Chuck Palahniuk once said, "The first step to eternal life is that you must die." In the poem “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant there is no talk of eternal life or anything religious, but it talks of death. He tells his readers that death is a natural thing and they should not worry about it. William Cullen Bryant, in his poem “Thanatopsis,” portrays a comforting view of death. Throughout the poem, Bryant encourages his readers by explaining that in death they are not alone, that death, like life, is a natural process, and that they will be among some of the best people to have walked the earth. Bryant takes advantage of the fact that we are not alone in death to comfort his readers. Through this, he explains that when people die, they will be reunited with loved ones they lost in the past. He also explains that even those who are not yet dead will eventually die and be with them again. He says, “Yet you will not retire alone to the place of your eternal rest, nor could you wish for a more magnificent sofa.” By saying this, Bryant states that everyone dies and...