The Power of Writing

Throughout her essays, Danticat consistently argues that writing has the power to help us understand death. Most obviously, Danticat demonstrates this argument through her own work. In each essay, Danticat references a plethora of literary giants, ranging from Leo Tolstoy to Zora Neale Hurston to C.S. Lewis. Danticat quotes these authors at length, sifting through their thoughts on death, life, and everything in between. In effect, Danticat uses these authors to help her understand and process the death of her own mother. Indeed, Danticat acknowledges that this writing has shaped her experience with death, saying, "I have found myself returning to [these poems and essays] when living with and writing about death" (7). Thus, for Danticat, writing has a unique power to communicate truths in the face of death.

Danticat goes on to assert that inherently, writing deals with the problem of death. Danticat quotes...