"That time of year thou mayst in me behold"

At some point in life, everyone grasps the reality that they must die, but what is dying? Is it when your heart stops beating and your body no longer functions? Or could it be when all your memories fade away and you are left with nothing but the most trivial thoughts? Many people often state that a part of them dies when someone a loved one dies. Is this possible, is it even fathomable that a small part of a person can die and they can continue to live? In its simplest form, dying would be defined as ceasing to live, but what then is life defined as? Is life just lived waiting to die? Death is all around the living reminding those in good health that they will not always be so, those with their loved ones that it will not always be so. In Shakespeare's poem, "That time of year thou mayst in me behold" the point that death is inevitable and at some point one must experience it is illustrated through different images. Fall, a sunset, and a fire are used to depict life. Such images are effective because they all fade away; fall with all of its colors fades into the dark, dreary winter, a sunset again bright with life and color fades away into darkness, and finally a fire bright and burning while alive leaving only cold coals once it is extinguished. In order to truly live, one must appreciate life and accept that one day they must die, but not before their time has extinguished.