The speaker contemplates the lives and deaths of people buried in the churchyard in "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." In a short essay, explain the speaker's attitudes toward death. Cite examples from the poem to support your response.

Answer: The speaker is concerned that the death of a human causes people to forget about him or her. He feels as though the people buried in the churchyard have been forgotten, something that he does not want to happen to himself when he dies. His fear of being forgotten after he dies is so strong that he envisions how he would like his life to be remembered if anyone ever asks about him. also the speaker's vision of the inscription on his tombstone represents his hopes to avoid the anonymous fate of those buried in the churchyard.