At some point in everyone's life they experience thoughts about death, whether that they"re positive or negative depends on their outlook on the after life. While some view death as only the beginning of their eternal life others view it as the absolute end. Living in fear of day will not allow one to live peacefully or happily because in reality everyone's life eventually ends with death. Throughout the short story, "The Death of Ivan Illych", death is personified as something terrible and threatens the main character, while in the poem, "Death Not Be Proud" the writer seems to be fear free of death. .
In the short story "The Death of Ivan Illych" as soon as Ivan recognizes his death he begin nothing but despair and uncertainty. He refused to accept the idea that death would take his life even though he was a unique and different person. The character is completely lost with the idea that death is just going to take away his life. His idea of death would something that he could feel coming so that he would know about it. As much as Ivan tried not to think about his death it seemed to bother him. We can see this clearly when the simile, "It was like trying not to think of a toothache, when one in fact, has a toothache" is used. The idea of death and the constant worrying about it tired him so much. .
Then we see the complete opposite in the poem, "Death Be Not Proud". The writer seems fearless of death. The writer seems to mock death when he mentions that death is only found with poison, war and sickness. In the poem the use of personification, "Death not be proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so", gives the understanding that death is an equal and poses no threat. The writer gives the idea that death is only the beginning of our eternal life. The irony here is that while death is what kills people, in the end death dies, "One short sleep past, we wake eternally and death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die".