Axelrod, David B.: Consent

Literature Annotations

Genre	Poem
Keywords	Abandonment, Death and Dying, Euthanasia, Hospitalization
Summary	An elderly woman is dying in the hospital. She still speaks to the poet's persona, "even near the end when she only screamed / at her children that they wanted her dead." Though she seems to want to continue living, when she lapses into a coma, her children make "the doctor stop all heroic measures." Thus, they kill her just like she said they would.
Commentary	This is a short, simple poem that speaks strongly about family relationships at the time of dying. Who is doing the choosing here?
Source	White Lies
Publisher	La Jolla Poets Press
Edition	1988
Place Published	La Jolla, Calif.
Annotated by	Coulehan, Jack
Date of Entry	06/26/95