JAMB - Literature In English (2001 - No. 41)
This question is based on selected poems from Ker, D. et al (eds.): New Poetry from Africa; Soyinka, W. (ed.): Poems of Black African; Senanu, K.E. and Vincent, T.(ds.): A Selection of African Poetry; Umukoro, M. et al (eds.); Exam Focus: Literature-in-English; Eruvbetine, A.E. et al (eds.) Longman Examination Guides and Nwoga, D.I. (ed.):West African Verse
The major theme of Thomas Gray''s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard'' is that death renders life
Explanation
Gray's poem meditates on death and the lives of ordinary people, particularly those buried in the churchyard. It reflects on how death brings equality to all, regardless of social status, and that everyone, whether rich or poor, will eventually face it. The poem suggests that the simple lives of the poor, though uncelebrated, have meaning and dignity in the face of death. It is a reflection on the shared human experience of mortality.
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