Williams, C. K. (Charles Kenneth) : When

Literature Annotations

Genre	Poem
Keywords	Aging, Cancer, Death and Dying, Euthanasia, Family Relationships, Homicide, Medical Ethics, Narrative as Method, Suicide
Summary	A wonderful poem about an old, dying man recognizing he is dying before any one else in the family will admit it. He wants them to help him die--a kind of family consensus on euthanasia, which he seems to control. After much family discussion, they agree to help him by giving him enough pills to "put him to sleep." He jokes with his family as they assist his dying: "On the day it would happen, the old man would be funny again: wolfing down handfuls of pills, 'I know this'll upset my stomach,' he'd say."
Commentary	This 20-line poem is cast in C. K. Williams' distinctive style: a long, flat, discursive line, emulating the rhythm of ordinary speech. This is an easily accessible literary introduction to euthanasia and assisted suicide. It presents a narrative of the dying man's experience, rather than an abstract moral argument.
Source	A Dream of Mind
Publisher	Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Edition	1992
Place Published	New York
Miscellaneous	First published: 1991 (The New Yorker, April 29).
Annotated by	Donley, Carol and Coulehan, Jack
Date of Entry	03/21/95
Last Revised	01/28/97