative. In relation to the patients’ families, participants often reported feeling empathetic towards the family members. In response to other members of the healthcare team, participants reported trying to identify whether their own feelings were in alignment with their colleagues (see Table  3 ).

Participants also reported what happened after these experiences. Some participants reported being affected by the experience for a period after the event transpired. For example, two participants reported experiencing recurring dreams:

“One of the ways it affected me was he was in my dreams for several days after that” (student no. 5).

Participants also discussed some of the coping strategies they used in response to the experience. These strategies could be categorized as external and internal coping strategies. We defined internal coping strategies as internal processes that students individually engaged in to achieve their own resolution of the experience. On the other hand, we defined external coping strategies as those where students shared the experience externally with others, for example, through an informal or formal discussion.

Participants identified several internal coping strategies. For example, some participants discussed turning to religion, interpreting the death in the light of religion to help resolve their experiences with patient death. One participant said:

“I coped with this by interpreting it in a Christian way (as I remembered it in my youth). In this way all I had experienced took on a theological meaning rather than one of a directly existential and evidential decay with no after life” (student no. 7).

Some students employed a personal process to turn the experience into a lesson learned for personal life. For example, one of our participants perceived the patient death as a reminder to live life to the full:

“Life is indeed a short episode and we should try to live to the full and be thankful to people who supported us” (student no. 1).

The lessons learned were not limited to personal life; participants also reflected on their experience through the lens of their professional role. One participant reflected on the experience after seeing a patient die suddenly on the floor of the ward:

“I do however feel that the situation could have been managed much better as there were several areas that should have been dealt with more effectively. [ … ] In retrospect, although there was clearly human tragedy involved. I believe being exposed to this has made me a better medical student, and I feel fortunate for having been in the "right" place at the right time” (student no. 4).

Other strategies for coping were also identified. For instance, some students shifted their attention from negative emotions after the death by being busy with other tasks:

“I coped by staying busy with other responsibilities. Staying busy made it easier to accept his death” (student no. 7).

Some students reported just enduring the emotion without sharing the experiences with anybody. One participant said,

“I just handled my sadness internally without discussing his death with anyone. [...] I was always quiet about my thoughts and the recurring dreams [about the patient who died]. I actually always enjoyed waking from them and being so aware of having had the experience” (student no. 5).

We also found students employed normalization as an internal coping strategy. This was shown when they recognized that their emotional responses towards patient deaths were normal. Regarding external coping strategies, it is interesting that the majority of participants mentioned speaking to someone at work or in the family about patient death. Of note, many spoke to peers and/or near-peers.

Through the analysis, we found several instances where external and internal coping strategies co-occurred, suggesting a relationship between these themes. In particular, we found that an interaction with colleagues influenced the students’ coping mechanisms following patient death (see Fig.  1 ) in relation to normalization and reinterpretation of the death experience as a lesson learned.

Themes related to students’ coping strategies for patient death experiences

When participants spoke with someone, they often reported that this helped normalize their feelings about the experience. One participant wrote in relation to speaking to a colleague:

“[It] probably made it [a] more positive experience as [I] recognized [I] wasn't alone in my feelings and that this was [a] normal response to the scenario” (student no. 9).

In addition to normalization, we found that speaking to someone on the ward promoted the re-interpretation of negative emotions into learning opportunities. This can be seen in the reflection of a student who was upset about an advanced-stage cancer patient and so left the ward when a consultant came to break the bad news to the patient. A junior doctor then spoke with them about their behavior, suggesting that in future they should not avoid the experience because there was a lot they could learn:

“He asked me why I [had] vanished while the consultant [ … ] came. He suggested vanishing wouldn’t help me with anything, and “don’t be chicken when it comes to ward rounds”. I felt his comment was [very] strong, not in terms of humiliation, but in terms of pointing out [a fact] about myself. If I hadn’t vanished during the ward round, I would have seen how the bad news was brought to light. I did miss an experience I shouldn’t have missed [...] The foundation doctor I spoke to was a great role model” (student no. 2).

The student no. 2 suggested that the foundation doctor knew it was unpleasant to witness the patient being told bad news. However, he suggested that the student embrace their negative emotions and be present during the ward round, which the student found helpful advice. Furthermore, the student’s comments highlight the interplay of both personal and professional aspects of patient death experiences that students must learn to negotiate. In the comment below, we see how support from colleagues helped students negotiate the personal and professional aspects of patient death:

“I coped by talking to a ward sister who seemed to know how I felt. We didn't spend too long chatting because we knew we had to move on [with doing our jobs]. It helped me separate the personal feelings from my work. I believe everybody is affected by patient death in some way, but [that] one of our patients died doesn't necessarily mean we can't save the others” (student no. 3).

Impact of support from ward staff and medical school on coping and learning

There were two themes for students’ perceptions of support following patient death: (1) Support received from ward staff and (2) Support received from the medical school. The former focused on participants’ responses towards support they received from people with whom they worked on the ward, which included consultants, registrars, foundation doctors, colleagues, nurses and other medical staff. The latter concerned the responses towards support from academic staff who were not involved in the ward setting where the experience took place.

In terms of ward staff, there was a range in students’ perception of how supportive the ward staff were; some people felt that it was satisfactory, while others did not. In instances where the support was satisfactory, personal emotional support from peers and near-peers was a common feature. For instance, one participant wrote:

“The 5th year student and the FY1 [foundation doctor Year 1] were very sympathetic and gave me time to discuss the event” (student no. 7).

We found that the student no. 7’s comments about satisfactory support were not limited to fostered emotional support. Their discussion with ward staff was also associated with academic lessons that they could take forward in their professional life. The same student continued:

“ … my colleagues were, I think, both baffled by and sympathetic to my reactions to the death, while coping with it themselves. We supported each other by discussing the event in practical ways without blaming anybody”.

Here we can see the interplay between what we illustrated earlier – that external coping measures (i.e. speaking to someone) supported the internal coping process both in terms of personal feelings and professional roles.

Alternatively, one participant narrated a story about a patient death where they did not feel supported:

“Everyone in medicine is so hardened by deaths and it came like nature to them, but not me who had that first experience” (student no. 6).

Often, experiences where students did not feel supported were situations where personal emotional support was not provided. An interesting point that can be drawn here is the link between early personal emotional experience (i.e. first time) with patient death and the appreciation for support from those who were sensitive to students’ emotions. One participant’s experience took this idea further, highlighting the importance of holistic support. They wrote:

“ … not much [support]. The conversations focused primarily on the Lessons Learned, and what should have been done better, which is an area I feel very strongly about getting right. The personal/moral/existential aspects were not really discussed” (student no. 4).

In relation to support received from the medical school, participants also identified points of satisfactory and unsatisfactory support. Participants often talked about the support they received in preparing for their work on the wards. For instance, one participant wrote:

“They did their best in preparing me for managing the EOL [end of life] issues. But that's the farthest they could go, I think; the rest of the lessons we have to learn from hands on experience” (student no. 2).

Although the student no. 2 appreciated the support from medical school, their view towards it was limited only to the preparation course they received in preclinical years. Related to this point, participants also referred to the idea that they felt that medical school support was not relevant in these specific instances of experiencing patient death. One participant wrote:

“ … at the moment of losing a patient, I thought the school was [too far away] to reach for support. They might be supportive, but I'd rather talk to the people I am working with” (student no. 8).

Suggestions for support

Participants talked about two key suggestions for support. The first was around timing. Students discussed the importance of support in the preparation for patient death experiences, including both practical and emotional aspects. For example, one participant criticized the skills preparation:

“I don't think death and the accompanying tasks that need to be performed by medical staff are well covered/taught by the medical school. I think we should have a clinical skills session at some point taking us through confirming and certifying death - the practical and emotional aspects” (student no. 10).

Second, the characteristics of good support were highlighted; these are summarized in Table  4 . These themes concerned structure, activity, sensitivity, and embracing support. In other words, the support following patient death should be structured, formal and organized; it should be more active, as some students might not seek support themselves; it should be sensitive, since over a period of time experiencing a number of patient deaths, a healthcare professional may become hardened and sensitivity to medical students’ early experiences might be lost; and support from peers and near-peers can be helpful and should be embraced.

Further findings from narrative analysis

We highlight the exemplar narrative written by the student no. 10 (See Table  5 ) for analysis, as it not only illustrates the types of experiences that students reported, but also provides insight into the interplay between reflection and learning through these experiences.

The narrator begins their reflection on the patient death incident with an orientation of time, place and person ( last week of 5th year, on the ward, a patient who had suddenly died , line1–2). The following five sentences concern the death confirmation process without realizing that the nurse in the room was a patient’s relative. These sentences arguably represent Labov’s [ 31 ] evaluation phase as the participant expressed their evaluation of the incident through using emotion words (i.e. mortified and terrible , line 8).

The narrative proceeds to the complicating action phase [ 31 ] in which the narrator performed death certification with a foundation doctor. A repetition, which is a kind of subtle emotional device [ 22 ], is found here when they repeated mentioning about the presence of patient’s relative and how they saw the situation ( upset , line 10). Through the lens of reflection, we interpreted that these negative feelings were the first stage of the student’s reflection in which they identified discomfort in the situation.

However, when the narrative moves to the resolution and coda parts, indicating the ending of the story [ 30 ], the emotion words shift from negative to positive ones. This transition point aligns with the point within the story where the student reflects on what they have learned; they discuss what the situation has ‘ taught ’ them (line 11). From the narrator’s current point of view (explicitly signaled by the repetition of ‘ I feel ’, lines 11 and 12), this situation is good in terms of the preparation for the foundation doctor level. Adjectives and adverbs such as positive (line 11), beneficial (lines 12 and 16) and better (line 12) were used to indicate their feeling. The intensifier very was used repeatedly before beneficial (lines 12 and 15), demonstrating how they positively think about the situation overall, arguably because of what they have learned.

Reflecting on what happened, we also see how the participant felt about the practical and emotional preparation for certifying death in clinical year practice. The narrator employs the use of negation by explicitly saying, ‘ I don’t think death and the accompanying tasks that need to be performed by medical staff are well covered/taught by the medical school ’ (lines 17–18). A counterfactual thinking in the form of negation can be identified here, reflecting disappointment at an event that they think should have happened but did not [ 32 ]. Within the framework of reflection stages, we interpret that there are two new perspectives emerging from their analysis of the event: the lessons they have learned from the death certification process, and the opportunity for the medical school to improve their preparation course regarding this aspect.

By exploring narratives of medical students about their experiences with patient death, this study identified many issues related to the research questions.

Coping strategies for patient death

Through thematic analysis, we observed that many coping strategies that students employed resembled the results of previous studies. Each of the strategies will now be discussed to show how the findings reflect or extend the results of existing articles.

Turning to religion

Turning to religion was identified as a common coping strategy for medical students [ 3 , 5 , 7 ], physicians [ 33 ] and nurses [ 34 ] after a patient had died. Although there are not many articles clearly explaining how religion helps with medical student coping mechanisms following patient death, Rudisill et al. [ 35 ] found a relationship between medical students’ strong religious beliefs about life after death and lower death anxiety. This could be due to the interpretation of death based on the students’ religious background; for example, some students might feel that the dying patient was being protected by a higher power, and then interpret the death in a positive way [ 36 ].

Staying busy

Coping by staying busy with other responsibilities might be seen to agree with the results of previous studies [ 3 , 7 , 19 ], showing that keeping on with clinical tasks was a way to cope with patient death. However, there might be a minor difference in this current study. Pessagno et al. [ 3 ] found that carrying on with physicians’ tasks was linked to the identification of professional attributes; that is, the students in their study kept themselves busy because they saw that “continuing to help others is an essential part of medicine regardless of how many patient deaths physicians and medical students experience” ([ 3 ], p. 54). Some students in our study described staying busy as a coping strategy, without the professional attributes necessarily being identified. On the one hand, staying busy was a way to shift awareness away from sadness they were experiencing. On the other hand, staying busy could be an action following the development of professional attributes.

Enduring negative emotions

This study has revealed that some students processed their negative emotions internally. This method of coping has not been mentioned much in previous studies except that of Firth-Cozens et al. [ 19 ]. In their study, 2.3% of medical students chose to let the feeling fade away through time without necessarily seeking support [ 19 ]. They also found that this coping strategy was associated with a high Fear of Death (FOD) score, which is a psychometric tool measuring the level of death anxiety [ 19 ]. Interestingly, a participant in the current study who used this strategy reported that they experienced dreams about the deceased patient that kept returning for some time. These recurrent dreams about patients who died may be interpreted as intrusive thoughts or memories that can occur to healthcare providers who are powerfully affected by the death [ 37 , 38 ]. To our knowledge, our study is the first to report intrusive memories in medical students after patient death. From our findings, we also propose that there might be some connections between these features (enduring negative emotions, death anxiety and intrusive thoughts), and that these connections leave an area for further research.

Personal re-interpretation of the experience into a lesson learned for personal life and professional role

Seeing the death in a positive light by considering life value has not generally been mentioned in the existing literature studying medical students’ coping strategies. Kelly et al. [ 2 ] briefly mentioned that the death of a young patient led to students contemplating their life values. Our study supports their finding by demonstrating how life values were contemplated, in terms of living life to the full and being thankful to people for their support.

Another personal re-interpretation of patient death experience was found in terms of professional role. Here, students have shown how experiences were turned into lessons learned for their professional role in future approaches to dying patients and patient death. This feature was found in the student no. 4’s comment in the thematic analysis (lessons about CPR cart and the presence of other patients around the death of a patient) and the student no. 10’s comment in narrative analysis (lessons about death certification process and its preparation). This shows that students themselves have the potential to interpret the EOL practice in a positive and meaningful way, aligning with the findings of MacLeod et al. [ 39 ].

It can be simply proposed that the lessons students have learned through the re-interpretation of experiences display the final stage of reflection we discussed earlier, which is the development of new perspectives. However, we found an interesting aspect from the comments of the student no. 4 (see section Coping and learning from experiences with patient death ) and the student no. 10 (see Table 5 ). In both comments, the affective elements shifted from negative to positive at the end, resulting in valuable lessons for their professional role. In particular, through narrative analysis of the student no 10’s reflections, we can see how learning provides a bridge between the negative and positive emotions that medical students experience. This quality of transforming a negative emotion into a productive consequence is not only learning but, we argue, emotional agility [ 40 ]. David et al. [ 40 ] propose that emotional agility is the quality by which people approach negative emotions in a mindful, productive and value-driven way. Through reflection there is an opportunity for individuals not only to learn, but to cope through learning. More importantly, there is also an opportunity to learn to cope through developing skills such as emotional agility and mindfulness.

Normalization

This study showed that strong feelings towards the death of a patient could be recognized as normal responses, resulting in coping mechanisms. To our knowledge, none of the existing articles have reported normalization as a coping strategy after medical students’ experiences with patient death. However, some studies suggested that nurses [ 41 ] and ambulance service workers [ 37 ] broadly employed this strategy. In medical sociology, normalization is the process in which a new social member (such as a medical student) learns the ways of thinking and internalizes the professional values and behaviors through participating in a community of practice [ 42 ]. Although this definition implies normalization as an internal process, our data suggest that interaction with other people influences normalization (see Fig. 1 ). Rhodes-Kropf et al. [ 7 ] also advocated that senior staff members could enhance this process by routinely asking medical students about their feelings following the death of a patient and helping them to realize that clinical practices involve strong emotions.

Speaking to someone and re-interpretation of the experience into a lesson learned for professional role

Speaking to someone was shown to be a common method of coping after patient death, aligning with the findings of Rhodes-Kropf et al. [ 7 ] and Jones et al. [ 8 ]. Our results also correspond with existing research in that speaking to someone about patient death provided not only emotional comfort and academic benefit (2, 5, 8], but also the development of professional attributes [ 5 ]. However, this study extends existing literature as it illustrates the interplay between personal and group reflection supporting learning about professional roles. Team interaction, especially between students and experienced professionals, was shown to help the students recognize that there were both personal and professional aspects to learn and balance in relation to patient death experiences.

Another feature of this investigation that aligns with previous studies is that participants most often spoke to peers and near-peers about the death. This could be due to the fact that peer support occurs in an informal environment in which people of similar context and intellectual status are interacting [ 43 ]. However, other literature has found that peers, near-peers or senior peers are often considered trusted sources of practical advice and guidance for medical students [ 44 ].

Our study has identified timing as being a key characteristic of good support. It was clear that students felt support was needed both before and after an experience with patient death. Beforehand, students felt that medical schools ought to prepare them for these experiences. They highlighted that the preparation process should include both the practical (e.g. death confirmation and certification) and emotional aspects around death. This aligns with work from Jones et al. [ 8 ], who also identified the importance of addressing both practical and emotional aspects of patient death.

After experiencing a patient death, students valued informal opportunities to debrief with more experienced colleagues, which aligns with other literature [ 8 ]. Importantly, our study highlighted the importance of the opportunity for students to reflect on not only the professional but also the personal and emotional aspects of patient death experiences. We also identified that the students needed structured or formalized support following the death of a patient. This reflects work by Kelly et al. [ 2 ], which suggests that formalized discussions after patient death could enhance opportunities for students to talk and share their experiences. Other literature has suggested that regular group sessions where trained faculty is included may be helpful [ 45 ] and can also be done in the form of non-written reflection e.g. Schwartz rounds [ 46 ].

In addition to considering the timing of support, being empathetic to the student experience was identified as important. Empathy, defined by Rogers in 1961 [cited in [ 47 ]], is the capacity to be sensitive to what others are feeling and to be able to communicate sensitively with them. As discussed in other work, the reaction of the medical staff, who may have seen patient death many times, could be very different from that of inexperienced medical students [ 9 ]. As reflected in both our study and Rhodes-Kropf et al.’s [ 7 ] findings (see Table 2 ), students sometimes felt the healthcare team had become so hardened by death that they lacked the sensitivity to acknowledge it with students. As mentioned above, normalization is an important part of coping for these medical students, and staff being empathetic to students’ experiences may be helpful in this process. Some of these findings might also explain why students highlight speaking to peers and near-peers as being particularly valuable. Near-peers may be able to understand and empathize better with the challenges and difficulties medical students are facing; therefore, they are more able to support and give appropriate suggestions [ 48 , 49 ].

The last characteristic of good support is for medical educators to take an active role. A student might not initiate a conversation, even though he or she needs to be supported. This finding aligns with the results of Pessagno et al. [ 3 ] and Smith-Hans et al. [ 9 ], showing that students appreciated the support actively initiated by faculty members. In general, regular active support from faculty has been shown to be beneficial, because many students are unlikely to seek help from faculty even if they are having difficulties [ 50 ].

Strengths and key limitations of this research

This study has several strengths. First, it was carefully designed to have an alignment between epistemology, methodology and method to show internal coherence, which is an important quality of rigorous qualitative research [ 51 ]. Second, we employed group approaches in the data analysis process. The reliability of data analysis [ 52 ] and interpretative rigor were therefore enhanced by researcher triangulation [ 53 ]. Third, multiple analytical methods, including thematic framework analysis and narrative analysis, were used. This denotes the adoption of data analysis triangulation, which helps promote a deeper and holistic understanding of an interested phenomenon and enhance the validity of qualitative research [ 54 ]. Finally, through an interpretivist research paradigm, there is a recognition that there are multiple interpretations of our social world and no single way of knowing [ 21 ]. Therefore, the researcher’s background and position could have impacted the research and a number of approaches were taken to enhance reflexivity to address this. In addition, every comment from the supervisor and research team was kept in the main researcher’s reflexive journal throughout the study process.

Nevertheless, our study contains limitations. Twelve participants is a small sample size and our method of sampling could have missed some key people, such as extreme cases or outliers [ 55 ]. However, being qualitative research, this study aimed to explore deeply the medical students’ experiences around their most memorable patient death. Malterud et al. [ 56 ] suggest that qualitative researchers should consider information power in relation to sample size. We would argue that the factors which contribute to information power are favorable. Not only were our data able to address our research questions, which were narrow in focus, but the content was rich. Responses from our specific group of participants were narratives about experiences with patient death, averaging 400 words, demonstrating that the responses we received were not just short comments. Although word counts do not directly reflect data richness, there is an association between longer word counts and other dimensions of data richness (e.g. personal responses and responses with specific knowledge [ 57 , 58 ]). It can be argued that our narratives were filled with personal reflections on patient death and with specific medical knowledge included (such as the readiness of the cardiopulmonary resuscitation cart and the death certification process). Therefore, the richness of data that answers the research questions and our rigorous analytical methods are a prime requirement, rather than statistical representativeness or meeting the controversial criteria of saturation [ 56 , 59 ].

Being a study conducted at a single institution, caution must be taken in making widespread generalizations. Qualitative research in itself is not concerned with generalizability [ 60 ], but transferability is important. Transferability is the extent to which research findings are relevant, useful or able to inform other similar settings or contexts [ 53 ]. To enhance transferability, comparisons between our results and those of the existing literature were thoroughly considered [ 61 ], and we found many relevant points that added to existing knowledge. Also, the study’s details, such as settings, theoretical perspective, methodology, sampling and analyses, were provided in order for readers to judge themselves whether this study can be applied to their contexts [ 61 ]. We hope that the potential transferability of this study could contribute to a wider range of healthcare education practices relevant to multiple learner groups (e.g. medical students, nursing students) especially in the area of student support regarding patient deaths.

Another limitation is that we did not explicitly ask participants about past experiences with death and dying prior to the clinical year training. Existing literature suggests that previous close personal bereavement, like the death of a close friend or a family member, could both positively or negatively affect how medical students approach patient death [ 62 ], depending on how well the bereavement is processed. Furthermore, cadaveric dissection in preclinical years can affect how students cope and learn from their feelings around death [ 3 , 7 ]. Although our questionnaire was open ended in nature, none of our participants connected their clinical patient death experiences with personal experiences such as a death in the family or with previous experiences in anatomy dissection. Future research could explore this area more explicitly.

Recommendations for future research

As well as anatomy dissection, there are three key areas worth highlighting for further research. First, some participants endured emotional pain after patient death and reported intrusive memories that came in the form of recurrent dreams. Firth-Cozens et al. [ 19 ] found an association between enduring negative emotions and death anxiety, and we found a potential link between enduring negative emotions and intrusive memories. Further exploring this relationship may be an area for future research. Second, we identified links to mindfulness and emotional agility with the coping experience of medical students. Many articles refer to the use of mindfulness in medical education in terms of stress and distress management [ 63 , 64 ]. However, none of them specifically studied how mindfulness and practices for coping with patient death could be taught as a part of emotional agility.

Third, our study has not resolved the extent to which ward staff and the medical school are ready to be supportive after patient death. We have studied medical student perspectives in this regard and found that they appreciated support from peers and near-peers, including foundation doctors. However, data from the perspectives of others concerning their supportive roles have not yet been collected. Data from them could add richness to – and address gaps in – the existing literature, such as that called for by Wear [ 65 ].

Our research provides insights into medical students’ most memorable experiences with patient death in clinical placements. This included the first death, unexpected death and expected death of a patient with whom the student had a connection. We found that students employed many internal and external coping strategies. Within those coping strategies, student reflections were shown to be important for the development of lessons learned from patient death. Through their reflections, some students were able to balance these two sides and learned to act upon the incident maturely. Others showed they could come up with valuable lessons on their own, despite having negative feelings at the beginning, demonstrating emotional agility. Importantly, our results also showed that support from ward staff often enhanced reflections by helping students recognize both personal/emotional and professional aspects of the experience. Yet, participants also gave voice to how they could be better supported as reflective learners in a reflective learning environment.

We hope that these finding will highlight the importance of reflection for medical students to learn and grow from experience. We suggest that undergraduate medical teachers consider promoting a reflective and supportive environment around patient death experiences with the ultimate aim of equipping medical students with helpful coping strategies as they develop as professionals in their own right.

Availability of data and materials

As data sharing was not stipulated in the approved ethics committee application, data for this paper will not be shared. We did not have consent from the participants to do so.

Abbreviations

Bristol Online Survey

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

End of life

Foundation year doctor

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Initially, TT and AD used a sample of responses to identify themes and subthemes through discussion. Using these themes and subthemes, TT then developed an initial framework. The full team (TT, AD, TW, and SS) then met to discuss the data and the first draft of the coding framework. The framework was further iteratively revised to achieve the final framework, which was used to code the entire data set. After coding, TT explored patterns and connections between themes and subthemes to support the final interpretation of the data. TT wrote the first draft of the manuscript, which was critically reviewed and revised by all authors. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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The research team came from diverse academic backgrounds (Medicine-Anesthesia, PhD in mental health/cognitive psychology, forensic medicine, and anatomy). The team also has a wide range of experience across the medical education continuum. Within our data analysis, we considered how our backgrounds and expertise might influence our interpretation.

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Trivate, T., Dennis, A.A., Sholl, S. et al. Learning and coping through reflection: exploring patient death experiences of medical students. BMC Med Educ 19 , 451 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-019-1871-9

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Essays About Death: Top 5 Examples and 9 Essay Prompts

Death includes mixed emotions and endless possibilities. If you are writing essays about death, see our examples and prompts in this article.

Over 50 million people die yearly from different causes worldwide. It’s a fact we must face when the time comes. Although the subject has plenty of dire connotations, many are still fascinated by death, enough so that literary pieces about it never cease. Every author has a reason why they want to talk about death. Most use it to put their grievances on paper to help them heal from losing a loved one. Some find writing and reading about death moving, transformative, or cathartic.

To help you write a compelling essay about death, we prepared five examples to spark your imagination:

1. Essay on Death Penalty by Aliva Manjari

2. coping with death essay by writer cameron, 3. long essay on death by prasanna, 4. because i could not stop for death argumentative essay by writer annie, 5. an unforgettable experience in my life by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 1. life after death, 2. death rituals and ceremonies, 3. smoking: just for fun or a shortcut to the grave, 4. the end is near, 5. how do people grieve, 6. mental disorders and death, 7. are you afraid of death, 8. death and incurable diseases, 9. if i can pick how i die.

“The death penalty is no doubt unconstitutional if imposed arbitrarily, capriciously, unreasonably, discriminatorily, freakishly or wantonly, but if it is administered rationally, objectively and judiciously, it will enhance people’s confidence in criminal justice system.”

Manjari’s essay considers the death penalty as against the modern process of treating lawbreakers, where offenders have the chance to reform or defend themselves. Although the author is against the death penalty, she explains it’s not the right time to abolish it. Doing so will jeopardize social security. The essay also incorporates other relevant information, such as the countries that still have the death penalty and how they are gradually revising and looking for alternatives.

You might also be interested in our list of the best war books .

“How a person copes with grief is affected by the person’s cultural and religious background, coping skills, mental history, support systems, and the person’s social and financial status.”

Cameron defines coping and grief through sharing his personal experience. He remembers how their family and close friends went through various stages of coping when his Aunt Ann died during heart surgery. Later in his story, he mentions Ann’s last note, which she wrote before her surgery, in case something terrible happens. This note brought their family together again through shared tears and laughter. You can also check out these articles about cancer .

“Luckily or tragically, we are completely sentenced to death. But there is an interesting thing; we don’t have the knowledge of how the inevitable will strike to have a conversation.”

Prasanna states the obvious – all people die, but no one knows when. She also discusses the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Research also shows that when people die, the brain either shows a flashback of life or sees a ray of light.

Even if someone can predict the day of their death, it won’t change how the people who love them will react. Some will cry or be numb, but in the end, everyone will have to accept the inevitable. The essay ends with the philosophical belief that the soul never dies and is reborn in a new identity and body. You can also check out these elegy examples .

“People have busy lives, and don’t think of their own death, however, the speaker admits that she was willing to put aside her distractions and go with death. She seemed to find it pretty charming.”

The author focuses on how Emily Dickinson ’s “ Because I Could Not Stop for Death ” describes death. In the poem, the author portrays death as a gentle, handsome, and neat man who picks up a woman with a carriage to take her to the grave. The essay expounds on how Dickinson uses personification and imagery to illustrate death.

“The death of a loved one is one of the hardest things an individual can bring themselves to talk about; however, I will never forget that day in the chapter of my life, as while one story continued another’s ended.”

The essay delve’s into the author’s recollection of their grandmother’s passing. They recount the things engrained in their mind from that day –  their sister’s loud cries, the pounding and sinking of their heart, and the first time they saw their father cry. 

Looking for more? Check out these essays about losing a loved one .

9 Easy Writing Prompts on Essays About Death

Are you still struggling to choose a topic for your essay? Here are prompts you can use for your paper:

Your imagination is the limit when you pick this prompt for your essay. Because no one can confirm what happens to people after death, you can create an essay describing what kind of world exists after death. For instance, you can imagine yourself as a ghost that lingers on the Earth for a bit. Then, you can go to whichever place you desire and visit anyone you wish to say proper goodbyes to first before crossing to the afterlife.

Every country, religion, and culture has ways of honoring the dead. Choose a tribe, religion, or place, and discuss their death rituals and traditions regarding wakes and funerals. Include the reasons behind these activities. Conclude your essay with an opinion on these rituals and ceremonies but don’t forget to be respectful of everyone’s beliefs. 

Smoking is still one of the most prevalent bad habits since tobacco’s creation in 1531 . Discuss your thoughts on individuals who believe there’s nothing wrong with this habit and inadvertently pass secondhand smoke to others. Include how to avoid chain-smokers and if we should let people kill themselves through excessive smoking. Add statistics and research to support your claims.

Collate people’s comments when they find out their death is near. Do this through interviews, and let your respondents list down what they’ll do first after hearing the simulated news. Then, add their reactions to your essay.

There is no proper way of grieving. People grieve in their way. Briefly discuss death and grieving at the start of your essay. Then, narrate a personal experience you’ve had with grieving to make your essay more relatable. Or you can compare how different people grieve. To give you an idea, you can mention that your father’s way of grieving is drowning himself in work while your mom openly cries and talk about her memories of the loved one who just passed away. 

Explain how people suffering from mental illnesses view death. Then, measure it against how ordinary people see the end. Include research showing death rates caused by mental illnesses to prove your point. To make organizing information about the topic more manageable, you can also focus on one mental illness and relate it to death.

Check out our guide on  how to write essays about depression .

Sometimes, seriously ill people say they are no longer afraid of death. For others, losing a loved one is even more terrifying than death itself. Share what you think of death and include factors that affected your perception of it.

People with incurable diseases are often ready to face death. For this prompt, write about individuals who faced their terminal illnesses head-on and didn’t let it define how they lived their lives. You can also review literary pieces that show these brave souls’ struggle and triumph. A great series to watch is “ My Last Days .”

You might also be interested in these epitaph examples .

No one knows how they’ll leave this world, but if you have the chance to choose how you part with your loved ones, what will it be? Probe into this imagined situation. For example, you can write: “I want to die at an old age, surrounded by family and friends who love me. I hope it’ll be a peaceful death after I’ve done everything I wanted in life.”

To make your essay more intriguing, put unexpected events in it. Check out these plot twist ideas .

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Aggression or Caution: The Choice Facing Iran’s Next Leaders

The question is whether the successors to the president and foreign minister will take a similar path by keeping slivers of communication open, and avoiding direct conflict with the United States.

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By David E. Sanger

David E. Sanger has covered Iran’s nuclear program, and its challenge to the West, for nearly 30 years.

In their three years in power, President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran and his equally hard-line foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, did everything they could to consolidate the “Axis of Resistance” against the United States and Israel.

They funded Hamas and Hezbollah. They armed the Houthis, feeding the militia intelligence that fueled attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea. They cracked down on dissent at home, launched Iran’s first direct missile attacks on Israel, after Israel killed several Iranian generals, and turned Iran into a “threshold” nuclear state that could produce fuel for three or four bombs in short order.

But for all those aggressive moves, the two men, both killed in a helicopter crash in the mountains near Azerbaijan on Sunday, were also careful.

Last week, days before their deaths, they approved talks with the United States through intermediaries aimed at making sure the war in Gaza was not the prelude to a wider war in the Middle East. And they stopped just short of making those bombs, at least as far as American intelligence agencies and international inspectors can determine.

The question now is whether their successors — almost certain to be from the same hard-line camp, American officials suspect — will show similar caution. And whether, in the cauldron of internal Iranian power plays, and an all-consuming presidential election in the United States, it will even be possible to keep up the sliver of communications between Washington and Tehran.

“The thing about Raisi was that he was the supreme leader’s man,” said Dennis Ross, the longtime Mideast negotiator, referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the 85-year-old head of state who has led the country since 1989. “He allows engagement, but no compromise. His team will inflict damage, but keep it within bounds. They don’t want a direct conflict with the U.S., which is the one thing that could threaten the regime. And I don’t expect that to change.”

American officials say it is far too early to predict Mr. Raisi’s successor but that he is likely to be cast in the same mold.

As one American official noted recently, in the eyes of the supreme leader, that approach may appear to be working: Iran has forged a new relationship with Russia as a critical supplier of drones and missiles, and its attack on Israel demonstrated a new ability to “swarm” weapons — even if most of Iran’s drones and missiles were taken out by air defenses.

Short as it was, the Raisi era turned “resistance” into the semblance of a strategy.

A decade ago, it was possible to imagine a very different future for the United States and Iran. Mr. Raisi’s predecessor, Hassan Rouhani, and his urbane, Western-educated foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, seemed determined to dial back the decades of hostility, and sanctions, that had crippled Iran’s economy. They talked about personal freedom and women’s rights, courted European leaders even while the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps kept funding terrorism.

Mr. Zarif engaged directly with the secretary of state at the time, John Kerry, even triggering an uproar among Iranian conservatives when the two men were seen strolling together, deep in conversation, in Vienna.

In a series of often volcanic negotiations, Mr. Zarif and Mr. Kerry emerged with an agreement that essentially swapped Iran’s stockpile of nuclear fuel for sanctions relief. And while the country refused to give up its right to enrich uranium, it negotiated a complex series of limits on its activity that stretched to 2030. After that, Iran was free to produce as much nuclear fuel as it wanted — though it would still be prohibited, as a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, from building atomic weapons.

The deal, of course, quickly came under attack in the United States, especially in a Republican Congress, because it only delayed Iran’s nuclear progress — it did not terminate its ability to cheat on the treaty. But it also proved enormously unpopular in Iran, especially after it turned out that the promised sanctions relief did not come as quickly, or fully, as promised. Big European banks and other financial institutions did not want to take the enormous financial risk of re-entering business agreements that could later run afoul of new sanctions, especially if relations with the West soured again.

That is exactly what happened. President Donald J. Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018, and eventually so did the Iranians. Mr. Rouhani’s reformists were frozen out of the supreme leader’s inner circle and, when Mr. Rouhani’s term ended, they were replaced by a new government that was openly dismissive of the nuclear agreement with the United States and the reformist agenda at home. Crackdowns on dissent followed.

When Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken proposed a new nuclear arrangement, “longer and stronger” than the 2015 agreement, Mr. Amir Abdollahian shot the idea down. “We will not have a so-called ‘longer and stronger’ deal,” he told The New York Times in an interview in New York in 2021, where he was attending a United Nations meeting.

“We will return to the negotiations and will do so very quickly,” he said. “But if our counterparts don’t change their behavior we may not reach the required result.” He was critical of the new American president, Joe Biden, for his “paradoxical statements” about relations with Iran and highly skeptical any middle ground could be found.

Indeed, a new nuclear deal that seemed all but sealed in 2022 was killed in Tehran. Later, inspectors’ access to nuclear sites was limited, and Iranian authorities dismantled cameras and other monitoring devices. Only last week, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency was in Tehran, meeting with Mr. Amir Abdollahian about trying to win greater access to nuclear sites. He emerged without an agreement.

And, in the months before his death on Sunday, Mr. Amir Abdollahian expressed little interest in calming tensions over the war in Gaza. “If the U.S. continues its military, political and financial support of Israel and helps manage Israel’s military attacks on Palestinian civilians, then it must face its consequences.”

Mr. Amir Abdollahian’s deputy for political affairs, Ali Bagheri Kani, has been named “caretaker” of the Foreign Ministry. He is well known to American officials, and he led the Iranian delegations that have secretly and indirectly negotiated with the United States in Oman on at least three occasions over the past year.

His appointment suggests that the supreme leader is interested in continuity. But as one U.S. official noted on Monday, Washington’s analysis over the past few years was focused on what would happen after the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, who is rumored to be ill. No one foresaw that, at age 85, he would be picking a new president.

David E. Sanger covers the Biden administration and national security. He has been a Times journalist for more than four decades and has written several books on challenges to American national security. More about David E. Sanger

California brown pelicans are starving to death—despite plenty to eat

Though the species has bounced back from the endangered list, they’re facing the second starvation event in two years.

For the second time in two years, large numbers of brown pelicans are showing up sick and injured along California’s coastline, and scientists are racing to find out why.  

As of this week, hundreds of these birds have died. Current evidence points to starvation as the cause, despite there being plenty of food (typically surface dwelling fish like herring or anchovies) for them to eat. Though the species are also found on the east coast of the U.S., the Atlantic birds aren’t suffering a similar trend.

“We don't know why, but [the west coast pelicans] are not finding the food that they need,” says Jeni Smith, the zoological curator of animal rescue programs at SeaWorld San Diego . “And if that's the case, then they are looking for it elsewhere, and that might explain why they are inland or in unusual locations.”

In late April, wildlife rehabilitation centers began to receive reports of pelicans being spotted in abnormal locations such as people’s backyards and parking lots, with many displaying puzzling behavior and appearing sluggish, unresponsive, or severely emaciated.  

After these animals are picked up, wildlife experts are essentially stuck working triage. “They're dehydrated, they're lethargic, they're cold, they may have an injury,” says Smith. “We do as much as we possibly can, and sometimes they just come in and it's just too late.”

Sickened brown pelicans have been a mix of juveniles and those older and fully grown—with big bills, broad wings and bodies that make plunge-diving for supper look easy. They’re known for swooping down from heights of more than 60 feet to catch their prey and can live up to 40 years.

For Hungry Minds

Experts are investigating what other factors may be behind the reason the brown pelicans, which have bounced back from the federal endangered list , are once again washing up dead.  

Why are brown pelicans getting sick?

During a similar starvation event in 2022 , nearly eight hundred brown pelicans were admitted to wildlife rehab centers, with 394 eventually returned to the wild, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service . Unfortunately, animal necropsies done on deceased pelicans failed to reveal any answers behind the reason for that event, Smith says.  

So far this year, 116 pelicans have been taken in by the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network (SBWCN), a number that is still dwarfed by the 270 reported a few years ago.  

“This won't be the last time that we get an influx of a particular species related to something that's going on in their environment,” says Ariana Katovich , the executive director of the SBWCN. “So for us, it's really about learning the lessons from each event and implementing them.”

The cause of this year’s crisis also remains largely unknown, but some interesting speculations are flying about. One theory is that the weather may be to blame, as powerful winds or low visibility could be preventing the pelicans from diving well enough to catch their meals. This may also better explain the influx of pelicans coming in with injuries caused by fishing gear, as hungry birds often get caught by fish hooks or ensnared in fishing lines.  

At one point, the birds were even checked for the avian flu that has newly infected   so many mammals this year, says Rebecca Duerr, director of research and veterinary science at International Bird Rescue . Luckily, none of the sickened pelicans tested positive for it.  

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Ripple effects.

The death of so many pelicans also doesn’t seem to be causing splashes for other kinds of marine life, at least not any that experts can see at the moment.  

What may be more challenging to discern is how much human-induced environmental change should be held responsible for, if not directly leading to, these animals’ continued struggles.

In the case of a species that has historically been a conservation success story , the brown pelican population is starving as it was two years ago, and that’s the only thing experts know for sure, according to Laird Henkel, a senior environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“We don’t have any indication that it’s directly human-caused,” says Henkel. “It’s not a human action of any kind that we’re aware of.”  

What to do if you see a sick brown pelican

Those involved in brown pelican recovery efforts note that while you should keep their distance from them, humans can be of assistance by swiftly reporting an animal sighting to a local rescue center in the area and keeping an eye on it until help can arrive.  

Such an urgent response, says Katovich, can often mean the difference between life and death for a pelican that needs life-saving care.  

“Obviously the sooner we can get it, the better,” she says. “The first 24 to 48 hours that animal is in care with us is the most critical time.”  

Normally skittish and docile animals, treatment for the affected pelicans may involve assessing their body temperature and warming them as quickly as possible, offering them lots of nutrition and fluids to fend off dehydration, or stitching up wounds and giving them relevant medication.

Once recovered, rehabilitated pelicans are released back into the wild . For those who want to help monitor their efforts and the survival of the saved birds, International Bird Rescue has made available an online form to help sight and report banded pelicans.  

“We have had excellent survival of animals previously treated during events like this,” says Duerr. “So we know that treating the animals is not a pointless exercise.”  

Related Topics

• ANIMAL REHABILITATION
• ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION
• WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

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