Poem There's Been a Death in the Opposite House

Subject -
The subject of the poem relates to death. It is an important subject as everyone has to face it in one way or the other. Every human being has to face death.

Theme -

- The realities in life
- Dealing with death
- Customs and traditions

The realities in life

The persona knows that there is a death in the opposite house by the way people behave and through his past experience. He faces the realities of life as a member of the neighbourhood
or community. There are a few things that relate to the realities of life which involve death. The members of the community in the poem are neighbours, doctor, children, minister, mourners, little boys, milliner, the undertaker (man of the appalling trade). All these people are part of the scenery or setting portrayed in the poem. The persona realises that they are part of his immediate environment and represent the realities of life. In a society, the doctor is a respected
person who is qualified to pronounce whether a person is dead or alive using his knowledge of medicine. Similarly, the minister is the person who performs and takes charge of the prayers for the dead person. The milliner has a job to do, and the man of the appalling trade is needed for the preparation of the coffin and funeral services. All these people have a special role to play when someone dies. The mourners are also people who may be relatives, friends, neighbours, or others who come to pay their last respect to the deceased.

Dealing with death

In the poem, one of the themes is dealing with death. The persona knows that one of his neighbours is dead. He sees a mattress thrown out from the window and children hurrying by.
He knows that the children are wondering if the dead person has died on the mattress. He has undergone similar experiences as a boy. The persona knows that neighbour go in and out of
the house to pay their last respect to the deceased. He also knows that it is not necessary to make known that a person is dead in the community, as there are ways to know it. The doctor is around and when he leaves, the minister arrives to see the family; the milliner and the man of the appalling trade do their part to get on with the funeral. Similarly, the funeral procession would take place, and the mourners and others would be around. This is how people deal with death in the neighbourhood, as seen through the eyes of the persona. He shares his experience with the audience.

Customs and Traditions

The poem also highlights the theme on customs and traditions. Customs and traditions are part and parcel of a society or community. In the poem, it is a custom for people to pay respect to the dead person. It is also a custom for the minister to visit and offer prayers and words of comfort to the family. In a traditional society that in portrayed in the poem, the funeral procession is important. It is a tradition in Western societies to wear black or dark attires when attending a funeral service and burial. Thus, the use of the words ‘dark parade’ refers to this tradition.

Moral Value -

The poem teaches us to deal with death in a rational way, by understanding it. Death is inevitable, and everyone has to face it in one way or another. The persona accepts death as being part and parcel of life.

The poem reminds us that there is nothing that would last forever. Nobody is immortal. Everyone is destined to die one day. It is a kind of life philosophy. Understanding death is important, and is part of the process of growing up. In the poem, the persona has a different idea about death when he was young and wondered whether the dead person actually died on
the mattress that was flung out through the window. Now, he views death differently because he has grown up and is matured to understand things better.

The poem also teaches us to think about the importance of preserving and practising customs and traditions. Customs and traditions are part and parcel of the human dimension. We are identified as a member of a society or community when we practice the customs and traditions. Besides, it is a way of life. The persona shows how the people value customs and traditions. The minister visits the deceased; the mourners come to pay their last respect to the deceased. The funeral procession would go on, and people would be dressed according to the situation or circumstance.

There is another moral value that shows the important of cooperation and feeling of togetherness. The neighbours are around to pay their respect to the person who has died. Similarly, the mourners are there for that purpose too. The milliner and the man of the appalling trade do their job, and the funeral procession would take place. Moreover, there is no need for any official announcement that someone has died. The news spreads easily with people able to get the cues that there’s been a death in the opposite house or in the neighbourhood. The coaches would arrive soon bringing people to attend the funeral. All this shows that the people are very cooperative and have the feeling of oneness. It is important for us to be cooperative and have the feeling of belonging to a community or society.