comparison and contrast of seven ages of man by William shakespeareand help the aged by Pulp

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Compare and Contrast Essay
Introduction
Betty Franklin once said, “Aging is not youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” Aging is a process in our lives that everyone dreads going through, having one’s hair turn grey, developing wrinkles, not being able to care for yourself, being put into an old age home away from friends and family and the most difficult part to accept is death is the next step after old aging. But aging is inevitable and growing old is the most difficult part in a human lifetime, as demonstrated as a comparison in the two songs (“help the Aged” by Pulp and the Seven Ages of man by William Shakespeare. The topic is relevant since it will help analyze the natural process of aging. It also gives the belief of the writers that they people need to prepare before they get old so that they can live better lives. Aging is an automatic process and leads to a lonely place that cannot be avoided although one can prepare for it by carrying for the old while young.Body
Both portray old age as an automatic process that cannot be avoided as long as one is a human being. Pulp says, “Help the aged ‘cos one day you’ll be older too” while Shakespeare says that all people have entrance and exits reinforcing the idea of old age (Schmidt 34). Both songs portray old age as a lonely place although one cannot run away. Shakespeare says the world very large for the old while pulp says “see where you are headed, and it’s such a lonely place.

” Both revolve around the same theme of life and its reflections. Shakespeare is concerned with life from birth to death while pulp concentrates on life at old age.
On the other hand, Shakespeare depicts human beings as hopeless and with no influence on what happens at old age. He portrays an image of aging predetermined by God, and there is nothing man can do to make it happier (Schmidt 35). On the other hand, Pulp shows that one can make their old age happier by caring for the elderly while young. Pulp stresses the idea of helping the old while Shakespeare believes human intervention is unnecessary. Shakespeare uses narrative like metaphors to emphasize the message while Pulp does not include such anecdotes. Shakespeare, for instance, opens his work with the phrase “All the world’s a stage” which is a metaphor to set the mood for his work.
Conclusion
Although old age is unavoidable, it is possible to prepare for it by caring for the others. Both songs portray aging as an automatic process that leads to loneliness (Schmidt 34). However, according to Shakespeare old age is predetermined by God while pulp says one can prepare for it. The topic is crucial since it gives an insight into what to expect when growing old and how to respond.
Work cited
Schmidt, Jeremy. Melancholy and the care of the soul: Religion, moral philosophy and madness in early modern England. Routledge, 2016.