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Part 1: Proposal 

1. Program of study, literature 
2. Riding the fear of death, how does literature offer comfort in certain scenarios, 
3. the traditional view of mortality and how it is viewed uncomfortably. 

Why do you want to write about this topic? What interests you about?

I have always had a fascination with the topic of mortality, and combining the question of how literature may offer comfort to an uncomfortable topic, offers a kind of solace to me. 

This project will necessitate a lot of research. What do you hope to learn about this specific event, person, or thing by writing this article? 

I hope to gather the opinions of others on this topic, and to find out a bit of history with the relations literature holds with mortality, and the idea if words can bring comfort to something that is so certain in everyone’s life. 

What “bigger picture” ideas do you think of when you think of this topic? What issues, ideas, or emotions does it bring up for you? You haven’t done research yet, so you will have a chance to find actual bigger picture ideas. But, brainstorm a few causes or consequences of your subject.

The bigger picture with this topic, is one of certainty but of uncomfortableness. A lot of people fear the idea of death, and the idea of mortality. Of how we are always running out of time. This would bring up the topic of what can literature help us overcome, is there a possibility of stories offering comfort? And the perception of death in literature, is it negative or positive? 

What type of feature story will this be

I think this will be a big idea feature story. 

Who will you be writing this feature story for? Who is your intended audience? Be as specific as possible. 

I think this story will be aimed towards young adults, who have an apprehension towards the idea of mortality and what is uncomfortable with the topic. It also may be geared to older adults who hold the same concerns. I believe this will be a universal topic in a way, that holds the ability to touch each age group. 

What is the purpose of your article? In other words, what kind of change are you aiming to affect in your audience? 

The change that mortality is inevitable, and that the fear surrounding it is normal, but the idea i hope to evoke is that literature can offer solace to those who are in fear of it. 

Name one online publication where your article might appear. Get online and do some research. Provide a link in the online version of your proposal

Maybe national geographic, can-novels-change-our-attitudes-about-death

In about 200 words, explain what your feature story will be about. Feel free to express uncertainties or ask questions here. You don’t need to be certain of your topic yet. The most important thing for now is for me to see what direction you’re heading in. 

I hope to achieve the comfort that literature is not only words on a page and fictional stories. I hope to show that mortality is obviously inevitable but the power that literature can provide to its readers is one of comfort. Hopefully through research I can possess the ability to convey a message of comfort opposed to one of fear. As the idea of death is a scary one, although it is the most certain thing on our path. I am afraid of this feature article coming across as morbid instead or coming across as hopeful and full of positivity. Mortality has a way of shocking people into believing the worse and how it holds negatives, which it does, but i aspire to show that literature possesses a power to convey death and dying in a plausible and positive light. I might need some guidance to keep the article a but more “light” and “airy” but i do hope i am on the right track. 

Part 2: Brainstorm. 

There always seems to be a bit of mistrust on how individuals can view literature and the relation it may hold to dying. The mistrust stems from the romanticization of the aesthetic that literature may hold to death. Many may believe that the connection mortality and literature is only significant for those studying literary theory. It also is only perceived as a cliche, how the literary theory and the relationship is on that eventually annihilates the idea of death. In this feature story I hope to achieve and find a way to overcome these cliches and show that the general approach is not one of morbidity, but one that will be supported with various research, showing the general interest of literary theory and the view of death within these novels. Another view can be that of death in children’s literature and how this is relevant for various aspects. The phobia of death basically fuels the society, as death is inevitable. Emotions of anxiety, depression, and the feeling of powerlessness in the midst of these situations. The denial is driven by the unpreparedness of our populations. 

The only question and thing I fear with this feature article is, i do not want this to be morbid,and I might need guidance with that. 

I think the fear of anxiety will be the driving factor for this piece, this “emotion” if you can even call it that, is something i am very familiar with but more so the idea of the role anxiety plays with mortality. People have a hard time trying to view mortality in a positive point of view, the difficulty obviously comes from this type of stigma we as a population have put up around this situation that happens to us all. The struggle to come to terms that yeah, we will all die. But the fear of mortality and fearing we won’t be doing enough to ever reach and obtain a valuable life that will reflect our death in a positive way.