Read the poem "Death Be Not Proud" by John Donne.

---

Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and souls' delivery.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
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.

---

In a short essay, compare how the speaker in Donne's poem talks about death with how Ivan Ilyich thinks about death in chapters 5-8 of "Death of Ivan Ilyich."

1. What does death symbolize for the speaker in the poem?
2. What does it seem to symbolize so far for Ivan Ilyich?

Cite evidence from both texts to support your response.