Life and Death in Archibald MacLeish's Poem The End Of The World

In Archibald MacLeish's poem "The End Of The World", life appears to be set in "waltz time" as if you have all the time in the world to spare. But, in reality, death may come without warning and hit you with its sheer nothingness. MacLeish applies this concept through the use of literary devices such as theme, imagery, and selection of detail, to compare and contrast the relationship between life and death. 

The theme in "The End Of The World" is that life is short but full of surprises and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Take life for what it is worth, because death may come at any moment and is the exact opposite feeling of life. It's numbing to the senses and it represents not only the death of your being but also the death of your life-long dreams and aspirations. MacLeish expresses his views on life and death by writing the poem in two separate stanzas. He then writes about the two experiences as though they are polar opposites. 

The concept of "life" is given specific, vivid details with queer descriptions of such things as an "armless ambidextrian" (which is also ironic because someone with no arms cannot possibly be ambidextrous.) MacLeish wants to convey how odd but pleasing life can be, and that even when weird things happen, to go with the flow. In the selection of detail for "death", MacLeish uses the words "there" and "nothing" over and over to show how monotonous the process of death may be. 

MacLeish uses a great deal of imagery to describe his attitude of life and death. The whimsical characteristics of a Vasserot and a lion named Ralph in the first stanza are replaced by "white faces and dazed eyes" in the second stanza. Archibald also writes that the sky is a "starless dark" hover which allows him to express how empty death might possibly feel. By leaving the sky starless, MacLeish can express his feelings towards a verdictless life. When you die, MacLeish believes that the "lights in your life", metaphorically the goals and desires, fade away into the nothingness of your own death.