After you have read the poems describe the speaker’s attitude and tone towards the subject of concern in each poem. Is their attitude and tone the same? Is it different? How is it the same or differen

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Poem Analysis
“Funeral Blues”
The funeral blues represents an exceptional piece that manifests a lot of emotions and reflection of a tough time. The speaker uses a solemn tone in the poem to describe a rather agonizing scene. The speakers make an earnest request for a number of natural occurrences to stop all in honor of an extraordinary person. Also, the speaker’s tone indicates immense grief and a moment of mourning a significant loss. As the speaker narrates, “He was my north, my south, my east, and west/ my working week and my Sunday rest/ my noon, my midnight, my talk, my song” (Auden 9-12), it is hard to differ that all was lost.
In the last stanza, the speaker expresses some bitter sentiment and finds nothing worth the life anymore and spells it out, “For nothing now can ever come to any good” (Auden 16). The loss of the most important person signifies the end of everything. The speaker is very much skeptical of the moment at hand. In the second stanza, heavy and tough demands are made in honor of the deceased. The importance of the departed soul mate can only be expressed by putting a hold on normal life and dedicate the moment to his funeral.
The solemn tone of the poem signifies the context of the death being the ultimate thief not only of one life but much more connected to the deceased. The poem articulates an extreme level of grieving and low moments that speaks volume of pain and desperation. The speakers express a lot of pain and misery at remembering good old memories.

As such, she bitterly requests, “The stars are not wanted now; put out everyone/ pack up the moon and dismantle the sun” (Auden 13-14) signifying that the speaker has suffered a massive blow which would be hard to recover.
Death, Be Not Proud
The poem strongly highlights the critical dying moments that death takes the day home making it be feared and considered as superior. The tone and attitude applied by the speaker is a mocking tone whereby he ridicules death. The speakers express a strong sentiment against death always having its way of dictating the game of life. Furthermore, the speaker labels death as being a form of rest and sleep and not in any way as scary and dreadful as the stories goes about it. The speakers outline that, “from rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be/ much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow” (Donne 5-6) signaling another attack over death.
Nevertheless, the speaker identifies death as a fate for the human race and it should not take pride in the fall of kings, or desperate men. The speaker contemplates that death prides itself on the fateful occurrence including war, sickness, and poison among others. As the speaker narrates, “Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men/ and dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell” (Donne 9-10). The mockery tone of the speaker serves as a ridiculous attack on death but yet admitting to being helpless to control the occurrence of fate and chance.
To sum it up, the speaker expresses a strong sentiment win over death thus flooring all the perceived might and ability. The speaker claims that eternal life will be the greatest conquer against death and in the end death will be the ultimate loser. As the speaker claims, “and better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then? /One short sleep past, we wake eternally/ and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.”(Donne 12-14) as a mark of victory after it all.
Works Cited
Auden, W. H. “Funeral blues (Stop all the clocks).” Collected Poems (1938).
Donne, John. “Death Be Not Proud.”