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219 Death Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on death, ✍️ death essay topics for college, 👍 good death research topics & essay examples, 🌶️ hot death ideas to write about, 🎓 most interesting death research titles, 📌 easy death essay topics, 💡 simple death essay ideas, ❓ questions about death.

  • Jeremy Dutcher “Mehcinut” (Death Chant): Style of the Song
  • Pentecostal’s Church Approach to Death, After-Life, and End of Life
  • Death in Emily Dickinson’s Poems
  • Death Within Edgar Allan Poe’s Works
  • “The Death of Artemio Cruz” by Carlos Fuentes
  • Death Culture in Filipinos and Its Peculiarities
  • Philosophical Views on Death
  • Death Penalty Abolishment: Arguments For and Against The practice’s opponents believe that the death penalty is inhumane, while proponents argue that it is a fair retribution for certain types of crimes.
  • The Concept of Death and Dying The purpose of this paper is to analyze the concept of death and dying, its key characteristics, impacts on individuals, family, and society, and related critical issues.
  • Approaches to Death, Their Types and Differences This paper discusses how do the biological, psychological, anthropological, philosophical, and sociological approaches to death differ.
  • Emily Jerry’s Death: The Root Cause Analysis Emily Jerry was a two-year-old patient who died during her stay in a hospital due to mismanagement of medical equipment and hospital staff incompetence.
  • Haitian Cultural Considerations of Death This paper looks at the customs, attitude, and ideas that Haitians have concerning the concept of death and dying.
  • The Soul Never Dies: John Donne’s “Death, Be Not Proud” Tis paper discusses the formal analysis of the sonnet, death as the central image embodies by multiple poetic means, and the paradox of the poem.
  • Death by Fire: The Death Penalty in Texas The death penalty in criminal justice has sparked a lot of debate as many citizens wonder whether to accept it or call for its abolishment.
  • Poe’s View on “The Masque of the Red Death” Edgar Allan Poe uses the word “masque” in the title to symbolize a one-of-a-kind celebration where people cover their identities behind masks to foster safety and experience joy.
  • Heaven, Hell, and Dying Well: Images of Death in the Middle Ages The paper discusses “Heaven, Hell, and Dying Well: Images of Death in the Middle Ages”. It is an art exhibit presented by the J. Paul Getty Museum in 2012.
  • Annotated Bibliography Assignment: Position on Death Sentence The intended outcome involves proving that the DS is inseparable from costly mistakes, including those reinforced by prejudice.
  • Alcoholism and Edgar Allan Poe’s Death Many arguments support alcoholism as the cause of Poe’s death, including his friends’ testimonials, newspapers’ reports about brain congestion, and social observations.
  • Tupac’s Fake Death Conspiracy Theory The author is convinced that Tupac staged his own death as part of a larger plan to evade the FBI and other law enforcement agencies who were after him.
  • Stephen King’s 1408: The Image of Death in Contemporary Gothic Literature In this essay, the author describes Stephen King’s story “1408” and argues for signs of its relationship to contemporary Gothic literature.
  • Emily Dickinson’s Reasons to Write About Death Death is one of the main and strongest reoccurring themes in Dickinson’s poetry that can be properly discussed through the events of the Civil War in the 19th century.
  • “The Mask of the Red Death”: Story by Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe published several stories with gothic inspiration, but none more critically acclaimed than “The Mask of the Red Death.”
  • The Death Penalty: Arguments in Favor The death penalty is a general discussion topic in modern society and is complicated. Federal and state courts progressively approve death penalty statutes.
  • Love and Death in Poetry by Emily Dickinson The main themes of Dickinson’s poetry were nature, death, love and Gospel the main points her manner of presentation and her inner state through.
  • Sikhism and Christianity: A View on Life and Death The purpose of this essay is to discuss the relationship between the two religious movements to the purpose of human life and the phenomenon of the afterlife.
  • The Concept of Death in Islam According to Islam, death is the soul’s return to its creator, who is Allah. Thus, this religion regards human life as a complex of severe trials, which always end in death.
  • Death and Culture: Cross-Cultural Beliefs and Practices Associated With Death The concept of death is, perhaps, the most recognized idea globally. It is a natural phenomenon that marks the end of life.
  • Gilgamesh’s Search for Immortality: Inevitability of Death in a Story The Epic of Gilgamesh is generally the story of one man’s journey to outfox’s demise, and, strangely, the needs of a contemporary American have not changed much.
  • Death Concept: Accepting Its Transformational Power Death is the end of earthly life, while one can still question if it is the real end. Depending on the attitude, the answer can be different.
  • Justification of the Death Penalty The paper argues that the death penalty is only justifiable under three circumstances, including retribution, deterrence and a form of communication.
  • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: Health Promotion Plan This paper aims at developing a health promotion plan that investigates SIDS and related best health improvement practices.
  • Fast Foods Lead to Fast Death: Informative Speech The fast-food industry has expanded at a rapid pace during the past half-century. The consequence has been the rapid expansion of the nation’s collective waistline.
  • History of “The Black Death” by Rosemary Horrox In “The Black Death,” Rosemmary Horrox traced how the Black Death in Europe and part of Asia affected the entire continent and spread across the part of England and Ukraine.
  • Estimating the Time of Death: The Main Factors This paper describes how to determine the time of death of a person, the factors and signs of the causes of death, that can help in the investigation.
  • Understanding Amish Attitudes Toward Death: Implications for End-of-Life Care While the Amish focus on the world beyond this world, they certainly feel sadness and loss just like any other people when loved ones pass away.
  • Life Stages: Old Age, Dying, and Death Death is perceived as a natural and inevitable part of life. We may not be sure about the outcomes of our lives, but one thing we are confident of is that we are all going to die.
  • Death Penalty: Contradictions Several crimes can lead to the death penalty: rape, racism, and murder. The death penalty has many and serious disadvantages and advantages.
  • The Death of Enkidu and the Enlightenment of Gilgamesh The great epic poem of Gilgamesh explores a vast number of themes, but the one that sets the epic into motion is the subject of friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
  • Death and Dying: A Case Study In the case of George, the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) means that he has a limited time to live and that his health is highly likely to deteriorate with time.
  • Mental Health Disorders and Suicide: A Global Perspective The current article supports the fact that mental disorders are risk factors for accidental death and suicide, but there is limited data to suggest their association with homicide.
  • Death and Dying Rituals in Buddhism The Buddhist perspective on death is undeniably positive as it helps in relieving pain and grief and preparing the living for eventual death.
  • Arts and the Black Death In the mid-14th century, the Black Death plague swept across Europe, killing more than 40% of the population.
  • Pronouncing a Brain-Dead Patient’s Death: Yusef Camp’s Case At the time of the situation, local legislation had no law to authorize death pronouncement based on brain criteria alone.
  • The Concept of Death and Dying in Religions The worldview of each religion is the key to understanding the human essence, and holding this or that position allows differently assessing both earthly existence and life after death.
  • Death Perception in the World Religions Buddhism and Hinduism perceive death as liberation. Therefore, mourning among representatives of these religions is not long and much less painful than in Christianity or Islam.
  • Dickinson’s Because I Could Not Stop for Death Poem Analysis The plot of Emily Dickinson’s poem Because I Could Not Stop for Death is centered on the narrator’s journey towards immortality, accompanied by Death.
  • Death Penalty: The Utilitarianism Ethical Theory Utilitarianism gives moral justification for the death penalty as long as it promotes society’s total well-being, approval, and happiness.
  • An Interpretation of Dickinson’s Views on Death in Her Poetry The paper considers Dickinson’s substantial contribution of almost 1800 poems into the field of mysticism and her particular views on death within her fascinating poems.
  • “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson In “Because I Could Not Stop for Death,” Emily Dickinson applies tone, personification, and metaphor to outline the lethargic journey of an individual from life to Death.
  • Wrongful Death Lawsuit: Case Study The right thing to do is to resolve the issue by settlement out of the court. A payment is preferable to a trial if the insurance company is willing to pay the damage caused.
  • Love, Life, Death, and God Concepts in Poetry The themes of love, life, death, and belief are commonly discussed in poetry, and people are free to expand their own opinions and judgments.
  • “Organizational Change as a Process of Death, Dying, and Rebirth” by Zell “Organizational Change as a Process of Death, Dying, and Rebirth” by Zell, the author presents the results of study on the resistance to organizational change in professional bureaucracies.
  • Emily Dickinson’s Poems and Topic of Death Many poets are excited by the theme of death, seeing it as an existential transition from one state to another. For some poets, as can be seen, death is an emotional blow.
  • The Roman Empire and Julius Caesar’s Death It is important to note that Caesar’s death was a pivotal moment in the history of the Roman Empire, marking the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the imperial era.
  • The Advantages of the Death Penalty This paper claims that the death penalty justified from an ethic since it reduces the number of criminals, satisfy the victims, and the state will not suffer financial losses.
  • Ethics of Ending Life Support After Brain Death The case study is about the attempts of the family of the girl whose brain is already dead, and she has no chance for improvement, to impose the ban on ending her life support.
  • Death Penalty in Case of Mental Illnesses American legal thought posited that the defendant’s mental competence was a necessary prerequisite for issuing and implementing the death penalty.
  • Law and Medical Ethics: Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Death Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are practices that occur in many countries. Some countries and states such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Oregon have made these practices legal.
  • The Incident With Wolterman: The First Line-Of-Duty Death in the History of Hfd The incident with Wolterman appeared to be the first line-of-duty death in the history of HFD since 1971. Wolterman’s line-of-duty death is the most recent of them.
  • Old Age and Death in Different Cultures Culture and age play a fundamental part in people’s attitudes to old age and death. Provide better care to people who are dying or experiencing the loss of a loved one.
  • Opioid Use Disorder and Death: Evidence Appraisal Overdose is now one of the leading causes of mortality by injury in the United States. It results in ten thousand of preventable deaths every year.
  • Emily Dickenson’s Poem “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” In this paper, the poem Because I Could Not Stop for Death is discussed from the perspective of a message that can be gained about its theme.
  • When the Death of a Star Becomes a Black Hole Black holes are among the most exciting phenomena in the universe. They are thick and have a powerful gravitational pull that not even light can flee their clutches.
  • Discussion: Meditation on Death Awareness This paper summarizes the article about the death awareness meditation that has three parts – the inevitability of death, the uncertainty, and the benefits of the spiritual insight.
  • Gary Davis: “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” The song is a terrible embodiment of the variability of life, the sudden possibility of decease at any moment; this part of human existence greatly worried the author.
  • Psychological Aspects of Desdemona’s Death: The Power of Deceptions and Racial Differences Desdemona’s death at her husband’s hands proves that jealousy seeds are easy to sow because they are reinforced by the outside psychological and racial means.
  • Death in the Village of Gold, Zamfara Province The village of Gold is a case experiencing a life-threatening condition to its population after numerous deaths are reported amongst children in three villages of Zamfara Province.
  • The Triumph of Death: A Prominent Theme in Gothic Literature The paper states that gothic fiction peers through humans’ gravest fears with surgical precision and terrifying brutality.
  • A Good Death: Family Ritual of Death Anniversary Death anniversary is one of the everyday rituals that every family practices in memory of their departed relatives.
  • Philosophy of Death and Dying Death has always been a significant theme of religious practices, philosophy, medicine, and art. They all turn to the specific features of the process of dying.
  • Attitudes Toward Death: Thomas vs. Whitman In the paper, attention will be paid to the two poems written by different authors and in different centuries but united by a common theme and several strong literary devices.
  • Dying-Death and Loss-Grief in Different Cultures Culture is a product of evolution and human creativity; it comprises all aspects of human adjustment which include sets of ideals, beliefs, including the culture of death.
  • The Portrayal of Death in Lullabies Lullabies, being a relatively simple genre derived from folklore, do not elaborate much on various aspects of death.
  • Workplace Death and Injuries The paper analyzes the article “The Occupational Safety and Health Act’s Preemptive Effect on State Criminal Prosecutions of Employers for Workplace Death and Injuries”.
  • Death in “The Book Thief” Novel by Markus Zusak The narrator of Liesel’s story in “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak is The Death, who describes the events happening in the human world from his perspective.
  • The Justness of Socrates’s Decision to Accept the Death Penalty Socrates was sentenced to death for instilling ‘wrong’ political views in the youth, but instead of escaping his death, the philosopher accepted it with honor.
  • How Breastmilk Affects the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome This paper seeks to establish the relationship between breastfeeding and low rates of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome compared to formula.
  • Belief in Life After Death: Descriptive Statistical Analysis This report proposes a descriptive statistical analysis for the distributions of two variables measured on different scales from the GSS2018 set.
  • Nursing: Witnessing Death at Work The paper states that death occupies an integral role in the work of a health worker. It has a combined effect on their mental and psychic state.
  • Death Penalty as Viewed within the Framework of Retributive Justice Modern society strives to develop compassion and understanding and reduce cruelty, as the value of human life and individuality is steadily growing.
  • Death and Dying in “What Really Matters…” by Miller BJ Miller provides an uncommon viewpoint borrowing from a traumatic near-death encounter that cost him his feet and arm.
  • Dying and Death From a Nursing Perspective: Annotated Bibliography Current cosmic scale necropolitics is trying to frame death, dying, and mourning in the modern world to existence.
  • The Traditions of Death Practices The paper discusses the traditions of death practices. It includes the Dia de los Muertos celebration and human composting burial practice.
  • “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Leo Tolstoy The story The Death of Ivan Ilyich was first published in 1886. It, like The Confessions, reflects Tolstoy’s spiritual quest.
  • The Death Penalty: James Holmes’ Case The death penalty does not violate the Sixth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. It does shape certain procedural aspects.
  • Race, Ethnicity, and Age Trends of Death From COVID-19 The article “Race, ethnicity, and age trends in persons…” analyzes deaths due to COVID-19 from the perspective of race, ethnicity, and age of its victims.
  • Aspects of Death Penalty Acceptance The death penalty is a form of punishment that should be used to justify criminals when they commit severe crimes concerning other people.
  • Court Cases That Impacted to Death Penalty Daryl Atkins, who has an IQ of 59, was found guilty of murdering an Air Force enlisted man inside a convenience shop and was sentenced to death for his crime.
  • Fetal Death Rates: International Comparison The paper states that the diagram and findings that ensue from it are not demonstrative of fetal mortality. The graph includes only ten nations.
  • Death Of Student at LA High School Case Discussion The case to be discussed further in this essay occurred in one of Los Angeles’s high schools, where a 15-year-old teenager died from a fentanyl overdose.
  • Death Penalty and “Eye for an Eye” System The argument that the death penalty fits the narrative of the “eye for an eye” idea is valid. However, the state has the right to take away someone’s rights.
  • Against the Death Penalty in the US The article presents arguments against the death penalty in the United States, focusing on its ineffectiveness as a deterrent, high costs, and racial and subjective biases.
  • Death Penalty Position in Society Death penalty is the most severe punishment a government may sentence a person to for breaking the law, for example, by committing murder.
  • Grief Counselling on Managing Child Terminal Death Whereas anticipatory grief for older patients such as parents or grandparents is relatively common, preparing for the death of a child can be significantly more impactful.
  • The Death Philosophy in Religion and Science This paper aims to answer the question that still swirls in the minds of many philosophers: is death a fearful phenomenon or the beginning of a new life?
  • Caring for Individuals Experiencing Common Health Challenges: Death and Dying The main idea of palliative care is integrating a holistic approach when nurses do everything possible to improve the quality of human life, even if death is inevitable.
  • Becoming an Organ Donor After the Death Transplanted organs save lives every day, yet doctors often have to lose precious time seeking a viable organ due to a lack of donors.
  • The Death and Burial of the Chinese Death in Eastern countries is considered best of all in the example of China because it is the country where the classical form of the cult of ancestors is the most developed.
  • The Black Death: Impact on European Society By the beginning of the epidemic of the Black Death in 1346, Europe was considered overpopulated, and the standard of living was rapidly falling.
  • Methodological Flaws in Studies of Air Pollution and COVID-19 Death Rates The research reviews the considerations related to studying the correlation between ambient air pollution and its effects on the symptoms of COVID-19.
  • The Culture of Death in the American Civil War The paper discusses the perception of death during the Civil War era. It shows the contrast between people’s opinions about it in the past and the present.
  • Liability of Death from Food Poisoning Woeste ate raw oysters at Washington Platform Saloon restaurant and died of food poisoning. Later his estate sued the restaurant and the company that harvested the oysters.
  • “The Odyssey,” “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” and “The Sauptikaparvan”: “Good Death” Idea “The Odyssey,” “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” and “The Sauptikaparvan” promote the concept of a “good death” as the notion of perfection of a warrior who dies on the battlefield.
  • The Film “Black Death” by Christopher Smith “Black Death”, a 2011 film by Christopher Smith, is one of the many cinematic deliberations on the subject of the 14th-century Black Plague in cinema.
  • Surviving the Death of a Parent “The Death of a Parent Affects Even Grown Children Psychologically and Physically,” explains how parental loss affects adults.
  • The Idea of Aging and the Inevitable Death The idea of aging and the inevitable death seem distant to young people. As one ages, the necessity to reconcile with the fear of demise emerges.
  • The Death of “Billy Budd” by Herman Melville Melville’s story “Billy Budde” culminates in the death of the main character – an innocent, inexperienced sailor, who through no fault of his, was hanged.
  • Socrates: Life and Death Discussion Socrates gave three distinct arguments in favor of life after death. His reasoning is not obliged to embrace the idea of soul immortality.
  • Aging and Death in Literature: Larkin and Shakespeare This paper aims to compare Philip Larkin’s “The Old Fools” and Shakespeare’s Sonnet 64, which present contrasting views of aging and mortality.
  • Life After Death: Nevitt’s Survivalism vs. Oderberg’s Survivalism Nevitt’s examines the views of corruptionists and survivalists on Aquinas and his beliefs on the status of human beings after death and before the resurrection.
  • Immortality, Personal Identity, Death and God The paper discusses the idea of the hereafter is connected to the understanding of the absolute and its influences on memory and body levels.
  • Early Martin Heidegger on “Death” Martin Heidegger is one of the most significant philosophers of the 20th century. He viewed death as a defining phenomenon for time and being.
  • Discussion of Global Death Sentence It is no secret that capital punishment has always been a topic surrounded by controversies in many humanitarian disciplines such as philosophy, law, and sociology.
  • Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Description Babies usually die quietly and without evidence of a struggle. SIDS’s diagnosis is set when the infant’s death cannot be explained.
  • Relationship Between Gender and Death Anxiety “Death Anxiety Among Elderly People” provides multiple insights into the relationship between death anxiety, spirituality, and gender among older patients in the Indian context.
  • Healthcare Ethics: Physician-Assisted Death Physician-assisted death should be illegal since the goal of healthcare must be to maintain treatment that sustains life for patients, by seeking alternatives in palliative care.
  • Products Liability: SUV Wrongful Death Case The jury of a Florida court ordered Mitsubishi Motors Corp. to pay almost eleven million dollars ($) in wrongful death damages.
  • Funeral Ceremony: The Song of Death, the Hymn of Life In this paper, the ritual Gisaro performed by the Kaluli people of Papua New Guinea will be examined and related to the present context.
  • Universal Determination of Death Act (UDDA) The Uniform Determination of Death Act (UDDA) is a draft state law provides a definition of death mainly for application in situations that require legal intervention.
  • Preventing Children’s Death in Nepal The paper gives a detailed analysis of the leading causes of death in children in Nepal and explains how this country has implemented evidence-based strategies to prevent.
  • People’s Attitude Towards Death Most philosophers agree that the fact of the inability to understand and experience life is the main evil that death brings.
  • The Death of Mothers as Healthcare Challenge Mothers die because of the impossibility of obtaining qualified medical services. This fact can be taken as the major healthcare challenge which the modern world faces.
  • The Death From Patriarchal Dependence Louise Mallard died of heart disease caused by years of suffering in marriage, lack of personal freedom, and a hazy future full of pretense and service to her husband.
  • Criminal Punishment, Inmates on Death Row, and Prison Educational Programs This paper will review the characteristics of inmates, including those facing death penalties and the benefits of educational programs for prisoners.
  • Black Death Impact on the Direction of Western Civilization The Black Death was a catastrophic global Bubonic Pest outbreak in the mid-1300s that affected Europe and Asia.
  • Prevalence and Death Rates of Asthma in Australia This paper will look at asthma in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who have a high prevalence rate.
  • Christianity and Shintoism: Death and Dying Every religion has its peculiarities and customs that determine what life the followers of this religion lead. The focus of this paper will be Christianity and Shintoism.
  • Death in John Donne’s and Percy Shelley’s Sonnets Sonnets were written by John Donne and Percy Shelley picture concepts of death, life, and the afterlife in a contrasting manner.
  • The Top Five Causes of Death in the US The five major causes of death in the United States encompass heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke and cerebrovascular diseases.
  • Death With Dignity: Ethical Dilemma Brittany Maynard had an aggressive form of brain cancer, and to preserve her control over her life, she decided to move to the state that authorized the Death with Dignity Act.
  • Attitude Towards Aging, Death, and Dying Both medicine and religion began to touch upon the topics of death and the possibility of eternal life, whether spiritual or physical.
  • Death by Refusal of Treatment and Healthcare Directives End-of-life care decisions are a sensitive issue that requires careful handling and collaboration between patients, their families, and health care professionals.
  • Death in Poetry: the Analysis of Poems by E. Dickinson, J. Donne, and A. Sexton This essay will analyze poems by E. Dickinson, J. Donne, and A. Sexton and attempt to decipher the points of view presented in the poems.
  • Brain Death, Consciousness, and Organ Transplantation Problem The articles reviewed in the paper touch upon the problem of dead/dying brain and the ethical question of organ transplantation from brain dead patients.
  • Encountering the Landscapes of Life and Death: Literature Review This essay examines two stories – “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “Death by Landscape” by Margaret Atwood.
  • Dealing With a Death of a Loved One In December 2003, Didion’s husband suffered a heart attack at the dinner table. They lived together for forty years. This terrible loss became a crucial moment in Didion’s life.
  • The Black Death Description and Analysis The book The Black Death by Philip Ziegler attempts to provide an account of the events followed by the arrival of the plague.
  • The History of Mongols, the Black Death Human society can be compared with a living organism that is the constant process of development. The currents that present special interest for the present work are the Mongols.
  • The Meaning of Death and a Person’s Attitude Towards It Living a life that has no regrets can help an individual reduce the impact of the fear of death. An individual should also focus on his or her own death so that he or she can live a fulfilling life.
  • Death Concept in “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson
  • TV and Newspaper Advertising Death
  • Death and Dying: How We Die, Reflections on Life’s Final Chapter
  • Death Explanation in Christian Religion
  • Death & Dying Ethics in Buddhism and Christianity
  • Death & Dying Ethics in Hinduism and Christianity
  • Death & Dying Ethics in Christianity and Buddhism
  • Religion in “Ceremony,” “Death Comes for the Archbishop,” and “Desert Solitaire”
  • Bereavement Loss and Death Practices Across Cultures
  • The Concept of Death in Perspectives of Christianity and Hinduism
  • Ethical Dilemma in Facing Death Situations
  • Death Row Prisoners in the United States: Abolishing the Capital Punishment
  • Near-Death Experiences and Life Understanding
  • Death Before and After Urbanization
  • Near-Death Experiences and Explanatory Models
  • Airline Liability for Passenger Injury or Death
  • Death in “On My First Daughter” and “Mid-Term Break”
  • Kathe Kollwitz’s “Death and the Mother” Painting
  • Death from Christian and Buddist Perspectives
  • Religious Perspective of Death and Dying: George’s Case
  • Nursing View on Death and Dying in America
  • Death and Dying in America: A Nursing Point of View
  • Human Life and Death in Christianity and Buddhism
  • “The Black Death and the World It Made” by Cantor
  • Death and Development in Nursing Practice
  • The Great War’s Impact: Death, Weapons, and Disillusionment
  • Terrorist Attacks: Death and Horrifying Effects on Innocent People
  • Exploring Death and Dying: Christianity vs. Buddhism
  • James Deem’s Auschwitz: Voices from the Death Camp
  • Socrates’ Life, Trial, and Death: A Philosophical Journey
  • Stages of Grief: Acceptance of Death in Diverse Cultures
  • Thousands of Birds Found Dead along Alaskan Shoreline
  • Performing Assisted Euthanasia on Kees de Joode: A Compassionate Choice
  • Is Smoking Cigarettes Just for Fun or a Death Sentence?
  • An Overview of How Death Affects People in Different Ways
  • Analysis of Religious and Non-religious Ideas About Death and the Afterlife
  • Black Death and Its Effects on European and Asian Societies
  • Cultural Characteristics That Influence the Attitude Towards Death
  • Death and Funeral Services of the Haitian Culture
  • Arguing for Quick Executions of Convicted Death Penalty Inmates
  • Christianity and Life After Death
  • Death and Its Personification in Greek Mythology and Other Cultures
  • Birth, Death, and Dynamic Inefficiency in an Endogenous Growth Model
  • Black Death: The Social and Economic Repercussions on Florence
  • Between Life and Death, the Crucial Difference
  • Life and Death Concepts as Perceived by Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle
  • Individual Mortality and Macroeconomic Conditions From Birth to Death
  • The Ancient Egyptian and Ancient Mesopotamian Practice and Beliefs on Death and the After Life
  • Cultural Diversity: Racial Disparity in the Application of the Death Penalty
  • The Effect of Death on the Perception of Reality
  • American Ambivalence Regarding the Death Penalty
  • Car Accidents Are the Main Source of Death for Young People
  • Assisted Suicide and Death With Dignity
  • Death and Afterlife Egyptian, History Other
  • The Death and Dying Beliefs of Australian Aborigines
  • How Do Different Cultures React to Death and Dying?
  • Can Aging and Death be ‘Controlled’?
  • What Does the Victorian Attitude to Death Tell Us About the Period?
  • Does Anything Survive Death in Buddhism?
  • How Are Death and Survival Linked?
  • What Does the Tradition Teach About Life After Death?
  • Should Physician-Assisted Death Be Legal?
  • How Does Death Affect the Behavior of People?
  • Why Are White Death Rates Rising?
  • How Are Death Rituals Indicative of Aspects of Identity?
  • What Caused Death and Injury During and After Ancient Battles?
  • Does Early Career Achievement Lead to Earlier Death?
  • How Does the Islamic Religion Explain Human Death?
  • Can Work Addiction Lead to Death?
  • Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Death Due to Natural Causes or Was He Murdered?
  • How Did the Black Death Change Medicine?
  • Are Socrates’s Arguments About Death Sound?
  • How Did England Change After the Death of Queen Elizabeth in the Early 17th Century?
  • Does Palliative Care Provide a Peaceful Death?
  • How Can Death Affect the Perception of Reality?
  • Can the Death Penalty Prevent the Rise in Crime Rate?
  • How Has Death Changed Within Changing Societies?
  • Should the Death Penalty Apply to Juvenile Criminals?
  • Does the Death Sentence Violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments?
  • How Did the Black Death Transform Europe?

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StudyCorgi. (2021, December 21). 219 Death Essay Topics. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/death-essay-topics/

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StudyCorgi . "219 Death Essay Topics." December 21, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/death-essay-topics/.

StudyCorgi . 2021. "219 Death Essay Topics." December 21, 2021. https://studycorgi.com/ideas/death-essay-topics/.

These essay examples and topics on Death were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

This essay topic collection was updated on November 2, 2024 .

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5 moving, beautiful essays about death and dying

by Sarah Kliff

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It is never easy to contemplate the end-of-life, whether its own our experience or that of a loved one.

This has made a recent swath of beautiful essays a surprise. In different publications over the past few weeks, I’ve stumbled upon writers who were contemplating final days. These are, no doubt, hard stories to read. I had to take breaks as I read about Paul Kalanithi’s experience facing metastatic lung cancer while parenting a toddler, and was devastated as I followed Liz Lopatto’s contemplations on how to give her ailing cat the best death possible. But I also learned so much from reading these essays, too, about what it means to have a good death versus a difficult end from those forced to grapple with the issue. These are four stories that have stood out to me recently, alongside one essay from a few years ago that sticks with me today.

My Own Life | Oliver Sacks

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As recently as last month, popular author and neurologist Oliver Sacks was in great health, even swimming a mile every day. Then, everything changed: the 81-year-old was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. In a beautiful op-ed , published in late February in the New York Times, he describes his state of mind and how he’ll face his final moments. What I liked about this essay is how Sacks describes how his world view shifts as he sees his time on earth getting shorter, and how he thinks about the value of his time.

Before I go | Paul Kalanithi

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Kalanthi began noticing symptoms — “weight loss, fevers, night sweats, unremitting back pain, cough” — during his sixth year of residency as a neurologist at Stanford. A CT scan revealed metastatic lung cancer. Kalanthi writes about his daughter, Cady and how he “probably won’t live long enough for her to have a memory of me.” Much of his essay focuses on an interesting discussion of time, how it’s become a double-edged sword. Each day, he sees his daughter grow older, a joy. But every day is also one that brings him closer to his likely death from cancer.

As I lay dying | Laurie Becklund

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Becklund’s essay was published posthumonously after her death on February 8 of this year. One of the unique issues she grapples with is how to discuss her terminal diagnosis with others and the challenge of not becoming defined by a disease. “Who would ever sign another book contract with a dying woman?” she writes. “Or remember Laurie Becklund, valedictorian, Fulbright scholar, former Times staff writer who exposed the Salvadoran death squads and helped The Times win a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1992 L.A. riots? More important, and more honest, who would ever again look at me just as Laurie?”

Everything I know about a good death I learned from my cat | Liz Lopatto

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Dorothy Parker was Lopatto’s cat, a stray adopted from a local vet. And Dorothy Parker, known mostly as Dottie, died peacefully when she passed away earlier this month. Lopatto’s essay is, in part, about what she learned about end-of-life care for humans from her cat. But perhaps more than that, it’s also about the limitations of how much her experience caring for a pet can transfer to caring for another person.

Yes, Lopatto’s essay is about a cat rather than a human being. No, it does not make it any easier to read. She describes in searing detail about the experience of caring for another being at the end of life. “Dottie used to weigh almost 20 pounds; she now weighs six,” Lopatto writes. “My vet is right about Dottie being close to death, that it’s probably a matter of weeks rather than months.”

Letting Go | Atul Gawande

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“Letting Go” is a beautiful, difficult true story of death. You know from the very first sentence — “Sara Thomas Monopoli was pregnant with her first child when her doctors learned that she was going to die” — that it is going to be tragic. This story has long been one of my favorite pieces of health care journalism because it grapples so starkly with the difficult realities of end-of-life care.

In the story, Monopoli is diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, a surprise for a non-smoking young woman. It’s a devastating death sentence: doctors know that lung cancer that advanced is terminal. Gawande knew this too — Monpoli was his patient. But actually discussing this fact with a young patient with a newborn baby seemed impossible.

"Having any sort of discussion where you begin to say, 'look you probably only have a few months to live. How do we make the best of that time without giving up on the options that you have?' That was a conversation I wasn't ready to have," Gawande recounts of the case in a new Frontline documentary .

What’s tragic about Monopoli’s case was, of course, her death at an early age, in her 30s. But the tragedy that Gawande hones in on — the type of tragedy we talk about much less — is how terribly Monopoli’s last days played out.

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