“Untitled” by George A. Newman

Leaves have their time to fall,
And flowers to scatter at the N[orth] wind’s breath,
And stars to set—but all—
Thou has all seasons for thine own, oh Death!

Oh, cease my wandering soul,
On restless wings to soar;
This wide old earth, from pole to pole,
Has not for thee a home.

Behold the ark of God,
Behold the open door.
Enter into that blest abode,
And roam, my soul, no more.

Fate wound him up for three score years—
Yet proudly ran he on some winters more,
Till like a clock worn out with eating time
The wheels of weary life at last stood still.

1. Think about a time where you lost someone close to you. Does Newman’s poem portray similar emotions? 

2. If you were asked, what title would you give this poem? Use textual evidence to support your answer.

1. Reread the poem and look for figurative language, such as metaphors or similes. How do these literary elements add to the meaning of Newman’s poem? 

2. The poem ends with a metaphor of a clock “worn out with eating time.” Why do you think it ends this way? What weight and role does this metaphor hold?

1. Compare and contrast “Untitled” to another poem of Newman’s titled, “Jim Crow Car of Tennessee.” How do these two works differ, yet resemble each other?

2. How is death and the afterlife represented in different cultures that we have learned about so far? How do you think death is represented by Newman?